Santa Maria Maggiore, affreschi sul pilastro 1

Santa Maria Maggiore di Firenze is a Romanesque and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

-style, Roman Catholic church in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. This is among the oldest extant churches in Florence.

History

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. Santa Maria Maggiore, la berta dettaglio

Santa Maria Maggiore, la berta dettaglio

In 1176 it obtained the status of collegiate church and was one of Florence's priories. The church subsequently expanded its possessions and in 1183 it was put under papal direct protection by Lucius III in 1186, which it kept in the following century. Acquired by the

Cistercians The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

, in the 13th century the church was rebuilt (with the exception of the original external walls and the vaults) in Gothic style. Giorgio Vasari mentions one "Master Buono" as the designer of the new edifice; he also writes that the high altar had a ''Coronation of the Virgin'' by

Agnolo Gaddi Agnolo Gaddi (c.1350–1396) was an Italian painter. He was born and died in Florence, and was the son of the painter Taddeo Gaddi,who was himself the major pupil of the Florentine master Giotto. Agnolo was a painter and mosaicist, trained ...

, and the ''Cappella Maggiore'' contained frescoes by

Spinello Aretino Spinello Aretino (c. 1350 – c. 1410) was an Italian painter from Arezzo, who was active in Tuscany at the end of the 14th and the first decennium of the 15th century.Giulio de' Medici describes it as decaying, and in the following year the pope gave it to the

Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral, formally the (; in English Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy ( it, Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally c ...

's capitol. In 1521 it went to the Carmelites from Mantua. In the early 17th century the interior was restored by

Gherardo Silvani Gherardo Silvani (1579–1675) was an Italian architect and sculptor, active mainly in Florence and other sites in Tuscany during the Baroque period. Biography His son Pierfrancesco Silvani, Pierfrancesco also became an architect. He worked on ...

, perhaps following a project by Bernardo Buontalenti.

Description

The exterior is rather undecorated, with stone walls and the portals surmounted by

tympani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

. The bell tower, although reduced in height, survives from the Romanesque building. 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. Artworks include frescoes by

Bernardino Poccetti Bernardino Poccetti (26 August 1548 – 10 October 1612), also known as Barbatelli, was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker of etchings. Biography Born in Florence, he was initially trained as a decorator of facades and ceilings, enrol ...

(''Histories of St. Zenobius'' in the vault), a ''Nativity'' by

Matteo Rosselli Matteo Rosselli (10 August 1578 – 18 January 1650) was an Italian painter of the late Florentine Counter- Mannerism and early Baroque. He is best known however for his highly populated grand-manner historical paintings. Biography He first app ...

, and, above the altar of the left transept chapel, a polychromed stucco relief panel, the ''Madonna del Carmelo'', long attributed to the 13th century artist, Coppo di Marcovaldo. A recent restoration has caused scholars to question this attribution and posit an earlier, 12th century date for the panel.Ciatti, Marco and Cecelia Frosinini, ed. (2002). '''L'immagine antica.' The Madonna and Child of Santa Maria Maggiore: Study and Restoration. ''Florence: Edifir. The same chapel houses the tomb of Brunetto Latini, discovered in 1751, and a sarcophagus attributed to

Tino di Camaino 300px, Tomb of Antonio d'Orso, in Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence.">Florence.html" ;"title="Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence">Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence. Tino di Camaino (c. 1280 – c. 1337) was an Italian sculptor. Born in Siena, the s ...

(early 14th century). Other artworks once housed in the church include the

Carnesecchi Triptych The Carnesecchi Triptych was an altarpiece of by Masolino, Masaccio and others, depicting the Madonna and Child with Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Julian the Hospitaller. It seems to mark the beginning of Masolino and Masaccio's collaborati ...

, by Masolino da Panicale and

Masaccio Masaccio (, , ; December 21, 1401 – summer 1428), born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was a Florentine artist who is regarded as the first great Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance. According to Vasari, ...

, as well as the '' Martyrdom of St. Sebastian'' and the '' Lamentation over the Dead Christ with Saints'' by Botticelli.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Maggiore Florence Maria Maggiore 11th-century establishments in Italy Maria Maggiore Romanesque architecture in Florence Gothic architecture in Florence