Along the north side of Piazza del Duomo, the Camposanto forms a long marble enclosure around a quiet inner court. It was founded in 1277 to bring together burials once scattered around the Cathedral; Giovanni di Simone is associated with its design, and construction continued for centuries. The cemetery joins the Cathedral, Baptistery and bell tower in the UNESCO-listed Piazza del Duomo ensemble.
The open central area was where the sarcophagi were first placed. According to tradition, the earth there had been brought from Palestine during the Second Crusade in 1146; the story belongs to the place’s memory, not to verified soil provenance. Roman sarcophagi, some reused for medieval burials, were later arranged along the galleries. From the 16th century, the Camposanto also received the tombs of university scholars and members of the Medici family. It became a museum in the early 19th century.
Frescoes fill the galleries with scenes of life, death and faith. The Triumph of Death and Last Judgment are attributed by the Opera della Primaziale Pisana to Buonamico Buffalmacco; the wider cycle grew across the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1944, a fire during wartime bombing devastated the roof and damaged the paintings. During their rescue, the painted layers were detached and the underlying preparatory drawings, called sinopie, came to light.
The sinopie were also removed and have been displayed in the nearby, separate Museo delle Sinopie since 1979. After a long restoration, the Triumph of Death returned to its original place in the Camposanto in 2018. Take time for the galleries, then continue planning with our Pisa guide and Tuscany guide.
