LucadeaLuca is the creator of this site. He travels the world for work and loves taking photographs and sharing them with all his visitors.

Saint Martin on Lucca Cathedral’s facade.
While walking in front of San Martino Cathedral in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, I photographed one of the most recognizable details of the building: the statue of Saint Martin on the facade, showing one of the most famous scenes connected with Christian tradition. Among the things to see in Lucca, the Cathedral and its architectural details deserve a careful look, especially because many important stories are hidden in small details.
The statue represents Saint Martin sharing his cloak with a beggar, the episode most closely associated with the saint’s life. I wanted to capture this detail with my camera because looking closely at the facade reveals elements that tell the history and spirituality of this place in a way that a simple general view cannot.
San Martino Cathedral is one of the symbols of Lucca and stands in the heart of the historic center. Its construction began during the Middle Ages, and over the centuries the building was enriched with artworks, decorations, and architectural changes that still show the importance of the cathedral from both a religious and cultural point of view.
A small curiosity about Lucca Cathedral is its connection with pilgrimage routes. For centuries, the cathedral was an important stop for pilgrims traveling along the Via Francigena towards Rome, helping transform Lucca into a meeting place for travelers, believers, and different cultures.
The statue of Saint Martin on the facade is therefore much more than a decorative element. It is a symbol that introduces visitors to the history of the cathedral. Before entering the church, this stone sculpture already tells a story that continues inside, where important artworks such as Tintoretto’s Last Supper and the funerary monument of Ilaria del Carretto can be admired.
This photograph continues my personal story of Lucca, following the images I shared of the view from the Cathedral tower, San Martino Cathedral, and the other hidden treasures I discovered inside the historic churches of the city.
Often, the details on a facade are the first pages of a monument’s story, even before stepping through its entrance.

Have you ever taken a closer look at the facade of Lucca Cathedral and the statue dedicated to Saint Martin? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

Photo taken with a Canon EOS M100 camera and Canon EF-M 11-22 lens.

To see all the photos I took of the Cathedral, click here:

This is the cathedral’s official website, should you wish to visit it: museocattedralelucca.it.

As a *circitor*, his duties included making night rounds, inspecting guard posts, and keeping watch over the garrisons. It was during one of these rounds that a life-changing event occurred—an episode that remains the most remembered and frequently depicted in iconography to this day. In the harsh winter of 335, Martin encountered a half-naked beggar. Seeing the man suffering, he cut his military cloak—the white *chlamys* of the Imperial Guard—in two and shared it with the beggar.
Read more at touringclub.it

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