Santo Spirito, Florence
Basilica of the Holy Spirit Basilica di Santo Spirito (in Italian) | ||
---|---|---|
Year consecrated 1481 | | |
Location | ||
Location | Florence, Tuscany, Italy | |
Geographic coordinates | 43°46′2.2″N 11°14′53.7″E / 43.767278°N 11.248250°E | |
Architecture | ||
Architect(s) | Filippo Brunelleschi, Antonio Manetti, Giovanni da Gaiole, Salvi d'Andrea | |
Type | Church | |
Style | Renaissance | |
Groundbreaking | 1444 | |
Completed | 1487 |
The Basilica di Santo Spirito ("Basilica of the Holy Spirit") is a church in Florence, Italy. Usually referred to simply as Santo Spirito, it is located in the Oltrarno quarter, facing the square with the same name. The interior of the building – internal length 97 m (318 ft) – is one of the preeminent examples of Renaissance architecture.
History
Early history
The land for the Augustinian church and convent was donated by Speziale and Acolti to Aldebrandino, a prior of the Augustinian establishment in Arcetri in 1250.[1] The plot was located on the south bank of Arno in the sesto (one of the six sestieri of Florence) Oltrarno, within the communal walls of 1173–1175,[2] but in a sparsely populated area. It became more accessible with construction of the Holy Trinity bridge (Ponte Santa Trinita) in 1252. The Augustinians started the church and the convent in the same year,[3] incorporating an old church of San Romolo in the complex.[1] 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.[4]
The churches and convents of mendicant orders were constructed with the financial support of the commune, which provided funds for Santo Spirito in 1267,[5] and then from 1292 to 1301.[4]
The convent of S. Spirito became a center of scholarly activities and was recognized as
Houses were purchased in 1301 to produce a public square in front of the church — the Piazza Santo Spirito. By 1310 Santo 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 very substantial complex, including a large first
The confraternity of Santa Maria delle Laude (laudese), dedicated to the
Santo Spirito was associated with the early humanism in Florence. One of the groups, led by Boccaccio, gathered there in 1360s and the 1370s. Upon his death in 1375 Boccaccio bequeathed his library to the convent. In the 1380s and early 1390s another circle of humanists met daily in the cell of
Santo Spirito was a scene of several dramatic events during the period of political instability of 1370s. As the only area of the city located across the Arno, the sieste (from 1343 the quarter) of Santo Spirito was physically and politically apart from the rest of Florence. Among its inhabitants were some of the most prominent and ancient families of the city, such as the Capponi, the Soderini, and Frescobaldi, as well as some of the poorest unskilled laborers. This politically explosive mix gave to the quarter its image of one of the most ready to rebel.[9]
One of the most sensational political assassinations in the history of the Republic of Florence was a murder of Sandro da Quarata, a prominent member of the Ricci faction, in November 1370, when he was exiting the church after mass.[10]: 199 In the lead up-to the
After the Florentine victory over the Milanese in 1397 during the second
The new church
Filippo Brunelleschi began designs for the new building as early as 1428. The first pillars to the building were delivered in 1446, ten days before his death.[11] After his death, the works were carried on by his followers Antonio Manetti, Giovanni da Gaiole, and Salvi d'Andrea; the latter was also responsible for the construction of the cupola.
Unlike
Brunelleschi's
A Baroque baldachin with polychrome marbles was added by Giovanni Battista Caccini and Gherardo Silvani over the high altar, in 1601. The church remained undecorated until the 18th century, when the walls were plastered. The inner façade is by Salvi d'Andrea, and has still the original glass window with the Pentecost designed by Pietro Perugino. The bell tower (1503) was designed by Baccio d'Agnolo.
The exterior of the building was restored in 1977–78.
Chapel altarpieces
The church has 38 side chapels (two chapels having been given over to doors), which contain a noteworthy amount of artworks. The most significant is the Bini-Capponi Chapel, housing the St. Monica Establishing the Rule of the Augustinian Nuns painting by Francesco Botticini. The Corbinelli chapels works are by Andrea Sansovino, Cosimo Rosselli and Donnino and Agnolo del Mazziere.
In the chapels of the transept are altarpieces by Filippino Lippi. Also in the transept is a choir from which the Frescobaldi Marquisses could participate in the rites without being seen by the crowd.
The sacristy, accessed through a doorway in what would have been the left sixth chapel preceded by a monumental vestibule by Simone del Pollaiolo, was designed by Giuliano da Sangallo in 1489, and has an octagonal plan. It is home to a devotional painting of St. Fiacre curing the Sick (1597) by Alessandro Allori (1596) commissioned by Christine of Lorraine, Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici's wife.
List of chapels and their works of art
The 38 chapels and their works of art are:[14]
Side | Chapel | Artworks |
---|---|---|
R | 1 (nave near facade) | Disputa dell'Immacolata Concezione by Pier Francesco Foschi |
R | 2 | Copy of Michelangelo's Pietà (1549) by Nanni di Baccio Bigio |
R | 3 | St. Niccolò da Tolentino by Nanni Unghero; flanking angels by Franciabigio |
R | 4 | Expulsion of the Money Changers from Temple (1572) by Giovanni Stradano
|
R | 5 | Coronation of the Virgin (c. 1694) by Alessandro Gherardini |
R | 6 | Martyrdom of St. Stephen (1602) by Domenico Passignano |
R | 7 | Tobias and Angel (1698) by Giovanni Baratta |
R | 9 (transept) | Transfiguration by Pier Francesco Foschi |
R | 10 (transept) | Madonna del Soccorso (15th century) |
R | 11 (transept) | Altar by Bernardo Buontalenti |
R | 12 (transept) | Madonna and Child with Saints and Nerli Family Donors (1488) by Filippino Lippi
|
R | 13 (transept) | Copy of Perugino's Apparition of the Virgin to St. Bernard by Felice Ficherelli |
R | 14 | Marble sarcophagus (c. 1457) by Antonio Rossellino |
R | 15 (apse) | Madonna with SS. John Evangelist & Jerome (early 16th century) |
R | 16 (apse) | Madonna with child & 4 saints (c. 1340) by Maso di Banco |
R | 18 (apse) | Martyrdom of the ten thousand (1574) by Alessandro Allori with altarpiece of St. Lucy with two angels (c. 1460) attributed to Neri di Bicci |
L | 1 (nave) | Resurrection by Pier Francesco Foschi |
L | 2 | Copy of Michelangelo's Christ (1579) by Taddeo Landini |
L | 5 | Madonna, St. Anne, and other saints by Michele Tosini |
L | 8 | Madonna enthroned with SS Lawrence, Giovanni Gualberto, Catherine, & Bernard by follower of Fra Bartolomeo |
L | 9 (transept) | Way to Calvary by Michele Tosini; window Doubting Thomas attributed to Bartolomeo di Giovanni |
L | 10 (transept) | Madonna Enthroned with Saints (1505) by Jacopo del Sellaio
|
L | 11 (transept) | Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Saints Bartholemew and Nicholas by Raffaellino del Garbo |
L | 12 (transept) | Trinity adored by Saints Catherine and Mary Magdalene (c. 1485) by Francesco Granacci |
L | 13 (transept) | Corbinelli altar (1492) by Andrea Sansovino |
L | 14 (transept) | Madonna Enthroned and Child with Saints (1482) by Cosimo Rosselli, altarpiece of Doubting Thomas attributed to Neri di Bicci |
L | 15 (transept) | St. Monica Establishes the Rule of Augustinian Nuns (1483) attributed to Francesco Botticini |
L | 16 (transept) | Madonna and Child and Saints attributed to Raffaellino del Garbo |
L | 15 (apse) | Nativity by a follower of Domenico Ghirlandaio |
L | 16 (apse) | Annunciation (late 15th century) |
L | 18 (apse) | Christ and the Adultress (1577) by Alessandro Allori |
Michelangelo's Crucifix
The cloisters and the Cenacolo
The convent had two cloisters, called Chiostro dei Morti and Chiostro Grande ("Cloister of the Dead" and "Grand Cloister"). The first takes its name from the great number of tombstone decorating its walls, and was built around 1600 by Alfonso Parigi. The latter was constructed in 1564–1569 by Bartolomeo Ammannati in a classicistic style.
The former convent also contains the great refectory (Cenacolo di Santo Spirito) with a large fresco portraying the Crucifixion over a fragmentary Last Supper, both attributed to
Burials
- Paolo Uccello, in his father's tomb
- Niccolò de' Niccoli
See also
- History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes
- History of Italian Renaissance domes
- History of early modern period domes
References
- ^ a b c Biadi, L. (1824). Notizie sulle antiche fabbriche di Firenze non terminate e sulle variazioni alle quali i più ragguardevoli edifizj sono andati soggetti. Florence: Stamperia Bonducciana. pp. 156–160.
- ISBN 0-520-21522-2
- ^ a b "Convento Santo Spirito". augnet.org. Archived from the original on 2015-07-17.
- ^ ISBN 1 84383 258 5
- ISBN 978-0521362894.
- ^ ISBN 88-0903315-9
- ^ Heimbucher, Max (1910). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
- ^ Stinger, C. L. (1988). "Humanism in Florence". In Rabil, A. I. (ed.). Renaissance Humanism: Foundations, Forms, Legacy. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 179–181.
- ^ ISBN 0-271-02362-7
- ^ a b G. Brucker, Florentine Politics and Society, 1343–1378 (Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 1962)
- ^ Peter J. Gartner. "Filippo Brunellsechi". (Könemann, Köln, 1998), pp.44–53
- ^ Eugenio Battisti. Filippo Brunelleschi: The Complete Work. (New York: Rizzoli, 1981)
- ^ Howard Saalman. Filippo Brunelleschi: The Buildings. (London: Zwemmer, 1993).
- ^ Borsook, Eve (1991). Vincent Cronin (ed.). The Companion Guide to Florence (5th ed.). New York: HarperCollins. pp. 317–320.