THE CHURCHES
The Baptistry
Located in Piazza San Giovanni beside the Duomo and Giotto’s belltower, the Baptistry is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The precious bronze doors are famous. The oldest is the South Door, by Andrea Pisano (1330-36), which is divided into 28 finely-sculpted panels. The North Door was completed by Lorenzo Ghiberti and illustrious collaborators such as Donatello, Paolo Uccello and Masolino (1403-24). The East Door, called “of Paradise” because Michelangelo referred to it in this way, is Ghiberti’s most famous work (1424-52).
Basilica of San Lorenzo
The ancient church was consecrated in 393 by Ambrogio, bishop of Milan.
Two pulpits by Donatello, an elegant marble tabernacle by Desiderio da Settignano, plus works by Bronzino, Sogliano, Filippo Lippi and Rosso Fiorentino make the basilica especially precious.
Basilica of Santa Croce
The gothic basilica of Santa Croce is well known because some of the most famous Italians in history are buried here. The interior is enhanced by radious frescoes painted at the beginning of the fourteenth century by Giotto. Incorporated in the cloister next to the church is the Pazzi Chapel by Brunelleschi, a masterwork of Renaissance architecture.
Belltower by Giotto
Giotto’s belltower, 85 meters high, a masterpiece of gothic art, stands in the Piazza San Giovanni beside the Duomo. The rectangular base is divided into two sections. The first is decorated in bas reliefs by Andrea Pisano and Luca della Robbia, representing the Arts and human works; the second in allegorical figures by artists from the school of Andrea Pisano. Above these carvings, niches were created to contain statues of the Prophets and Sybils. A stairway with 412 steps rises to the upper terrace of the belltower, offering an ample view over the city.
Brancacci Chapel
Situated within the thirteenth-century chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine, the Brancacci Chapel is famous for its frescoes, considered masterpieces of Renaissance painting.
Church of the Holy Annunciation
The little Votive Chapel and the Chapel of the Dead contain frescoes by Andrea del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino, Franciabigio and Pontorno. Within the small temple of the Annunciation, designed by Michelozzo, there is an image of the Madonna reputedly capable of performing miracles.
San Miniato al Monte
Just above the Piazzale Michelangelo, is the church of San Miniato al Monte, whose facade of white and green marble is one of the most interesting examples of Florentine Romanesque. The church contains works of great value, including the chapel of the Crucifix by Michelozzo and the Chapel of the Cardinal of Portugal, surrounded by decorations by Luca della Robbia.
Santa Maria Novella
The Romanesque-Gothic facade in white and green marble was completed by Leon Battista Alberti, who designed all of the upper part. The grandiose interior, contains splendid works of art including Giotto’s crucifix and Brunelleschi’s wooden crucifix. Adjacent to the church is the entrance to the Santa Maria Novella Museum, which contains the Green Chapel. Annexed to the Green Cloister are the Cloister of the Dead and the Strozzi Chapel, the latter decorated with fourteenth-century frescoes.
Holy Trinity (“Santa Trìnita”)
The original church, built in the second half of the eleventh century by Vallombrosian monks, was very sombre and reflected the austerity of the order. At the beginning of the fourteenth cenutry the church was enlarged and transformed to the gothic style. Within is the Sassetti Chapel, with its fresco cycle showing the stories of Saint Francis of Assisi and a tablet showing the Adoration of the Shepherds by Domenico Ghirlandaio.
Holy Spirit (“Santo Spirito”)
Planned by Brunelleschi and begun in 1444, it was completed only at the end of the fifteenth century, much after his death. The church has 38 side altars, decorated with Renaissance sculptures and paintings from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Also of special interest is the sacristy, built according to the designs of Giuliano da Sangallo in 1489.
Convent of San Marco
Founded in the thirteenth century, the convent was restored and enlarged by Michelozzo in 1437, according to the wishes of Cosimo the Elder. The simple cloisters and unadorned cells serve as backdrop to a cycle of devotional frescoes painted by Beato Angelico between 1438 and 1445. Inside the convent is the elegant Library planned by Michelozzo in 1448; this was the first public library of the Renaissance.
Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore)
Situated in Piazza San Giovanni in front of the ancient basilica of Santa Reparata, the gothic cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was begun in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio and was consecrated in 1436. The exterior was finished in the second half of the fourteenth century. The contrast between the main body of the nave and the octagonal end section is quite notable. The grandious structure of the dome, 114 meters high, shows a magnificent architectural plasticity that greatly surpasses the limits of the gothic. The dome was finished in 1436 according to Brunelleschi’s plans. The present facade, a modest work by De Fabris, was done in 1887. The interior, in the shape of a Latin cross with three naves, is of the purest and most majestic lines. Among the numerous works of art, the frescoes done for G. Acuto (by Paolo Uccello) and for Niccolo da Tolentino (by Andrea del Castagno) are especially noteworthy. The windows by Paolo Uccello, Andrea del Castagno, Ghiberti and Donatello are also beautiful.
Orsanmichele
The oratory of Orsanmichele dates to 1337. Made as a loggia for the granary market, soon after completion it was transformed into a church. Its external walls, decorated by magnificent triple mullioned windows by Simone Talenti, contain 14 niches, each holding a statue of one of the patron saints of the Arts and Corporations. Inside rises the stupendous gothic tabernacle by Andrea Orcagna (1349-59), decorated with cherubs, inlaid with polychromic marble and glass and decorated in bas reliefs.
