Church Orsanmichele (and Museum)
Church Orsanmichele has quite an interesting beginning. It was built by the city guilds, which encompassed both civil and religious functions. Orsanmichele was constructed in 1336, on the site of San Michele monastery’s kitchen garden. Originally it was a grain market and was converted into a church from 1380 to 1404 and used as a chapel for all the cities craft and trade guilds.
The Interior
The interior of Orsanmichele preserves its late gothic appearance almost intact: its square layout and the positioning of the piers recall the arrangement of the original open loggia. This explains the unusual position of the Madonna Delle Grazie altar, not in the center but to the right.
To the left of the nave (above) is the votive altar of St. Anne, built by order of the Signoria in 1379, with a marble group of St. Anne, the Virgin and Child by Francesco da Sangallo (c. 1526).
The Exterior
The City of Florence in the 14th century ordered each guild to fill one of the fourteen exterior niches with a freestanding statue of its patron saint. Each guild strove to outdo the others by commissioning original sculptures from famous artists, such as Donatello Ghiberti, Giambologna and Verrocchio. The three richest guilds opted to make their figures in the costly bronze, which cost approximately ten times the amount of the stone figures.
All the original statues have been replaced with copies and moved to Florentine museums. Donatello’s St. George (1417) from the Armourers’ and Swordmakers’ tabernacle was moved to the Bargello in 1892 and his St. Louis of Toulouse (1433) is now in the Museum of Santa Croce. Eight of the sculptures are currently in the Museum of Orsanmichele, which is part of the upper floor of the church.
The Museum
- Madonna della Rossa
- Closeup: Madonna della Rossa
Here she sits (the copy) on the exterior of the church:
After visiting the museum, take a few more steps up to the open top floor to see amazing sights of the city below.
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16 Comments
Cath
July 28, 2017 at 1:34 pmYou have some great photos and information in this post. grazie
Alicia
July 28, 2017 at 2:08 pmAbsolutely beautiful photos. I love your narration through the church. I felt like I’ve just visited! 🙂
Xander
July 28, 2017 at 4:57 pmI love the architechture of old traditional church buildings.
Sandy Dobbs
July 29, 2017 at 12:41 amWhat incredible architecture! You took really great photos. I would really love to go!
Vanessa
July 29, 2017 at 1:37 amWow, the Church Orsanmichele is beautiful, such ornate ceilings. Would love to visit! 🙂
Maria
July 29, 2017 at 2:55 amEverything looks so pretty and your pictures are great! Would love to go there.
Saumyata
July 29, 2017 at 3:53 amLove historical places it so charming to learn about new museums and palaces! Nice one..
Jen
July 29, 2017 at 5:14 amFlorence truly has a lot to offer. Rich in history and stunning architecture. Love this particular church.
WhodoIdo
July 29, 2017 at 7:22 amI’ve not visited Florence but will definitely add this to the list when I go. The interior of the church is beautiful and love the stained glass windows. The views at the top of the museum are stunning. Excellent pics!
Janine Thomas
July 29, 2017 at 1:18 pmWhat great shots of the church. I have just returned from Florence and it was lovely reading this as it took me straight back!
Ambuj Saxena
July 30, 2017 at 2:09 pmWow what a blog post! Stunning pics and an intriguing history to accompany a place of worship! Thanks for delving into the history of the church cum museum!
DTG
July 30, 2017 at 2:59 pmBeautiful photos and information I love Italy. Florence is one of my FAV cities. Great Post
Madison Taylor
July 30, 2017 at 3:03 pmWow… so stunning. Feels like I was there with you! I love the historical aspect to this post!
Emma
July 31, 2017 at 1:20 amWOW that looks incredible! Love your pictures, those statues are so incredibly detailed aren’t they!
Rahat Arora
July 31, 2017 at 3:14 amEverything looks so pretty and your pictures are great, nice post
Contrarian Travel Blogger Geemiz
July 31, 2017 at 11:33 amChurches have mostly the best architecture both interior and exterior and Church Orsanmichele is no exception.