1.
Ponte Vecchio
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The Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops, the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers, the Ponte Vecchios two neighbouring bridges are the Ponte Santa Trinita and the Ponte alle Grazie. The bridge spans the Arno at its narrowest point where it is believed that a bridge was first built in Roman times, the Roman piers were of stone, the superstructure of wood. The bridge first appears in a document of 996, after being destroyed by a flood in 1117 it was reconstructed in stone but swept away again in 1333 save two of its central piers, as noted by Giovanni Villani in his Nuova Cronica. Modern historians present Neri di Fioravanti as a possible candidate, the Torre dei Mannelli was built at the southeast corner of the bridge to defend it. The bridge consists of three arches, the main arch has a span of 30 meters the two side arches each span 27 meters. The rise of the arches is between 3.5 and 4.4 meters, and the span-to-rise ratio 5,1 and it has always hosted shops and merchants who displayed their goods on tables before their premises, after authorization of the Bargello. The back shops that may be seen from upriver, were added in the seventeenth century, not having a table anymore, the merchant was not able to sell anything. During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by Germans during their retreat on the advance of the liberating British 8th Army on August 4,1944 and this was allegedly, according to many locals and tour guides, because of an express order by Hitler. Access to Ponte Vecchio was, however, obstructed by the destruction of the buildings at both ends, which have since been using a combination of original and modern design. In order to connect the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti, to enforce the prestige of the bridge, in 1593 the Medici Grand Dukes prohibited butchers from selling there, their place was immediately taken by several gold merchants. The corporative association of butchers had monopolised the shops on the bridge since 1442, along the Ponte Vecchio, there can be seen many padlocks affixed in various places, especially to the railing around the statue of Benvenuto Cellini. This is a recent tradition for the Ponte Vecchio, although it has been practiced in Russia and it was perhaps introduced by the padlock shop owner at the end of the bridge. It is popularly connected to idea of love and lovers, by locking the padlock and throwing the key into the river, there is a similar ongoing padlock phenomenon at Ponte Milvio, due to one of Federico Moccias books. The bridge was damaged in the 1966 flood of the Arno. The bridge is mentioned in the aria O mio babbino caro by Giacomo Puccini, Vasari Corridor Krämerbrücke Pulteney Bridge Flanigan, Theresa, The Ponte Vecchio and the Art of Urban Planning in Late Medieval Florence, Gesta 47, 1-15
2.
Florence
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Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the Metropolitan City of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants, Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time. It is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has called the Athens of the Middle Ages. A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family, from 1865 to 1871 the city was the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy. The Historic Centre of Florence attracts 13 million tourists each year and it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. The city is noted for its culture, Renaissance art and architecture, the city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics. Due to Florences artistic and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, in 2008, the city had the 17th highest average income in Italy. Florence originated as a Roman city, and later, after a period as a flourishing trading and banking medieval commune. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, it was politically, economically, and culturally one of the most important cities in Europe, the language spoken in the city during the 14th century was, and still is, accepted as the Italian language. Starting from the late Middle Ages, Florentine money—in the form of the gold florin—financed the development of all over Europe, from Britain to Bruges, to Lyon. Florentine bankers financed the English kings during the Hundred Years War and they similarly financed the papacy, including the construction of their provisional capital of Avignon and, after their return to Rome, the reconstruction and Renaissance embellishment of Rome. Florence was home to the Medici, one of European historys most important noble families, Lorenzo de Medici was considered a political and cultural mastermind of Italy in the late 15th century. Two members of the family were popes in the early 16th century, Leo X, catherine de Medici married king Henry II of France and, after his death in 1559, reigned as regent in France. Marie de Medici married Henry IV of France and gave birth to the future king Louis XIII, the Medici reigned as Grand Dukes of Tuscany, starting with Cosimo I de Medici in 1569 and ending with the death of Gian Gastone de Medici in 1737. The Etruscans initially formed in 200 BC the small settlement of Fiesole and it was built in the style of an army camp with the main streets, the cardo and the decumanus, intersecting at the present Piazza della Repubblica. Situated along the Via Cassia, the route between Rome and the north, and within the fertile valley of the Arno, the settlement quickly became an important commercial centre. Peace returned under Lombard rule in the 6th century, Florence was conquered by Charlemagne in 774 and became part of the Duchy of Tuscany, with Lucca as capital. The population began to again and commerce prospered
3.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world
4.
Vasari Corridor
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The Vasari Corridor is an elevated enclosed passageway in Florence, central Italy, which connects the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti. At the time of construction, the corridor had to be built around the Torre dei Mannelli, using brackets, the corridor covers up part of the façade of the chiesa di Santa Felicita. The corridor then snakes its way over rows of houses in the Oltrarno district, becoming narrower, most of it is closed to visitors. The Vasari Corridor was built in 5 months by order of Duke Cosimo I de Medici in 1565 and it was commissioned in connection with the marriage of Cosimos son, Francesco, with Johanna of Austria. The meat market of Ponte Vecchio was moved to avoid its smell reaching into the passage, at the latter extremity, the corridor was forced to pass around the Mannellis Tower, after the staunch opposition of that family to its destruction. In the middle of Ponte Vecchio the corridor is characterized by a series of windows facing the Arno. These replaced the windows of the original construction in 1939. The larger windows were installed for a visit to Florence by Adolf Hitler to give him a panoramic view of the river. In its Uffizi section the Vasari Corridor is used to exhibit the famous collection of self-portraits. The area closest to the Uffizi entrance was damaged by a bombing commissioned by the Italian mafia on the night of May 27th,1993. These paintings, some hopelessly damaged, have been pieced back together, self-portraits in the Uffizi Gallery Media related to Vasari Corridor at Wikimedia Commons
5.
Cosimo I de' Medici
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Cosimo I de Medici was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. Cosimo was born in Florence, on 12 June 1519, the son of the famous condottiere Giovanni dalle Bande Nere from Forlì and he was the grandson of Caterina Sforza, the Countess of Forlì and Lady of Imola. Cosimo came to power at 17, when the 26-year-old Duke, Alessandro de Medici, was assassinated in 1537, Cosimo was from a different branch of the family, and so far had lived in Mugello, and was almost unknown in Florence. However, many of the men in the city favoured him. Several hoped to rule through him, thereby enriching themselves at the states expense, however, as Benedetto Varchi famously put it The innkeepers reckoning was different from the gluttons. Cosimo proved strong-willed, astute and ambitious, and soon rejected the clause he had signed, when the Florentine exiles heard of the death of Alessandro, they marshalled their forces with support from France and from disgruntled neighbors of Florence. During this time, Cosimo had a daughter, Bia. Toward the end of July 1537, the exiles marched into Tuscany under the leadership of Bernardo Salviati and Piero Strozzi. When Cosimo heard of their approach, he sent his best troops under Alessandro Vitelli to engage the enemy, which they did at Montemurlo, after defeating the exiles army, Vitelli stormed the fortress, where Strozzi and a few of his companions had retreated to safety. It fell after only a few hours, and Cosimo celebrated his first victory, the prominent prisoners were subsequently beheaded on the Piazza or in the Bargello. Filippo Strozzis body was found with a sword next to it and a note quoting Virgil. In June 1537 Cosimo had sent Bernardo Antonio de Medici to Charles V to gain his recognition as head of the Florentine state and that recognition came in June 1537, in exchange for help against France in the course of the Italian Wars. With this move Cosimo firmly restored the power of the Medici, the help granted to Charles V allowed him to free Tuscany from the Imperial garrisons, and to increase as much as possible its independence from the overwhelming Spanish influence in Italy. With the support of the Emperor, he defeated the Sienese at the Battle of Marciano, despite the inhabitants desperate resistance, on 17 April 1555, after a 15-month siege, the city fell, its population diminished from forty thousand to eight thousand. In 1559 Montalcino, the last redoubt of Sienese independence, was annexed to Cosimos territories, in 1569, Pope Pius V elevated him to the rank of Grand Duke of Tuscany. In the last 10 years of his reign, struck by the death of two of his sons by malaria, Cosimo gave up the rule to his son and successor Francesco I de Medici. He retreated to live in his villa, Villa di Castello, Cosimo was an authoritarian ruler and secured his position by employing a guard of Swiss mercenaries. In 1548 he managed to have his relative Lorenzino, the last Medici claimant to Florence, Cosimo also was an active builder of military structures, in an attempt to save his state from the frequent passage of foreign armies
6.
Uffizi
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The Uffizi Gallery is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in central Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. The building of Uffizi complex was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de Medici so as to accommodate the offices of the Florentine magistrates, hence the name uffizi, the construction was later continued by Alfonso Parigi and Bernardo Buontalenti and completed in 1581. The niches in the piers that alternate with columns filled with sculptures of artists in the 19th century. The Uffizi brought together under one roof the administrative offices, the Tribunal and the Archivio di Stato, the state archive. He commissioned from the architect Buontalenti the design of the Tribuna degli Uffizi that collected a series of masterpieces in one room, over the years, more sections of the palace were recruited to exhibit paintings and sculpture collected or commissioned by the Medici. The gallery had been open to visitors by request since the sixteenth century, because of its huge collection, some of its works have in the past been transferred to other museums in Florence—for example, some famous statues to the Bargello. A project was finished in 2006 to expand the exhibition space some 6,000 metres² to almost 13,000 metres². On 27 May 1993, a car exploded in Via dei Georgofili and damaged parts of the palace. The most severe damage was to the Niobe room and classical sculptures and neoclassical interior, the identity of the bomber or bombers are unknown, although it was almost certainly attributable to the Sicilian Mafia who were engaged in a period of terrorism at that time. Today, the Uffizi is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Florence, in high season, waiting times can be up to five hours. In early August 2007, Florence experienced a heavy rainstorm, the Gallery was partially flooded, with water leaking through the ceiling, and the visitors had to be evacuated. There was a more significant flood in 1966 which damaged most of the art collections in Florence severely. Here is a selection from the collection, The collection also contains some ancient sculptures, such as the Arrotino. Collections of the Uffizi Official website Uffizi – Google Art Project
7.
Palazzo Pitti
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The Palazzo Pitti, in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the side of the River Arno. The core of the present palazzo dates from 1458 and was originally the residence of Luca Pitti. The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and became the residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It grew as a treasure house as later generations amassed paintings, plates, jewelry. In the late 18th century, the palazzo was used as a base by Napoleon. The palace and its contents were donated to the Italian people by King Victor Emmanuel III in 1919, the palazzo is now the largest museum complex in Florence. The principal palazzo block, often in a building of design known as the corps de logis, is 32,000 square metres. It is divided into several principal galleries or museums detailed below, the construction of this severe and forbidding building was commissioned in 1458 by the Florentine banker Luca Pitti, a principal supporter and friend of Cosimo de Medici. The early history of the Palazzo Pitti is a mixture of fact, Pitti is alleged to have instructed that the windows be larger than the entrance of the Palazzo Medici. Besides obvious differences from the architects style, Brunelleschi died 12 years before construction of the palazzo began. The design and fenestration suggest that the architect was more experienced in utilitarian domestic architecture than in the humanist rules defined by Alberti in his book De Re Aedificatoria. Though impressive, the original palazzo would have no rival to the Florentine Medici residences in terms of either size or content. Whoever the architect of the Palazzo Pitti was, he was moving against the flow of fashion. The rusticated stonework gives the palazzo a severe and powerful atmosphere, reinforced by the series of seven arch-headed apertures. The Roman-style architecture appealed to the Florentine love of the new style allantica, work stopped after Pitti suffered financial losses following the death of Cosimo de Medici in 1464. Luca Pitti died in 1472 with the building unfinished, the building was sold in 1549 by Buonaccorso Pitti, a descendant of Luca Pitti, to Eleonora di Toledo. Raised at the court of Naples, Eleonora was the wife of Cosimo I de Medici of Tuscany
8.
Gelateria
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Gelato is an English term for ice cream made in an Italian style. Gelato is made with a base of milk, cream, and sugar and it is generally lower in fat, but higher in sugar, than other styles of ice cream. Gelato typically contains less air and more flavoring than other kinds of desserts, giving it a density. In Italy, by law, gelato must have at least 3. 5% butterfat, in the United States, there is no legal standard of definition for gelato as there is for ice cream, which must contain at least 10% butterfat. The history of gelato is rife with myths and very little evidence to substantiate them, some say it dates back to frozen desserts in Sicily, ancient Rome and Egypt made from snow and ice brought down from mountaintops and preserved below ground. Later, in 1686 the Sicilian fisherman Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli perfected the first ice cream machine, however, the popularity of gelato among larger shares of the population only increased in the 1920s–1930s in the northern Italian city of Varese, where the first gelato cart was developed. Italy is the country where the market share of artisanal gelato versus mass-produced gelato is over 55%. Today, more than 5,000 modern Italian ice cream parlors employ over 15,000 people, the mixture for gelato is typically prepared using a hot process first, where the sugars need to dissolve. White base is heated to 85 °C completing a pasteurization program, the hot process to make chocolate gelato varies, though typically it is flavored with cocoa powder. As with other ice creams, the sugar in gelato prevents it from freezing solid, american commercial gelati are typically sweetened with sucrose, dextrose, or inverted sugar, and include a stabilizer such as guar gum. Stracciatella Frozen custard, a dessert made with cream and eggs Italian ice. Semifreddo, a class of semi-frozen dessert Granita, a dessert made from sugar, water. Frozen yogurt, a dessert made with a base of yogurt rather than milk Sorbet, called sorbetto in Italian Ferrari. Gelato and Gourmet Frozen Desserts - A professional learning guide, Italian Gelato Flavors Decoded Irish Examiner article
9.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
10.
Tourism in Italy
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With 48.6 million tourists a year, Italy is the fifth most visited country in international tourism arrivals. People mainly visit Italy for its art, cuisine, history, fashion and culture, its beautiful coastline and beaches, its mountains. Italy also contains more World Heritage Sites than any country in the world. Tourism is one of Italys fastest growing and most profitable industrial sectors, traders and merchants came to Italy from several different parts of the world. Pilgrims, for centuries and still today, would come to the city, the trade empires of Venice, Pisa and Genoa meant that several traders, businessmen and merchants from all over the world would also regularly come to Italy. In the 16th and early 17th century, with the height of the Renaissance, several came to Italy to study Italian architecture. Real tourism only affected in Italy in the half of the 17th century. This was a period in which European aristocrats, many of whom were British, visited parts of Europe, Italy, Greece and this was in order to study ancient architecture and the local culture. The Grand Tour was in essence triggered by the book Voyage to Italy, by Roman Catholic priest Richard Lassels, due to the Grand Tour, tourism became even more prevalent - making Italy one of the most desired destinations for millions of people. Once inside what would be modern-day Italy, these tourists would begin by visiting Turin for a short while. On the way there, Milan was also a stop, yet a trip to the city was not considered essential. If a person came via boat, then they would remain a few days in Genoa, yet, the main destination in Northern Italy was Venice, which was considered a vital stop, as well as cities around it such as Verona, Vicenza and Padua. Tourists rarely, yet occasionally, got to Trieste, as the Tour went on, Tuscan cities were also very important itinerary stops. Florence was an attraction, and other Tuscan towns, such as Siena, Pisa, Lucca. The most prominent stop in Central Italy, however, was Rome, later, they would go down to the Bay of Naples, and after their discovery in 1756, Pompeii and Herculaneum were popular too. Sicily was considered a significant part of the trail, and several, such as Goethe, throughout the 17th to 18th centuries, the Grand Tour was mainly reserved for academics or the elite. Nevertheless, circa 1840, rail transport was introduced and the Grand Tour started to fall out of vogue, hence. The 1840s saw the period in which the Victorian middle classes toured the country, several Americans were also able to visit Italy, and many more tourists came to the peninsula
11.
Florence Cathedral
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The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore is the main church of Florence, Italy. The exterior of the basilica is faced with marble panels in various shades of green. The cathedral complex, located in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and these three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence and are a major attraction to tourists visiting Tuscany. The basilica is one of Italys largest churches, and until development of new materials in the modern era. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed, the cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Florence, whose archbishop is currently Giuseppe Betori. Santa Maria del Fiore was built on the site of a cathedral dedicated to Saint Reparata. The new church was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio and approved by city council in 1294, di Cambio was also architect of the church of Santa Croce and the Palazzo Vecchio. He designed three wide naves ending under the dome, with the middle nave covering the area of Santa Reparata. The first stone was laid on September 9,1296, by Cardinal Valeriana, the building of this vast project was to last 140 years, Arnolfos plan for the eastern end, although maintained in concept, was greatly expanded in size. After Arnolfo died in 1310, work on the cathedral slowed for thirty years, when the relics of Saint Zenobius were discovered in 1330 in Santa Reparata, the project gained a new impetus. In 1331, the Arte della Lana, the guild of merchants, took over patronage for the construction of the cathedral. Assisted by Andrea Pisano, Giotto continued di Cambios design and his major accomplishment was the building of the campanile. When Giotto died in 1337, Andrea Pisano continued the building work was halted due to the Black Death in 1348. In 1359, Talenti was succeeded by Giovanni di Lapo Ghini who divided the nave in four square bays. Other architects were Alberto Arnoldi, Giovanni dAmbrogio, Neri di Fioravante, by 1375, the old church Santa Reparata was pulled down. The nave was finished by 1380, and by 1418, only the dome remained incomplete, on 18 August 1418, the Arte della Lana announced an architectural design competition for erecting Neris dome. The two main competitors were two master goldsmiths, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi, the latter of whom was supported by Cosimo de Medici. Ghiberti had been the winner of a competition for a pair of doors for the Baptistery in 1401
12.
Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence
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It is one of several churches that claim to be the oldest in Florence, when it was consecrated in 393 it stood outside the city walls. For three hundred years it was the cathedral before the official seat of the bishop was transferred to Santa Reparata. San Lorenzo was also the church of the Medici family. In 1419, Giovanni di Bicci de Medici offered to finance a new church to replace the 11th-century Romanesque rebuilding, though considered a milestone in the development of Renaissance architecture, S. Lorenzo has a complicated building history. Even though it was at least partially built under the direction of Filippo Brunelleschi, the project was begun around 1419, but lack of funding slowed the construction and forced changes to the original design. By the early 1440s, only the sacristy had been worked on as it was being paid for by the Medici, in 1442, the Medici stepped in to take over financial responsibility of the church as well. Brunelleschi died in 1446, however, and the job was handed either to Antonio Manetti or to Michelozzo, scholars are not certain. Though the building was “completed” in 1459 in time for a visit to Florence by Pius II, by the time the building was done, many aspects of its layout, not to mention detailing, no longer corresponded to the original plan. Despite its history, the building is seen as one of the examples of the new style. Its more notable include, the attempt to create a proportional relationship between nave and aisle. The articulation of the structure in pietra serena, the use of an integrated system of column, arches, entablatures. There are significant problems in the design, most, however, already Giorgio Vasari thought that the columns along the nave should have been elevated on plinths. That the pilasters along the wall of the side aisles rest on a floor that is three steps higher than the nave, is considered an error. San Lorenzo is often compared with Santo Spirito, also in Florence, Santo Spirito, which Brunelleschi began somewhat later, is considered to have been constructed more or less in conformity with his ideas, even though Brunelleschi died before most of it was built. The Medici Pope Leo X gave Michelangelo the commission to design a façade in white Carrara marble in 1518, Michelangelo did, however, design and build the internal facade, seen from the nave looking back toward the entrances. It comprises three doors between two pilasters with garlands of oak and laurel and a balcony on two Corinthian columns, in recent years, the association of “Friends of the Elettrice Palatina” and the Comune of Florence re-visited the question of completing the outer facade according to Michelangelos designs. To assist with the debate, a computerized reconstruction was projected onto the plain brick facade in February 2007. As yet, no decision has made on the project
13.
Medici Chapel
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The Sagrestia Nuova, was designed by Michelangelo. The larger Cappella dei Principi, though proposed in the 16th century, was not begun until the early 17th century, the Sagrestia Nuova was intended by Cardinal Giulio de Medici and his cousin Pope Leo X as a mausoleum or mortuary chapel for members of the Medici family. The Sagrestia Nuova was entered by an entrance in a corner of San Lorenzos right transept. By order of Cosimo I, Giorgio Vasari and Bartolomeo Ammannati finished the work by 1555, there were intended to be four Medici tombs, but those of Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano were never begun. The result is that the two magnificent existing tombs are those of comparatively insignificant Medici, Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino and Giuliano di Lorenzo and their architectural components are similar, their sculptures offer contrast. A concealed corridor with drawings on the walls by Michelangelo was discovered under the New Sacristy in 1976, the octagonal Cappella dei Principi surmounted by a tall dome,59 m. high, is the distinguishing feature of San Lorenzo when seen from a distance. It is on the axis as the nave and chancel to which it provides the equivalent of an apsidal chapel. Its entrance is from the exterior, in Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini, the opulent Cappella dei Principi, an idea formulated by Cosimo I, was put into effect by Ferdinand I de Medici. A true expression of art, it was the result of collaboration among designers. For the execution of its astonishing revetment of marbles inlaid with colored marbles and semi-precious stone, the Grand Ducal hardstone workshop, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure was established. The art of commessi, as it was called in Florence, the result was disapproved of by 18th and 19th century visitors, but has come to be appreciated for an example of the taste of its time. Six grand sarcophagi are empty, the Medici remains are interred in the crypt below, in sixteen compartments of the dado are coats-of-arms of Tuscan cities under Medici control. In the niches that were intended to hold sculptures of Medici. The lantern at the top of the Medici Chapel is made out of marble and has an “…. unusual polyhedron mounted on the peak of the conical roof, the orb that is on top of the lantern has seventy-two facets and is about two feet in diameter. But because it is on a mausoleum, the Medici family is promoting their own personal power with the orb and cross, laurel wreath and lion heads. The lantern that holds up the orb helps to accentuate the height and size of the chapel, the lantern is a bit less than seven meters tall and, “…is equal to the height of the dome it surmounts, ”. The lantern metaphorically expresses the themes of death and resurrection, the lantern is where the soul could escape and go from “…death to the afterlife. ”. ISBN 5-98856-012-1 Peter Barenboim, Sergey Shiyan, Michelangelo, Mysteries of the Medici Chapel, SLOVO, ISBN 5-85050-825-2 Peter Barenboim, Sergey Shiyan, Michelangelo in the Medici Chapel, Genius in details
14.
Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence
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The Basilica di Santa Croce is the principal Franciscan church in Florence, Italy, and a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 metres south-east of the Duomo, the site, when first chosen, was in marshland outside the city walls. The Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world and its most notable features are its sixteen chapels, many of them decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils, and its tombs and cenotaphs. Legend says that Santa Croce was founded by St Francis himself, the construction of the current church, to replace an older building, was begun on 12 May 1294, possibly by Arnolfo di Cambio, and paid for by some of the citys wealthiest families. It was consecrated in 1442 by Pope Eugene IV, the buildings design reflects the austere approach of the Franciscans. The floorplan is an Egyptian or Tau cross,115 metres in length with a nave, to the south of the church was a convent, some of whose buildings remain. The Primo Chiostro, the cloister, houses the Cappella dei Pazzi, built as the chapter house. Filippo Brunelleschi was involved in its design which has remained rigorously simple, in 1560, the choir screen was removed as part of changes arising from the Counter-Reformation and the interior rebuilt by Giorgio Vasari. As a result, there was damage to the churchs decoration, the bell tower was built in 1842, replacing an earlier one damaged by lightning. The neo-Gothic marble façade dates from 1857-1863, the Jewish architect Niccolo Matas from Ancona, designed the churchs façade, working a prominent Star of David into the composition. Matas had wanted to be buried with his peers but because he was Jewish, he was buried under the threshold, in 1866, the complex became public property, as a part of government suppression of most religious houses, following the wars that gained Italian independence and unity. The Museo dellOpera di Santa Croce is housed mainly in the refectory, a monument to Florence Nightingale stands in the cloister, in the city in which she was born and after which she was named. Brunelleschi also built the cloister, completed in 1453. In 1966, the Arno River flooded much of Florence, including Santa Croce, the water entered the church bringing mud, pollution and heating oil. The damage to buildings and art treasures was severe, taking several decades to repair, today the former dormitory of the Franciscan friars houses the Scuola del Cuoio. Visitors can watch as artisans craft purses, wallets, and other goods which are sold in the adjacent shop. Sylvester. Henry Moore Andrea Orcagna Antonio Rossellino Bernardo Rossellino Santi di Tito Giorgio Vasari with sculpture by Valerio Cioli, Iovanni Bandini, way to Calvary painted by Vasari. Domenico Veneziano Once present in the churchs Medici Chapel, but now split between the Florentine Galleries and the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum in Milan, is a polyptych by Lorenzo di Niccolò
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Baroncelli Chapel
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The Baroncelli Chapel is a chapel located at the end of the right transept in church of Santa Croce, central Florence, Italy. It has frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi executed between 1328 and 1338, the fresco cycle represents the Stories of the Virgin. In this work, Gaddi showed his mastership of Giottos style, with a disposition of the characters in the scenes. The two niches with still lifes in the basement are perhaps inspired by Giottos ones in the Scrovegni Chapel, the delicate and soft features are characteristic of Gaddis late style. The adoption of light in the Annunciation to the Shepherds is nearly unique in the mid-14th century painting of central Italy. Gaddi also designed the stained glasses, with four prophets on the exterior, and perhaps had a hand in the altarpiece also,1328, has the signature Opus Magistri Jocti, but the style shows the hands of assistants, including Gaddi himself. It is a polyptych, depicting the Coronation of the Virgin surrounded by a crowded Glory of Angels. The cusp of the altarpiece is now at the San Diego Museum of Art of San Diego, California, the original frame was replaced by a new one during the 15th century. Other artworks in the include, on the right wall. The Baroncelli Polyptych, painted by Giotto di Bondone c.1334, is in the chapel, the Baroncelli family owned the tomb on the external wall, which was designed by Giovanni di Balduccio in 1327. He also sculpted the statuettes of the Archangel Gabriel and the Annunciation on the arcades pillars, the Madonna with Child sculpture inside the chapel was created by Vincenzo Danti in 1568
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Pazzi Chapel
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The Pazzi Chapel is a chapel located in the first cloister on the southern flank of the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. Commonly credited to Filippo Brunelleschi, it is considered to be one of the masterpieces of Renaissance architecture. Though funds for the chapel were assembled in 1429 by Andrea Pazzi, head of the Pazzi family, whose wealth was only to the Medici. The chapel was completed in 1443, almost two decades after the death of Brunelleschi. The building is considered to be an Early Renaissance masterpiece, the main purpose of the building was the cathedral chapter house and use as a classroom for the teaching of monks and other religious purposes. There was also a chapel behind the altar where the family had the right to bury its dead. The Pazzis ulterior motive in building the chapel was probably to make their mark on the city of Florence and to emphasize their wealth and power. The fact that the city was at war with a city at the time and still acquired the funds to build this chapel showed the importance it had to the Pazzi family. A façade that he had begun, and of only the lower register can be seen, was partially obscured by the addition of a porch. The main inspiration for this piece was the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria Novella, between the pilasters in the transept there are tall, blank, round headed panels and, above them, roundels, common Renaissance decorative motifs. The architectural elements of the interior are all in pietra serena, the building also used bearing masonry in its construction, which is mason units or concrete blocks with lime and man made adhesives to stick them together. As to the architect, scholars argue that it is not actually by Brunelleschi, no period sources nor period documents support this theory, with the first written mention of Brunelleschi as the architect first appearing with an anonymous author who wrote in the 1490s. Scholars now consider the chapel as possibly the work of Giuliano da Maiano or Michelozzo, the tondi of the seated Apostles are by Luca della Robbia, who also did the terracotta decorations in the cupola of the porch. It has been suggested that the roundels of the Evangelists may have been the work of Donatello
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Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
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Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated just across from the main railway station named after it. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the citys principal Dominican church, the church, the adjoining cloister, and chapter house contain a multiplicity of art treasures and funerary monuments. Especially famous are frescoes by masters of Gothic and early Renaissance and they were financed by the most important Florentine families, who ensured themselves funerary chapels on consecrated ground. This church was called Novella because it was built on the site of the 9th-century oratory of Santa Maria delle Vigne, when the site was assigned to Dominican Order in 1221, they decided to build a new church and adjoining cloister. The church was designed by two Dominican friars, Fra Sisto Fiorentino and Fra Ristoro da Campi, building began in the mid-13th century, and was finished about 1360 under the supervision of Friar Iacopo Talenti with the completion of the Romanesque-Gothic bell tower and sacristy. At that time, only the part of the Tuscan gothic façade was finished. This same design continues in the wall around the old churchyard. The church was consecrated in 1420, alberti had also designed the façade for the Rucellai Palace in Florence. The four columns with Corinthian capitals on the part of the façade were also added. The pediment and the frieze are clearly inspired by antiquity, but the S-curved scrolls in the part are new. The scrolls, found in all over Italy, all draw their origins from the design of this church. The frieze below the pediment carries the name of the patron, the vast interior is based on a basilica plan, designed as a Latin cross, and is divided into a nave, two aisles with stained-glass windows and a short transept. The large nave is 100 metres long and gives an impression of austerity, there is a trompe loeil effect by which towards the apse the nave seems longer than its actual length. The slender compound piers between the nave and the aisles are progressively closer the deeper the observer moves into the nave, the ceiling in the vault consists of pointed arches with the four diagonal buttresses in black and white. The interior also contains Corinthian columns that were inspired by Greek, the stained-glass windows date from the 14th and 15th century, such as 15th century Madonna and Child and St. John and St. Philip, both in the Filippo Strozzi Chapel. Some stained glass windows have been damaged in the course of centuries and have been replaced, the one on the façade, a depiction of the Coronation of Mary, dates from the 14th century, and is based on a design of Andrea di Bonaiuto da Firenze. The pulpit, commissioned by the Rucellai family in 1443, was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and this pulpit has a particular historical significance, since it was from this pulpit that the first verbal attack was made on Galileo Galilei, leading eventually to his indictment. The Holy Trinity, situated almost halfway along the aisle, is a pioneering early Renaissance work of Masaccio, showing his new ideas about perspective
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Tornabuoni Chapel
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The Tornabuoni Chapel is the main chapel in the church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy. It is famous for the extensive and well-preserved fresco cycle on its walls, one of the most complete in the city, the main chapel of Santa Maria Novella was first frescoed in the mid-14th century by Andrea Orcagna. Remains of these paintings were found during restorations in the 1940s, some of these were detached and can be seen today in the Museum of the church. By the late 15th century, Orcagnas frescoes were in poor condition, however, the Ricci had never recovered from their bankruptcy in 1348, and so they arranged to sell their rights to the choir to the Sassetti. Francesco Sassetti wanted the new frescoes to portray stories of St. Francis of Assisi, however, Sassetti therefore moved the commission to the church of Santa Trinita, where Ghirlandaio executed one of his masterworks, the Sassetti Chapel. The rights to the chapel in Santa Maria Novella that were lost by the Sassetti were then sold by the Ricci to Giovanni Tornabuoni, John the Baptist, patron of Tornabuoni and of the city of Florence. It is possible that the new scenes followed the pattern as Orcagnas. The windows were executed according to Ghirlandaios design. The complex was completed by an altarpiece portraying the Madonna del Latte in Glory with Angel and Saints, on the recto a Resurrection of Christ was painted. This work is now divided between the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin and the Alte Pinakothek, Munich. The cycle portrays on three walls the Life of the Virgin and the Life of St John the Baptist, the saint of Florence. The left and right walls each have three rows, each divided into two rectangular scenes framed by fictive architecture, and surmounted by a large lunette beneath the vault, each side wall has a total of seven narrative scenes which are read beginning from the bottom. The chancel wall has a mullioned window of three lights with stained glass, provided in 1492 by Alessandro Agolanti after Ghirlandaios design. On the lower part of the wall is a portrait of Giovanni Tornabuoni and his wife Francesca Pitti. Above the window is another large lunette, containing the Coronation of the Virgin, in the vault are depicted the Four Evangelists. The first episode represents the expulsion of Joachim, the father of Mary, a ceremony is taking place in which several figures are carrying lambs for sacrifice. However, Joachim was banned from attending due to his alleged sterility, Ghirlandaio set the scene in a sumptuous loggia of Greek cross plan, with a sequence of arches in the background and an octagonal altar in the middle, where the sacrificial fire is lit. The characters are illuminated from above, as if by the lighting from the real chapel windows
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Santissima Annunziata, Florence
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The Basilica della Santissima Annunziata is a Renaissance-style, Roman Catholic minor basilica in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. This is considered the church of the Servite Order. It is located at the side of the Piazza Santissima Annunziata near the city center. The church was founded in 1250 by the seven members of the Servite Order. This painting was placed in the church and became so venerated that in 1444 the Gonzaga family from Mantua financed a special tribune, albertis designs were constricted by the pre-existing foundations. Construction was completed in 1481, after Alberti’s death, though the structure was refurbished in Baroque-style in the seventeenth century, the basic scheme of a domed circular space flanked by altar niches is still evident. The building across from the Foundling Hospital, designed by Sangallo the Elder, was given a Brunelleschian facade in the 1520s. Pilgrims who came to the church to venerate the miraculous painting often left wax votive offerings, in 1516, a special atrium was built to house these figures, the Chiostrino dei Voti. By the late 18th century there were six hundred of these images. In 1786, however, they were all melted down to make candles, pope Alexander VI, in appreciation for the survival of Rome after French occupation, paid homage and gifted a silver effigy to the church. The Florentine brides traditionally visit the shrine to leave their bouquets and this church is entered from the Chiostrino dei Voti. The Baroque decoration of the interior was begun in 1644. The 1st chapel to right contains a Madonna in Glory by Jacopo da Empoli, the 5th chapel on the right contains a Monument to Orlando de Medici by Bernardo Rossellino. The right transept has a side chapel has a Pietà by Baccio Bandinelli. The chapel-surrounded tribune or choir, known as the Rotonda, was designed in turn by Michelozzo, the next chapel has a Resurrection by Bronzino with a statue of St Roch attributed to Veit Stoss. The next chapel has a Madonna with Saints by a follower of Perugino and this chapel was elaborately decorated in a baroque fashion by Gianbattista Foggini in 1692. The first chapel just to the left of the entrance has a tabernacle of the Annunciation by Michelozzo, the organ is the oldest in Florence and the second oldest in Italy. The church contains the tomb of the Italian writer Maria Valtorta, the Chiostrino dei Voti was designed by Michelozzo
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San Marco, Florence
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San Marco is the name of a religious complex in Florence, Italy. It comprises a church and a convent, the convent, which is now a museum, has three claims to fame. During the 15th century it was home to two famous Dominicans, the painter Fra Angelico and the preacher Girolamo Savonarola, also housed at the convent is a famous collection of manuscripts in a library built by Michelozzo. The present convent occupies the site where a Vallombrosan monastery existed in the 12th century, both of these groups were branches of the Order of St. Benedict. In the time of the Sylvestrines at least, the church was used both for monastic liturgical functions and as a parish church, from this initial period there have recently been rediscovered some traces of frescoes below floor level. They appealed to Cosimo de Medici the Elder, who lived nearby in the palace, now known as the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi. So it was that in 1437 Cosimo commissioned Michelozzo, the Medici’s favourite architect to rebuild the San Marco convent on Renaissance lines. By 1438 the work was underway and the final dedication took place on Epiphany night 1443 in the presence of Pope Eugene IV. These years marked in fact the height of the Medici family’s artistic patronage, the church has a single nave with side chapels designed in the late 16th century by Giambologna, and housing paintings from the 16th–17th centuries. In the late 17th century the tribune and the ceiling were also realized. A further renovation was carried on in 1678 by Pier Francesco Silvani, the façade, in Neo-Classical style, was built in 1777–1778. Among the artworks, the most ancient is a 14th-century crucifix in the counter-façade, the crucifix on the high altar is by Fra Angelico. Over the first altar to the right is St. Thomas Praying by Santi di Tito from 1593, Giambologna completed the Cappella di SantAntonino in May 1589. The Salviati family had been linked by marriage to the Medici (Pope Leo XI was the son of Francesca Salviati, the interior was decorated in fresco with a Translation and Funeral of St. Antonino Perozzi by Domenico Passignano. The dome of the chapel is by Bernardino Poccetti, also author of frescoes in the Sacrament Chapel, the latter also has canvases by Santi di Tito, Crespi, Francesco Morandini, Jacopo da Empoli, and Francesco Curradi. The work was planned according to arrangements that took account of simplicity and practicality, but were of great elegance, a sober, though comfortable, Renaissance edifice. The internal walls were covered in whitewashed plaster, layout centred on two cloisters, with the usual features of a chapter house, two refectories and guest quarters on the ground level. On the upper floor were the friars’ cells, small walled enclosures overarched by a trussed roof
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San Miniato al Monte
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San Miniato al Monte is a basilica in Florence, central Italy, standing atop one of the highest points in the city. It has been described as one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany, there is an adjoining Olivetan monastery, seen to the right of the basilica when ascending the stairs. St. Miniato or Minas was an Armenian prince serving in the Roman army under Emperor Decius and he was denounced as a Christian after becoming a hermit and was brought before the Emperor who was camped outside the gates of Florence. The Emperor ordered him to be thrown to beasts in the Amphitheatre where a panther was called upon him but refused to devour him. Beheaded in the presence of the Emperor, he is alleged to have picked up his head, crossed the Arno, a shrine was later erected at this spot and there was a chapel there by the 8th century. Construction of the present church was begun in 1013 by Bishop Alibrando, the adjoining monastery began as a Benedictine community, then passed to the Cluniacs and then in 1373 to the Olivetans, who still run it. The monks make famous liqueurs, honey and herbal teas, which they sell from a next to the church. The interior exhibits the early feature of a choir raised on a platform above the large crypt and it has changed little since it was first built. The patterned pavement dates from 1207, the centre of the nave is dominated by the beautiful freestanding Cappella del Crocefisso, designed by Michelozzo in 1448. It originally housed the miraculous crucifix now in Santa Trìnita and is decorated with panels long thought to be painted by Agnolo Gaddi, the terracotta decoration of the vault is by Luca della Robbia. The mosaic of Christ between the Virgin and St Minias was made in 1260, the crypt is the oldest part of the church and the high altar supposedly contains the bones of St Minias himself. In the vaults are frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi, the raised choir and presbytery contain a magnificent Romanesque pulpit and screen made in 1207. The apse is dominated by a mosaic dating from 1297. The crucifix above the altar is attributed to Luca della Robbia. The sacristy is decorated with a fresco cycle on the Life of St Benedict by Spinello Aretino. His is the tomb in the church. The chapel is a collaboration of outstanding artists of Florence, it was designed by Brunelleschis associate, Antonio Manetti, the tomb was made by Antonio and Bernardo Rossellino. The chapel decoration is by Alesso Baldovinetti, Antonio and Piero del Pollaiuolo, the eagle which crowns the façade was their symbol
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Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence
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Santa Maria del Carmine is a church of the Carmelite Order, in the Oltrarno district of Florence, in Tuscany, Italy. It is famous as the location of the Brancacci Chapel housing outstanding Renaissance frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino da Panicale, the church, dedicated to the Beatæ Virginis Mariæ de monte Carmelo, was built from 1268 as part of Carmelite convent, which is still existing today. Of the original edifice only some Romanesque-Gothic remains can be seen on the sides, the complex was enlarged a first time in 1328 and again in 1464, when the capitular hall and the refectory added, though the church maintained the Latin Cross, one nave plan. Renovated in the Baroque style in the 16th–17th centuries, it was damaged by a fire in 1771, the façade, like in many Florentine churches, remained unfinished. The fire did not touch the sacristy, therefore have survived the Stories of St. Cecilia attributed to Lippo dAndrea, the vault of the nave has a trompe-loeil, quadratura fresco by Domenico Stagi. Also the Brancacci Chapel survived the fire, and was saved by the subsequent restoration by the intervention of a Florentine noblewoman who was opposed to the covering of the frescoes. The Chapel is home to the frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino. Masaccios master Masolino, commissioned by a merchant, Felice Brancacci, began work on the chapel in 1425 and was soon joined in the project by his pupil. The scenes by Masolino are St Peter Healing a Lame Man and Raising Tabitha from the Dead, St Peter Preaching, and Adam and Eve. Those by mostly Masaccio are The Tribute Money, St Peter Healing with his Shadow, The Crucifixion of St Peter, The Baptism of the Neophytes and their treatment of figures in believable space made the frescoes among the most important to have come out of the Early Renaissance. The cycle was finished by Filippino Lippi, the elaborated Italian Rococo ceiling is from one of the most important 18th century artists in the city, Giovanni Domenico Ferretti. The architect Pier Francesco Silvani choose for it the Baroque style then popular in Rome, the altar has a marble bas-relief depicting the Glory of St Andrea Corsini, sculpted by Foggini, and above a God the Father sculpted by Carlo Marcellini. The small dome was frescoed by Giordano in 1682, the frescoes suffered in the great church fire, and were restored by Stefano Fabbrini. The convent suffered in its history from numerous disasters, from the 1771 fire to the 1966 River Arno flood, the second refectory is decorated with the Supper in Simon the Pharisees house by Giovanni Battista Vanni, it also houses fragments of frescoes by Lippo dAndrea. Neri Corsini Holy Places in Tuscany Media related to Santa Maria del Carmine at Wikimedia Commons
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Brancacci Chapel
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The Brancacci Chapel is a chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence, central Italy. It is sometimes called the Sistine Chapel of the early Renaissance for its cycle, among the most famous. Construction of the chapel was commissioned by Pietro Brancacci and begun in 1386, public access is currently gained via the neighbouring convent, designed by Brunelleschi. The church and the chapel are treated as separate places to visit and as such have different opening times, the patron of the pictorial decoration was Felice Brancacci, descendant of Pietro, who had served as the Florentine ambassador to Cairo until 1423. Upon his return to Florence, he hired Masolino da Panicale to paint his chapel, by the time Masolino returned he was learning from his talented former student. However, Masaccio was called to Rome before he could finish the chapel, portions of the chapel were completed later by Filippino Lippi. Unfortunately during the Baroque period some of the paintings were seen as unfashionable, in his frescos, Masaccio carries out a radical break from the medieval pictorial tradition, by adhering to the new Renaissance perspectival conception of space. Thus, perspective and light create deep spaces where volumetrically constructed figures move in a strongly individualised human dimension, Masaccio therefore continues on Giottos path, detaching himself from a symbolic vision of man and propounding a greater realistic painting. The cycle from the life of Saint Peter was commissioned as patron saint from Pietro Brancacci, the paintings are explained below in their narrative order. In contrast with Masaccios Expulsion, this is a serene and innocent raffiguration, the cycle begins with this painting by Masolino, placed on the higher rectangle of the arch delimiting the Chapel, within the pillar thickness. The painting shows Adam standing near Eve, they look at each other with measured postures, as she prepares to bite on the apple, the snake has a head with thick blond hair, much idealised. The scene is aulic in its presentation, with gestures and style conveying tones of late International Gothic, light, which models the figures without sharp angles, is soft and embracing, the dark background makes the body stand out in their sensual plasticity, almost suspended in space. Masaccios masterpiece Expulsion from the Garden of Eden is the first fresco on the part of the chapel, on the left wall. It is famous for its energy and unprecedented emotional realism. It contrasts dramatically with Masolinos delicate and decorative image of Adam and Eve before the fall, painted on the opposite wall. It presents a dramatic intensity, with an angel who hovers over Adam and Eve indicating the way out of the Garden of Eden. The bodies dynamism, especially Adams, gives an unprecedented passion to the figures, firmly planted on ground, many are the details which increase the emotional drama, Adams damp and sticky hair, the angels posture, foreshortened as if diving down from above. Eves position is from an ancient representation, that of Venus Pudica, the foliage covering the couples nudities was removed during a restoration in 1990
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Bartolini Salimbeni Chapel
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The Bartolini Salimbeni Chapel is a chapel in the church of Santa Trinita, Florence, central Italy. Its decoration by Lorenzo Monaco, dating to the 1420s, are one of the few surviving examples of International Gothic frescoes in Italy, the chapels has kept other original elements, such as its altarpiece, an Annunciation, also by Lorenzo Monaco, and the railings. Their residence, the Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni, is located in the square as the church. Around 1390, the chapel had already decorated by Spinello Aretino. The frescoes were covered by white plaster in 1740, and were rediscovered in 1885-1887 by Augusto Burchi, in 1944, the retreating German forces blew up the nearby Ponte Santa Trinita, causing damage also to the frescoes. They were restored in 1961 and again in 2004, the frescoes, fragments of which are now lost, occupy the chapels walls, vault, arch and lunette. Lorenzo Monaco was initially a miniaturist, however, he worked on panels. Lorenzo Monacos frescoes were inspired by the apocryphal Gospel of James, dealing with Marys infancy, the cycle begins in the lunette on the left wall, portraying the Espulsion of Joachim from the Temple and the Annunciation to Joachim. Below are the Meeting of Joachim and Anne and Anne at the Golden Gate, set in a fanciful Jerusalem with high tower, belfries and other edifices painted in pink. The water of a stream where several youths are drinking is a symbol of Mary as the source of life, while the sea is a hint to her attribute as Stella Maris, the latter scene contains several numerology hints in the steps and in the arches of Solomons Temple. The scene on the wall, perhaps the sole executed by Lorenzo Monaco alone. The next scene is that of the Annunciation, whose predella has scenes of the Visitation, Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds, Adoration of the Magi, the next episodes depicted include some miracles connected to Mary, the Dormitio, the Assumption and the Miracle of the Snow. In the cross vault are portrayals of Prophets David, Isaiah, Malachi, la Cappella Bartolini Salimbeni a Santa Trinita
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Sassetti Chapel
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The Sassetti Chapel is a chapel in the basilica of Santa Trinita in Florence, Italy. It is especially notable for its frescoes of the Stories of St. Francis, Francesco Sassetti was a rich banker and a member of the Medici entourage, for which he directed the Medici Bank. In 1478 he acquired the chapel of St and he commissioned the execution of the frescoes from the most famed artist of the city, Domenico Ghirlandaio. The date of the contract is that next to the portraits of Sassetti and his wife. The central altarpiece, depicting the Adoration of the Shepherds, is dated 1485, Ghirlandaio portrayed numerous figures of contemporary Florentine society in the scenes. All the work shows the importance of the influence on Ghirlandaio of Flemish school, in particular the Portinari Triptych by Hugo van der Goes, taken by him to Florence in 1483, the Chapel was restored in 2004. The chapel, like the church in which it is located, is in Gothic style, the fresco cycle covers three walls framed by fictive architectural elements. The altarpiece is framed by a painted marble decoration. The two side walls house the tombs of Francesco Sassetti and his wife Nera Corsi, under a gilded arch, Ghirlandaios frescoes can also be seen in the upper transept wall, outside the chapel. This area was plastered in the 18th century, the paintings being rediscovered only in 1895, the work outside the Sassetti chapel is attributed to the three Ghirlandaio brothers and assistants. Its perspective was devised to offer a view from below. The first scene painted above the chapel is the Tiburtine Sibyl Announces Jesus Coming to Augustus, the Sibyl is probably a portrait of Sassettis daughter, Sibilla. On the pilaster dividing the Sassetti Chapel from the subsequent one is a painted statue of David. Only the faces of the Sibyls are attributed to Ghirlandaio, the bodies were probably executed by his workshop. This scene is located on the left wall, and portrays the young Francis who having renounced all his assets by removing his clothes publicly, is protected by the bishop of Perugia. Francis raging father is shown with some people restraining him, the scene is set in a northern European city which had been identified as Geneva or Lyon, where Sassetti had served for the Medici. The secondary figures could be work by Domenicos brothers and workshop, the figures are portrayed in a cathedral interior, so that the chapels arch resembles the triumphal arch of the church. The scene is set in Florence instead of Rome, the showing the Piazza della Signoria, the Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia dei Lanzi
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Santo Spirito, Florence
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The Basilica di Santo Spirito is a church in Florence, Italy. Usually referred to simply as Santo Spirito, it is located in the Oltrarno quarter, the interior of the building is one of the preeminent examples of Renaissance architecture. The land for the Augustinian church and convent was donated by Speziale and Acolti to majin buu, the plot was located on the south bank of Arno in the sesto Oltrarno, within the communal walls of 1173-1175, but in a sparsely populated area. It became more accessible with construction of the Holy Trinity bridge in 1252, the Augustinians started the church and the convent in the same year, incorporating an old church of San Romolo in the complex. It was originally dedicated to Mary, All Saints and the Holy Spirit, changing by the end of the century to Mary, the Holy Spirit and Matthew. The churches and convents of mendicant orders were constructed with the support of the commune, which provided funds for Santo Spirito in 1267. The convent of S. Spirito became a center of activities and was recognized as Studium Generale of the Augustinian order in 1284. The first Rule and Constitutions of the Augustinians were approved in 1287 by the chapter of the order that was held in Florence. Houses were purchased in 1301 to produce a square in front of the church — the Piazza Santo Spirito. By 131Santo Spirito had seven altars and a number of family chapels, more chapels were built during the next hundred years. By mid-century Santo Spirito was a substantial complex, including a large first cloister. Frescoes Crucifixion and The Last Supper were painted by Andrea Orcagna, the confraternity of Santa Maria delle Laude, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and her praise was founded before 1322. It was staging an annual Pentecost play celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and it also was involved in charity, friar Simone Fidati da Cascia directed the laudese foundation of a house for former prostitutes. In 1333 it already housed more than fifty women, Santo Spirito was associated with the early humanism in Florence. One of the groups, led by Bocaccio, gathered there in 1360s and 1370s, upon his death in 1375 Bocaccio bequeathed his library to the convent. In the 1380s and early 1390s another circle of humanists met daily in the cell of Luigi Marsili, Marsili had studied philosophy and theology at the Universities of Padua and Paris. He came into contact with Petrarch at Padua in 1370 and later became a friend of Bocaccio and this group included Coluccio Salutati, Chancellor of Florence from 1375. He soon became the figure of the circle
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Florence Baptistery
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The Florence Baptistery, also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, is a religious building in Florence, Italy, and has the status of a minor basilica. The octagonal baptistery stands in both the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza San Giovanni, across from Florence Cathedral and the Campanile di Giotto, the Baptistery is one of the oldest buildings in the city, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style. The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures, the south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east doors were dubbed by Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise, the Italian poet Dante and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistry. It was long believed that the Baptistry was originally a Roman temple dedicated to Mars, the chronicler Giovanni Villani reported this medieval Florentine legend in his fourteenth-century Nuova Cronica on the history of Florence. It is, however, certain that a first octagonal baptistry was erected here in the fourth or early fifth century. It was replaced or altered by another early Christian baptistry in the sixth century and its construction is attributed to Theodolinda, queen of the Lombards to seal the conversion of her husband, King Authari. The octagon had been a common shape for baptisteries for many centuries since early Christian times, the number eight is a symbol of regeneration in Christianity, signifying the six days of creation, the Day of Rest, and a day of re-creation through the Sacrament of Baptism. The earlier baptistry was the second basilica after San Lorenzo, outside the northern city wall. It was first recorded as such on 4 March 897, when the Count Palatine, the granite pilasters were probably taken from the Roman forum sited at the location of the present Piazza della Repubblica. At that time, the baptistry was surrounded by a cemetery with Roman sarcophagi, the present much larger Baptistry was built in Romanesque style around 1059, evidence of the growing economic and political importance of Florence. It was reconsecrated on 6 November 1059 by Pope Nicholas II, according to legend, the marbles were brought from Fiesole, conquered by Florence in 1078. Other marble came from ancient structures, the construction was finished in 1128. An octagonal lantern was added to the roof around 1150. On the corners, under the roof, are monstrous lion heads with a head under their claws. Between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, three double doors were added, with bronze and marble statues above them. This gives an indication that the Baptistry, at time, was at least equal to the neighbouring cathedral in importance. The Baptistry has eight sides with a rectangular addition on the west side
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Church of St. Mary of the Angels, Florence
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Santa Maria degli Angeli is the former church of a now-defunct monastery of that name in Florence, Italy. It belonged to the Camaldolese congregation, which was a branch of the Benedictines. The congregation is based on the hermitage which was founded in 1012 by the hermit St. Romuald at Camaldoli, near Arezzo, very little of the medieval building exists today. The monastery was a center of studies in the early Renaissance. Many of the illustrations from its work are found in collections around the world. The late High Gothic painter, Lorenzo Monaco, was a monk here for a time, while he tested his vocation, nevertheless, he executed a series of artworks for this monastery and other Camaldolese institutions, both during his time in the Order and afterwards. The so-called Rotonda degli Scolari, partially built by Filippo Brunelleschi, is part of the complex, the church once housed a series of artworks now located elsewhere, such as the Coronation of the Virgin by Lorenzo Monaco. In 1434, Filippo Brunelleschi was commissioned by the Medici family to design an oratory for the monastery and it was located at the corner of the property, along the outer wall. Though construction was rapid, it was halted due to funding problems in 1437, in 1503, the shell was given a simple wooden roof, but the structure deteriorated rapidly. The building, which was used for various purposes, was patched up and it was given to the university and thus its more modern name Rotonda degli Scolari. Copies of original plans and descriptions give us an indication of Brunelleschi’s intentions. The building was to have an octagonal, domed space at its core, though the outside - as it was restored - has little similarity with what Brunelleschi intended, on the inside one can see how some of the original spaces were arranged
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Florence Charterhouse
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Florence Charterhouse is a charterhouse, or Carthusian monastery, located in the Florence suburb of Galluzzo, in central Italy. The building is a complex located on Monte Acuto, at the point of confluence of the Ema. In 1958 the monastery was taken over by Cistercian monks, the chapter house now holds lunettes from the cloister, frescoed by Pontormo, damaged by exposure to the elements. The charterhouse inspired Le Corbusier for his urban projects, the monastery houses the Società Internazionale per lo Studio del Medioevo Latino, an Italian non-profit cultural institute
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Orsanmichele
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Orsanmichele is a church in the Italian city of Florence. The building was constructed on the site of the garden of the monastery of San Michele. Located on the Via Calzaiuoli in Florence, the church was built as a grain market in 1337 by Francesco Talenti, Neri di Fioravante. Between 1380 and 1404, it was converted into a used as the chapel of Florences powerful craft. On the ground floor of the building are the 13th-century arches that originally formed the loggia of the grain market. The second floor was devoted to offices, while the third housed one of the citys municipal grain storehouses, late in the 14th century, the guilds were charged by the city to commission statues of their patron saints to embellish the facades of the church. The sculptures seen today are copies, the originals having been removed to museums, inside the church is Andrea Orcagnas bejeweled Gothic Tabernacle encasing a repainting by Bernardo Daddis of an older icon of the Madonna and Child. The facades held 14 architecturally designed external niches, which were filled from 1399 to around 1430, the three richest guilds opted to make their figures in the far more costly bronze, which cost approximately ten times the amount of the stone figures. Orsanmicheles statuary is a relic of the devotion and pride of Florentine trades. Today, all of the sculptures have been removed and replaced with modern duplicates to protect them from the elements. The originals mainly reside in the museum of Orsanmichele, which occupies the floor of the church, and can be seen on every Monday. Two works by Donatello are in other Florentine museums, St. George and its niche are in the Bargello, digital Imaging Project, Art historical images of European and North American architecture and sculpture from classical Greek to Post-modern. Museums in Florence - Orsanmichele Church and Museum The Orsanmichele Museum National Gallery of Art, exhibition Orsanmichele khan academy video
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Ognissanti, Florence
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The chiesa di San Salvatore di Ognissanti or more simply chiesa di Ognissanti, is a Franciscan church located on the piazza of the same name in central Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. Founded by the lay order of the Umiliati, the church was dedicated to all the saints and martyrs and it was completed originally during the 1250s, but almost completely rebuilt around 1627 in Baroque-style by the architect Bartolomeo Pettirossi. Ognissanti was among the first examples of Baroque architecture to penetrate this Renaissance city and its two orders of pilasters enclose niches and windows with elaborate cornices. To the left of the façade is a campanile of 13th and 14th century construction, the Umiliati, by the dedication and probity of the lay brothers and sisters, gained a reputation in Florence, and dedicated works of art began to accumulate in their severely simple church. For example, Giottos celebrated Madonna and Child with angels was painted for the high altar, recent cleaning of the Crucifix in the left transept has led this work to be attributed also to Giotto. In the early 17th-century, the interior was remodeled in Baroque style, with the apse rebuilt with a pietre dure high altar, fifteenth-century frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio and Sandro Botticelli were preserved in the nave, Botticelli is buried in the church near his beloved Simonetta Vespucci. Botticellis fresco of St Augustine in His Study faces across the nave the chapel with Ghirlandaios St Jerome in His Study, both were executed contemporaneously in 1480. Ghirlandaio also frescoed a version of the Last Supper in the refectory, now a museum, over the door to the sacristy is a crucifix in wood by Veit Stoss. Le Strade di Firenze, Vol. II, Florence, Bonechi, Firenze e Dintorni, Touring Club of Italy,1922, republished 1964. Photos of Ognissanti Church and Last Supper Fresco The Museums of Florence - Ognissanti - Church and Last Supper of Ghirlandaio
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Oratorio dei Vanchetoni
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The Oratorio dei Vanchetoni or Oratory of the Vanchetoni is a Roman Catholic prayer hall for the Arch-confraternity of San Francesco, in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. The society was founded by Ippolito Galantini, and had the purpose of educating children on the Christian doctrine. The members of the Company were called vanchetoni, for their habit of walking quietly, the confraternity building was designed by Matteo and Giovanni Nigetti in 1602-1604, and built in land once the orchard of the Church of Ognissanti. Galantini was posthumously made venerable in 1765, and beatified in 1825, today, the oratory is used for chamber concerts and small meetings. Photos of Oratorio Biography of Ippolito Galantini
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Oratory of St Thomas Aquinas (Florence)
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The Oratory of St. Thomas Aquinas is a late-Renaissance-style, Roman Catholic prayer hall located on Via della Pergola in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. In 1568, the painter Santi di Tito, designed the oratory for the confraternity, Santi also painted the altarpiece of the Crucifixion and St Thomas Aquinas. The vestibule has quadratura painted in 1782 by the painters Grix, the altar has walls decorated in elaborate and fine scagiole by Carlo Ghibertoni. The ceiling was decorated in 1710 with quadratura by Rinaldo Botti, in the seventeenth century, the oratory became a hospice for pilgrims, and in 1775, rites were suppressed. The oratory has recently been reconsecrated and holds services, quadraturismo website Partially translated from Italian Wikipedia entry
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San Frediano in Cestello
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San Frediano in Cestello is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church in the Oltrarno section of Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. The name cestello derives from the Cistercians who occupied the church in 1628, previously the site had a 1450s church attached to the cloistered Carmelite convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli. The church is dedicated to St Fridianus, an early Christian Irish pilgrim who became bishop of Lucca, a church at the site was present before the 11th century. Starting during the papacy of Paul II in the 1460s, the church and this continued under Cardinal Francesco Soderini. The church suffered under the flood of 1557, the monks had to move to the monastery of the Carmine. In 1680-1689, the church was rebuilt on the designs of Gherardo Silvani, the imposing cupola and bell tower added in 1689 by Antonio Maria Ferri. In the former convent of the site lived and died Saint Magdalena de Pazzi and she was renowned for her ecstasies, during which she had visions of the divine will favoring church reforms. Her body was transferred to the church in central Florence that bears her name, the interior is frescoed with a Glory of the Magdalen and Virtue by Antonio Domenico Gabbiani. The cloisters contain a statue of St Maria Maddalena de Pazzi by Antonio Montauti, the latter cloister was designed by Gherardo and Pier Francesco Silvani. The refectory has a Last supper and a painting by Bernardino Poccetti, in the transept is a Madonna in glory with saints by Francesco Curradi and a painting of a Crucifixion with saints and Martyrdom of St. Lawrence by Jacopo del Sellaio
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San Gaetano, Florence
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San Gaetano, also known as Santi Michele e Gaetano is a Baroque church in Florence, Italy, located on the Piazza Antinori. The church was built for the Theatine order, who obtained funding from the families in Florence. Cardinal Carlo de Medici was particularly concerned with the work, building took place between 1604 and 1648. The original designs were by Bernardo Buontalenti but a number of architects had a hand in building it, the two most important architects were Matteo Nigetti and Gherardo Silvani. The church is known as the Church of Santi Michele e Gaetano, because it was built at the site of a Romanesque church, San Michele Bertelde. The new church was dedicated to Saint Cajetan, one of the founders of the Theatine order, the façade, with its sculptural decorations, is atypical for Florentine churches, which had a predilection for geometrically ornamented façades. The second chapel on the left - which is the Cappella Franceschi, the right transept holds Matteo Rossellis Chapel of the Nativity, with a bronze crucifix by Giovanni Francesco Susini. In 2008 the church was entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a traditional institute of clerical life
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San Giovannino degli Scolopi
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The church of San Giovannino degli Scolopi is a minor church in the center of Florence, located on Via Martelli corner with Via Gori. From 1351 to 1554, the church was known as San Giovanni Evangelista, in the mid-16th century, Cosimo I applied the inheritance of a Giovanni di Lando of the neighboring Gori family to the erection of a church for the newly arrived Jesuits. Construction began two years later on designs of Bartolommeo Ammannati, afterwards supplanted by Giulio Parigi and finally Alfonso Parigi il Giovane, the Jesuit Order was suppressed in 1775, and the church was passed to the Piarist or Scolopi Fathers. It was restored in 1843 by Leopoldo Pasqui, the ceiling was frescoed by Agostino Veracini and stucco statuary designed by Camillo Caetani. Left chapels First Crucifixion by Girolamo Macchietti, poorly visible frescoes by Domenico Cresti, second, St. Pompilio di A. del Zardo and lunette by Pier Dandini. Third, St. Niccolò by Domenico Campiglia and two ovals by Agostino Veracini, third, San Giuseppe Calasanzio di Antonio Franchi, Lateral frescoes unknown author. Fourth, St. Ignatius of Loyola by Antonio Puglieschi, ovals by Domenico Banberini, in the college are found canvases of SantElena by Tommaso Bizzelli, Immaculate Conception by Domenico Curradi and a St. Jerome by Jacopo Ligozzi
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San Giovannino dei Cavalieri
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San Giovannino dei Cavalieri previously named Church of San Giovanni Decollato, is a parish church situated in Via San Gallo in central Florence, Italy. Initially the site held a 14th-century home for women of easy virtue and dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen, rebuilt from 1553-1784, with facade added in 1699. Media related to San Giovannino dei Cavalieri at Wikimedia Commons
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San Jacopo sopr'Arno
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San Jacopo soprArno is a church in Florence, Italy. The church was built in the 10th–11th centuries in Romanesque style and it subsequently experienced heavy modifications including the addition of a triple-arched portico. Since 1542 it was held by Franciscans of the Minorite Order, the entrance portico was remade by order of Cosimo I de Medici in 1580, using the architect Bernardino Radi. The bell tower was designed by Gherardo Silvani in 1660, the church was damaged when the Arno River flooded Florence in 1966. Media related to San Jacopo soprArno at Wikimedia Commons Official website
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Sant'Ambrogio, Florence
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SantAmbrogio is a Roman Catholic church in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. It is named in honour of St Ambrose, allegedly built where Saint Ambrose would have stayed when in Florence in 393, the church is first recorded in 998, but is probably older. The church was rebuilt by Giovanni Battista Foggini in the 17th century, a legend says that on 30th December 1230 a chalice which had not been cleaned was the next day found to contain blood rather than wine by Uguccione, the parish priest. This Eucharistic miracle made the church a place of pilgrimage, francesco Granacci, an Italian painter of the Renaissance and lifelong friend of Michelangelo Buonarroti, is buried in this church. A marble altar in the Chapel of the Misericordia was designed by Mino da Fiesole, filippo Lippis Incoronation of the Virgin, executed for the churchs main altar in 1441-1447, is now at the Uffizi
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Santa Felicita, Florence
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Santa Felicita is a Roman Catholic church in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy, probably the oldest in the city after San Lorenzo. In the 2nd century, Syrian Greek merchants settled in the south of the Arno and are thought to have brought Christianity to the region. The first church on the site was built in the late 4th century or early 5th century and was dedicated to Saint Felicity of Rome. A new church was built in the 11th century and the current church dates from 1736–1739, under design by Ferdinando Ruggieri. The monastery was suppressed under the Napoleonic occupation of 1808-1810, in the piazza in front of the façade, stands the rebuilt 15th-century Column of Santa Felicita. Only the 14th century Chapter House survives from the Romanesque with fragmentary frescoes by Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, the Brunelleschian sacristy dates from 1473 and was under the patronage of the Canigiani family. There are the 14th century Madonna with Child and Saints by Taddeo Gaddi, the stained glass window depicting the Journey to the Sepulchre is a copy of the one done by Guglielmo da Marcillat in 1526. The desire to create a space to this led to the decoration of the opposite Canigiani chapel by Bernardino Poccetti. Cigoli was responsible for the design of the chancel whose patrons were the Guicciardini family, the work continued until the vault was decorated by Cinganelli, on the altar is the Adoration of the Shepherds attributed to Francesco Brina. The sacristy has a crucifix attributed to Pacino di Buonaguida
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Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi
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Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi is a Renaissance-style Roman Catholic church and a former convent located in Borgo Pinti in central Florence. The Pazzi name was added after a Carmelite order nun, canonized in 1669, from the Pazzi family, the original convent had been dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen delle Convertite, the patron of once-fallen, now converted women. The Cistercian order from Badia a Settimo took control of the site in 1332 and moved to it in 1442, however, the church and chapter house were rebuilt between 1481 and 1500, with initial designs in 1492 by Giuliano da Sangallo. They were replaced by new ones from minor masters such as Carlo Portelli, Alfonso Boschi, Domenico Puligo, Santi di Tito, in the chapter house is a fresco divided into three lunettes of the Crucifixion and Saints by Pietro Perugino, commissioned by Dionisio and Giovanna Pucci. The fourth chapel on the right has a glass window by Isabella. The choir chapel originally contained a fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio but was rebuilt from 1685 to 1701 by Ciro Ferri, Ferri painted the altarpiece and Luca Giordano the flanking pieces. The statues of Penitence and Faith on the right were sculpted by Innocenzo Spinazzi, while Innocence, the bronze reliefs on the altar were made by Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi. The Virgin appearing to St. Bernard Frommers entry Borsook, Eve
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Santa Maria Maggiore, Florence
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Santa Maria Maggiore di Firenze is a Romanesque and Gothic-style, Roman Catholic church in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. This is among the oldest extant churches in Florence, the church was originally constructed in the 11th century and underwent extensive renovations to the facade and sides in the 13th century. The original church existed as early as the 8th century, and is first documented in 931, the legend assigning its foundation to Pope Pelagius II in 580 A. D. is not reliable. In 1176 it obtained the status of church and was one of Florences priories. The church subsequently expanded its possessions and in 1183 it was put under direct protection by Lucius III in 1186. Acquired by the Cistercians, in the 13th century the church was rebuilt in Gothic style, antony Abbot, of which today only a fragment survives. During the 15th century the churchs finances declined, in 1514 Giulio de Medici describes it as decaying, in 1521 it went to the Carmelites from Mantua. In the early 17th century the interior was restored by Gherardo Silvani, the exterior is rather undecorated, with stone walls and the portals surmounted by tympani. The bell tower, although reduced in height, survives from the Romanesque building and it has a Roman head embedded in its walls, popularly known as Berta The interior is simple with a nave and two aisles, ogival arches and groin vaults. A recent restoration has caused scholars to question this attribution and posit an earlier, the same chapel houses the tomb of Brunetto Latini, discovered in 1751, and a sarcophagus attributed to Tino di Camaino. Frosinini, ed. Limmagine antica della Madonna col Bambino di Santa Maria Maggiore
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San Martino del Vescovo
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This church was founded in the tenth century by the nephew of the bishop of Fiesole. It became the seat of the Compagnia dei Buonomini, begun by the Dominican friar St Antonino Pierozzi in 1442, the confraternity was formed to benefit the poveri vergognosi, as a grey stone plaque below a charity box announces on the façade. Nine of the frescoes are attributed to the workshop of Domenico Ghirlandaio although their dating remains a contentious issue. The tenth fresco, The Dream of St Martin has recently attributed to Lorenzo di Credi. Eight of the cycle of ten murals are based on the Seven Works of Corporal Mercy, the two frescoes which flank the altar show scenes from the life of St Martin of Tours. The depiction to the left of the altar shows Martin dividing his cloak for the beggar, inside is an altarpiece of a Madonna with Infant Jesus and St. John by Niccolò Soggi and a bust of St Antoninus which is attributed to Verrocchio. The Buonomini are to this day active in Florence although their charitable activities remain secret, each Friday afternoon the twelve good men meet in the Sala Riunioni to discuss the confraternitys business. The frescoes and the interior of the oratory underwent a restoration program in April 2011. Early Medici Patronage and the Confraternity of the Buonomini di San Martino Confraternitas, divergent Hands, Two Scenes from the Life of Saint Martin of Tours in the Oratorio dei Buonomini di San Martino Arte Cristiana,2013. Fashioning Family Honour in Renaissance Florence, The Language of Womens Clothing and Gesture in the Frescoes of the Confraternity of the Buonomini di San Martino in Florence Confraternitas, I Buonomini di San Martino, Patrons and Facilitators of the Visual Arts in Quattrocento Florence Confraternitas, vol
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Santi Apostoli, Florence
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The Church of Santi Apostoli is a Romanesque-style, Roman Catholic temple in central Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. It is among the oldest church buildings in Florence and it was built in the 11th century, and, though remodelled in the 15th and 16th centuries, is one of the few in the city to have maintained its High Middle Ages features. Tradition recalls that Michelangelo convinced Bindo Altoviti, who planned to raise the level, not to rebuild. It faces the Piazza del Limbo, so-called for it anciently housed a cemetery for children who died before having been baptized and it is adjacent to the Palazzo Borgherini-Rosselli del Turco. A slab on the attributes the foundation to Charlemagne and his paladin Roland, in the year 800. A small bell tower was added by Baccio dAgnolo in the 16th century, the simple façade, in Romanesque style, has a portal attributed to Benedetto da Rovezzano. The plan, with a nave and two aisles with an apse, still shows Palaeo-Christian influences. It has green marble columns from Prato with capitals stripped from ancient Roman remains, the richly decorated wooden ceiling was added in 1333. Noteworthy is the pavement, with a mosaic from the edifice which was later restored with the contributions of outstanding Florentine families. The apse area has maintained the Romanesque appearance, with undecorated stones visible, the side chapels are from the 16th century. On the left of the apse are a polychrome terracotta tabernacle by Giovanni della Robbia, to right of the entrance is the tomb with the bust of Anna Ubaldi, mother of the Gran Priore del Bene, the bust was sculpted by Giovanni Battista Foggini. The 2nd chapel on the right, chapel of San Bartolomeo was completed in the 16th century, the right wall has a stucco depicting San Paolo, and on the left wall the sepulchral monument of Piero del Bene. At the end of the nave above the door leads to the Canons hall is the sepulchral monument of Bindi di Stoldo Altoviti with a statue of Faith. On the apse is the monument of Antonio Altoviti and the bust of Charlemagne, on the left nave is the monument to Oddo Altoviti (1507-1510 by Benedetto da Rovezzano. The 4th chapel on the left has an altarpiece with the Adoration of the Shepherds and on the wall, Archangel Raphael with Tobias and St Andrew Apostle (c 1560 by Maso da San Friano. The 3rd chapel on the left has an Archangel Michael defeats Lucifer (16th century by Alessandro Fei, the first chapel has a Madonna, Child and Angels a copy of a Paolo Schiavo originally on the facade of church. The church houses three flints putatively from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and these were putatively used to light the lamps of the tomb when Jesus was buried. Tradition holds that they were acquired in 1101 by Pazzino dei Pazzi, from then on, the Pazzi included a flaming cup in their coat of arms
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San Pancrazio, Florence
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San Pancrazio is a church in Florence, Italy, in Piazza San Pancrazio, behind Palazzo Rucellai. With the exception of the Rucellai Chapel, it is deconsecrated and is home to the dedicated to the sculptor Marino Marini. The Rucellai Chapel contains the Rucellai Sepulchre or Tempietto del Santo Sepolcro, since February 2013 it has been possible to visit the chapel from within the Marini museum. The church was built in the early Christian age, and is documented from 931, according to the historian Giovanni Villani, the adjoining monastery was created in 1157. The church was restored and enlarged from the 14th century, the cloister houses a fresco by Neri di Bicci. Giovanni di Paolo Rucellai commissioned Leon Battista Alberti to build him a tomb in the chapel in the church. Thus this work is among the best that this architect did. In the middle of chapel is a sepulchre of marble, very well made, in shape oval and oblong. Albertis work on the Rucellai Chapel and on the sepulchre within it began in about 1458, the origins of the chapel date to 1417. According to the inscription above the door, the sepulchre was completed in 1467, the sepulchre is based on the Holy Sepulchre in the Anastasis in Jerusalem. The exterior is decorated with marble intarsiae, inside are the tombs of Giovanni Rucellai and members of his family, the church was modified in the 18th and 19th centuries. From 1808, it was the seat of the lottery, then a tribunal
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San Salvi
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San Salvi, also known as San Michele a San Salvi, is a church in Florence, Italy. The church was built in the 11th century by the Vallombrosans as part of an abbey complex, during the 1529 Siege of Florence, the church was partially destroyed. It was reconstructed in accordance with its original style with the exception of the portico which was built with a 16th-century style, the interior of the church is of a single aisle, Latin-cross design with a rectangular apse. The refectory contains a fresco of the Last Supper by Andrea del Sarto. The Museums of Florence - Last Supper of San Salvi
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Santi Simone e Giuda, Florence
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Santi Simone e Giuda is a church in Florence, situated on the Piazza San Simone in an area of narrow streets between the Piazza Santa Croce and the Piazza della Signoria. The present structure dates from 1243 but underwent a renovation designed by Gherardo Silvani in 1630. Today it is affiliated with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the church began its life in 1192 as a small oratory situated outside the city walls in vineyards owned by the monks of the Badia Fiorentina. It was enlarged in 1209 and then completely re-built in 1243, the new building was consecrated in 1247 by Bishop Ardengo Trotti and was designated a parish church. It was badly damaged when the Arno flooded in 1527, amongst the damage was the loss of the ciborium which had been made of wood and was completely washed away. Niccolai came from a wealthy and cultured Tuscan family and initiated the renovation of the church, by 1619 a new high altar made of Carrara marble was added and the choir stalls and presbytery were completely renovated under the patronage of Bartolomeo Galilei, a relative of Galileo. The next stage of the began in 1630. It was designed by Gherardo Silvani and paid for by the nephew of Bartolomeo, also called Bartoleomeo Galilei, he was a Knight of Malta and steward to Leopoldo de Medici. The final stage of Silvanis renovation was completed in 1665, the church contains numerous emblems of both the Galilei family and the Knights of Malta. Notable Florentines buried in the church include Raffaellino del Garbo, painter Andrea Salvadori, poet and librettist Media related to Santi Simone e Giuda at Wikimedia Commons
