The original core of the building is the little chapel of Saint Stephen, documented since the year 746, which  depended on the ancient parish church of San Pietro a Mosciano (Mosciano for the locals).

In 1329 the church was chosen as the venue to host the delegates who came from Florence, Pisa and other Tuscan cities to sign peace agreements in the region.

In a document dated 15th June 1349, it is referred to as the “parish church of St. Stephen”: this means that the church had been provided with the baptismal font and the title of pievania.

At the end of the 14th century bishop Niccolò Guinigi officially declared the union between the parish churches of Mosciano and Montopol.

The most beautiful artworks decorating the Montopoli church date back to the 15th century, among them certainly worth mentioning the marble baptismal f”Our Lady of the Rosary” by Francesco Corradi and “The Immaculate Conception”, a late work by Jacopo Vignali;

while the frescoes that decorated its walls, a work of Santi di Tito, are completely lost.

The construction of the main altar, balustrade, benches and choir stalls also date back to the 17th century.

Massive interventions date back to 1817 when the ceiling of the church was raised.

Restoration works on the ceiling were completed in 1951 with the fresco decorations by Anton Luigi Gaioni, who painted images of saints linked to the history of Montopoli.

In 1952, Gaioni also frescoed the side walls of the chapel of the Crucifix with four panels inspired by “the prodigal son" parable, while the painting of St. Joseph above the entrance door to the bell tower is dated 1960.

Other works commissioned in recent years are the medallions of the Rosary altar, painted in 1978 by Riccardo Ferrari from Genoa, and the painting of Saint John the Evangelist by Stefano Ghezzani dated 1987.

In July 1944, Montopoli also suffered from the devastation and grief caused by the war. 

The church was hit hard by bombings, so much so that in the early post-war its roof had to be rebuilt. Between July and December 1951 the ceiling was frescoed by Anton Luigi Gajoni.

Gajoni painted the Glory of the saints the church was dedicated to, Stephen and John the Evangelist, in addition to which he added angels and other saints: those were the saints to whom the many oratories scattered in the area of Montopoli were dedicated, for whom the faithful had  always had a special devotion.

Starting from the area of the altar, the first figure is that of St. George in the red cloak and his horse perched on the dragon, lying on the ground. Above, St. Lawrence with the grate: for advocating for the rights of the poor of his Christian community, he was burned alive by the authorities of ancient Rome.

St. Sebastian pierced by the arrows next to St. Lorenzo, on the left we can see Santa Barbara with the chalice and the host, while the other figures are those of St. Martha (at the far left of the fresco) followed by St. Andrew the Apostle. 

In the center of the large fresco you can recognize St. Stephen, and St. John the Evangelist the latter with his attributes, the eagle and the book.

Both are in the presence of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

On the other side (above the entrance) in the center there are the allegories of the three "Theological Virtues' as female figures: Faith (in a white robe), Hope (in a green robe) and Charity (in a red robe). Along with them the painter also added a "Cardinal" Virtue: "Justice."

In the background a view of Montopoli can be seen, dominated by the parish church and the ancient fortress, the latter destroyed during the Second World War. 

Gajoni, to create the fresco, took inspiration from the sixteenth-century ceilings of Rome's Baroque churches. However, despite being the painter inspired by Roman Baroque, a sense of greater order and composure prevails in the ceiling fresco. The artist uses soft, bright colors without strong contrasts of light and shadow, mitigating the theatrical effects of Baroque.

On the curved wall of the bowl of the apse, beyond the altar, one can admire the Martyrdom of St. Stephen.

The episode is told in the Acts of the Apostles: since Christian worship was forbidden, St.Stephen was condanned to death by stoning by the local autorities.

Before the execution, Stephen stared at the sky, which reveiled the image of Christ at the right hand of the father. Around the young man the crowded the executioners who laid their clocks at his feet and began to stone him.

That young man mentioned in the Acts of Apostoles was Saul, that is, St.Paul, who converted to Christianity. In this fresco the young Paul appears on the left, behind him there are the clocks left on the ground by the perpetrators of the stoning.

In the fresco, lights and shadows alternate in an excited rhytm and affect the motions of the torturers arranged in a semicircle around the figure of the saint. Each of them is caught in different poses and expressions. Behind the characters, the landscape of rocks and trees appears looming, impassable, just as inescapable is the Martyr’s fate.

The cross is situated in the middle of the church aisle on the right side. It’s a cross carved in wood dating back to the beginning of the 14th century. 

The cross was created by an anonymous carver master but known as “West Tuscan sculptor”. The cross shows a painful Jesus on a crucifix. This kind of sculpture follows the “Christus Patiens'' model, diffused with the advent of the Francescan Order. There are many realistic details that reminds to the suffering of Jesus, such as the bleeding  injuries, the protruding bones, the face, the wrinkles on the for head, the messy mustache and hairs. The artwork is Giovanni Pisano’s style, author of the pulpit in the Pisa’s cathedral.

Right above the entrance door there are two paintings on the left wall in the middle. 

One of a rectangular shape and the other semicircular. Giovanni di Lorenzo da Larciano, a florentine painter born 1484 and dead by the plague wave that hit Florence in 1527. Giovanni di Lorenzo lived in Florence in the Gold Renaissance Period. In Florence he had the chance of meeting, and being inspired by the best Renaissance artists like Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo da Vinci. 

The two painted boards of Montopoli were realised in 1526 and conceived to be linked together. The two works were supposed to decorate the wall at the bottom of a small chapel dedicated to Santissima Annunziata. In the rectangular board 3 episodes of the Holy Bible are represented: left to rightt “Mary visiting Elizabeth”, the Announcement of the conception of the son of God and Saint Joseph. 

In the announcement you can see Archangel Gabriel. The resemblance with what Leonardo da Vinci had painted a few years before - now at the Galleria degli Uffizi - is amazing. Surprised by the angel, Maria interrupted the reading of her prayer book. In the background the landscape is described in a very detailed way. City palaces, towers and domes appear in a way that reminds us of the view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo. Saint Joseph standing: the saint seems to be watching the observer, showing a long flowery stick on the trip. 

According to tradition, a flower on a stick represents the miraculous choice of God of the humble carpenter. The flower is a “nardo”, a honeysuckle plant used to produce an essential oil, often mentioned in the Holy Bible.

In the semicircular fresco, God dominates, surrounded by cherubs. God the father appears as if sitting on a cloud and blessing. He holds an open book showing “Alpha” and “Omega”, that is the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, as written in the Bible, the beginning and the end.

Located in the left aisle, the work was painted by Jacopo Vignali, a Florentine painter who was particularly active during the plague epidemic of 1630.

The Immaculate Conception was painted twenty years after the end of the plague; however, the salvific message of the work is linked to the end of the epidemic and the power of the Virgin Mary, able to triumph over the evil afflicting humankind.

The Virgin Mary, generated without bearing the original sin, according to Catholic doctrine, is depicted standing on the Moon. The position of the Moon, facing upwards, suggests Christ's triumph over evil and death, while the crown of twelve stars symbolises the twelve apostles.

The twelfth chapter of the book of the Revelation mentions the appearance of the Virgin: "A great sign appeared in the sky: a woman wrapped in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in labour and in the pain of childbirth.’

Below the Virgin Adam and Eve are represented, bound by sin to the trunk of a tree, an obvious reference to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Genesis. 

The snake, whose coils wrap around the tree, symbolises Satan and is a further reference to the original sin, of which our forefathers are guilty. At their feet is a skull, to be linked to the theme of spiritual death due to the original sin and betrayal of divine trust. Behind Mary God the Father is represented  welcoming the Virgin Mary with a benevolent gesture.

The Resurrection of Christ is one of the painting created by Orazio Fidani and it’s preserved in this church on the right wall of the chancel, just next to the sacristy. 

Orazio Fidani was a Florentine painter, exponent of the seventeenth century naturalism . In this painting there are influences from Caravaggio. It was inspired by the most famous resurrection painting for the Ginestra convent, by an artist called  “the Cigoli”. 

He was one of Galileo’s close friends, and one of the main examples of roman baroque style. The most important element of the painting is  Christ. 

This painting transmits the same emotional power of the decoration of ceilings of Palazzo Pitti, made by Pietro da Cortona and it shows a peculiar colour opposition: Dark colours for the background and bright colours for the sky. This scene stresses out the power of the resurrection and surely it has got a great impact on the observer. Gv 20,1-18

She turned toward him and cried out in aramaic, “Rabbonì” (which means “teacher”) Jesus said “do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the father. 

Go instead to my brothers and tell them:”I ’am ascending to my father and your father, to my God and your God”. 

We do not know for sure who the author of the painting located on the left wall of the presbytery is. According to some sources, the work could have been created by Alessandro Allori, a Florentine painter from the second half of the 16th century, or by the Pisan artist Orazio Gentileschi, the father of the famous painter Artemisia Gentileschi.

The painting, due to its current condition, is hardly readable. The bottom part and the background are blackened by a heavy layer of dirt: in the bottom left corner, the shapes of the sleeping apostles can be guessed, while in the distance, a city, perhaps a river, and soldiers are visible. Considering the characters in the painting, it is likely that the represented episode is the capture of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.

From the Gospel according to Luke (22:39-46), "Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said";Pray that you will not fall into temptation. "He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done".  An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground".

The theme depicted a contemplative life and silent dialogue with God, which could be an autonomous choice of the painter Alessandro Allori. This is suggested by the frequency with which themes of solitude, detachment from the world, and meditation recur in his artistic production.

The canvas is currently located on the altar dedicated to Santa Barbara, the first on the right, at the chancel of the church. Francesco Curradi was the most important representative of florentine devotional painting in the first half of XVII° century.

 In the baroque context, Curradi’s works are famous for effectiveness, accurate drawing, and smooth chiaroscuro. The history of this work is strictly linked to the 1630 plague.

On that occasion people believed that the plague was a punishment, so they prayed. The need of Virgin Mary’s protection is represented with blatant devotion in this work: Madonna del Rosario with St. Stephen, St. Dominic, St. Charles Borromeo and St. Francis. Regarding the style, the softness of the tones and the big emotional engagement of the work are paramount. Starting from the left, you can find St. Stephen, symbol of tenderness, with a palm and a book, and St. Dominic with the rosary. 

On the right side, there’s St. Francis and St. Charles Borromeo, praying. Borromeo represents the population recovery after the 1630 plague. 

At the center of the painting there is the tender Virgin Mary with her child, surrpounded by a light. 

At the top of the work there are many angels holding a rosary. The scene communicates serenity, against the anxieties of the plague. The canvas was offered by the midwife Diamante, to express gratitude for the population rise after the epidemics.

Silvio Bicchi was born in Livorno in 1874 and began to study in Florence where he attended the Art Academy and Giovanni Fattori’s atelier. His apprenticeship with the master influenced his entire. 

In 1906 he stayed in Paris and London. These experienced were important for his training, since the two capitals were grewing the main artistic trends.

Paris was under his expectations because he didn’t feel comfortable in the decadentist atmosphere of the city.

His experience in London, by the way, seemed much more inspiring as he discovered his passion for portraits.

In 1914 he decided to move to NY, where he performed portraits of well known people.

The Christ’s Baptism for the church of Montopoli, was one of his masterpieces after he returned from America.

Currently thi painting, located inside the chapel of the baptismal font, is a unique work of art and elegance.

Jesus and John The Baptist are in the centre of the painting, represented in the act of christianising. A gliding dove above the head of Christ with a beam of light reminds the Holy Spirit.

(Mt 3, 13-17) “ And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he swathe spirit of god descending like a dove and highlighting on him, and a voice from the heaven said - this is my son, the beloved with whom I am well pleased”.

The mail scene is separated by the background, due to a marked contour line which suggests both the Japanese art and the art noveau artist Alfons Mucha’s influence . They have in common a certain resemblance in the wavy and fluid line, in the two-dimensional nature and in the bright colours.

Indeed Bicchi tends to highlight the characters’ silhouettes in order to separate.