Churches and Religious Art of Florence


San Miniato al Monte Photograph: Santa Miniato al Monte

Because religion played such a central role in the Middle Ages, a good place to start our tour of Florence is with the churches and religious art. Many of the city's most famous churches and other architecture were built after Dante began his exile in 1301, and many of the buildings that survive from the thirteenth or before have been substantially remodelled over the centuries. Still, certain churches and cathedrals, such as the Baptistery, reflect what Dante might have seen at worship.

Churches and Cathedrals

The Baptistery

The Baptistery of San Giovanni is one of the few Florentine landmarks actually mentioned in the Inferno. In Canto 19, Dante compares the holes in which simonists (corrupt church officials) are immersed head first to the baptismal font: "[the holes] seemed neither smaller nor larger than those in my beautiful San Giovanni, made as a place for baptizing." In observing the Baptistery, pay special attention to the mosaic of the Last Judgement by Coppo di Marcovaldo. The depiction of Lucifer eating a sinner may have suggested the imagery in Canto 34.

Santa Reparata

Dante may have worshipped in the Santa Reparata, but unfortunately the church was torn down at the end of the thirteenth century to make way for the cathedral that now symbolizes Renaissance Florence, the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Mary of the Flowers), also known as the Duomo, in reference to its famous dome. Next to the Duomo is Giotto's Campanile or Bell Tower. Since these famous buildings weren't completed until after Dante's exile (and after his death in the case of the Duomo), he never got to see them. Recent excavations under the Duomo have revealed traces of the original Santa Reparata.

Santa Croce

The Cathedral of Santa Croce is the major church of the Franciscans (order of Sant Francis) in Florence. Dante may have studied philosophy there. Today the Santa Croce commemorates Dante with a large statue outside the cathedral (on the left as you face the building), and a cenotaph (empty tomb) on the inside. Dante's real tomb is in Ravenna.

Santa Maria Novella

Just as the Santa Croce was the home of the Franciscan order in Florence, so was Santa Maria Novella the center of the other main monastic order, the Domenicans.

San Miniato al Monte

Dante no doubt appreciated the beautiful mosaics in this mountaintop church.

Santa Maria Maggiore

Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the oldest churches in Florence, dating from the eleventh century, and was substantially reconstructed in the thirteenth century. Dante's teacher, Brunetto Latini (who appears in Canto 15) is buried here.

Santa Margherita dei Ricci

This simple thirteenth century church is today most famous because Dante's beloved Beatrice Portinari is buried in the courtyard. In the picture below, you can see the church in the distance between the Duomo (on the left) and the building on the right.

Santa Trinita

Another eleventh century church (from the Romanesque period), Santa Trinita looks more like a Renaissance building today, thanks to the extensive renovations from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

Religious Art and Music

Cimabue

Giotto

Music

Continue the tour

| Prologue | Churches and Art | History | Other Sites | Bibliography | Credits |