The Basilica della Santissima Annunziata (Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciation) is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

-style,

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. This is considered the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...

of the

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nu ...

. It is located at the northeastern side of the Piazza Santissima Annunziata near the city center.

History

The church was founded in 1250 by the seven original members of the

. In 1252, a painting of the ''

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

'' had been begun by a friar Bartolomeo, commissioned by the Servite monks. It is said he despaired about being able to paint a virgin with a beautiful enough face, and fell asleep, only to find the painting completed. This miracle he attributed to an angel. The painting now housed in the church, acquired increasing veneration, such that in 1444 the Gonzaga family from

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

financed a special tribune. Initially

Michelozzo Michelozzo di Bartolomeo Michelozzi (; – 7 October 1472), known mononymously as Michelozzo, was an Italian architect and sculptor. Considered one of the great pioneers of architecture during the Renaissance, Michelozzo was a favored Medici ...

, who was the brother of the Servite prior, was commissioned to build it, but since

Ludovico III Gonzaga Ludovico III Gonzaga of Mantua, known as the Turk (), also spelled Lodovico (also Ludovico II; 5 June 1412 – 12 June 1478) was the ruler of the Italian city of Mantua from 1444 to his death in 1478. Biography Ludovico was the son of Gianfran ...

had a special admiration for

Leon Battista Alberti Leon Battista Alberti (; 14 February 1404 – 25 April 1472) was an Italian Renaissance humanist author, artist, architect, poet, Catholic priest, priest, linguistics, linguist, philosopher, and cryptography, cryptographer; he epitomised the natu ...

, this latter architect was given the commission in 1469. Alberti's designs were constricted by the pre-existing foundations. Construction was completed in 1481, after Alberti's death. Though the structure was refurbished in

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

-style in the seventeenth century, the basic scheme of a domed circular space flanked by altar niches is still evident. The façade of the church was added in 1601 by the architect

Giovanni Battista Caccini Giovanni Battista Caccini or Giovan Battista Caccini (24 October 1556 – 13 March 1613) was an Italian sculptor from Florence, who worked in a Classicism, classicising style in the later phase of Mannerism. Life Giovanni Battista Caccini was b ...

, imitating the Renaissance-style of

Brunelleschi Filippo di ser Brunellesco di Lippo Lapi (1377 – 15 April 1446), commonly known as Filippo Brunelleschi ( ; ) and also nicknamed Pippo by Leon Battista Alberti, was an Italian architect, designer, goldsmith and sculptor. He is considered to ...

's façade of the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...

, which defines the eastern side of the piazza. The building across from the Foundling Hospital, designed by Sangallo the Elder, was also given a Brunelleschian façade in the 1520s.

Veneration

Pilgrims who came to the church to venerate the miraculous painting often left wax votive offerings, many of them life-size models of the donor (sometimes complete with horses). In 1516, a special atrium was built to house these figures, the Chiostrino dei Voti. By the late 18th century there were some six hundred of these images and they had become one of the city's great tourist attractions. In 1786, however, they were all melted down to make candles.

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI (, , ; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja; epithet: ''Valentinus'' ("The Valencian"); – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into t ...

, in appreciation for the survival of Rome after French occupation, paid homage and gifted a silver effigy to the church. The Florentine brides traditionally visit the shrine to leave their bouquets.

Interior

This church is entered from the ''Chiostrino dei Voti''. The

decoration of the church interior was begun in 1644, when Pietro Giambelli frescoed the ceiling with an ''Assumption'' as a centerpiece based on designs by

Baldassare Franceschini Baldassare Franceschini, called Il Volterrano after his birth place Volterra and, to distinguish him from Daniele da Volterra, Ricciarelli, Il Volterrano Giuniore (16116 January 1689) was an Italian late Baroque painter and draughtsman active p ...

. The 1st chapel to right contains a ''Madonna in Glory'' by Jacopo da Empoli, with walls frescoed by Matteo Rosselli. The 5th chapel on the right contains a ''Monument to Orlando de' Medici'' (1456) by

Bernardo Rossellino Bernardo di Matteo del Borra Gamberelli (1409–1464), better known as Bernardo Rossellino, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect, the elder brother of the sculptor Antonio Rossellino. As a member of the second generation of Renaiss ...

. The right transept has a small side chapel with a ''Pietà'' (1559) by

Baccio Bandinelli Baccio Bandinelli (also called Bartolomeo Brandini; 12 November 1493 – shortly before 7 February 1560), was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, draughtsman, and painter. Biography Bandinelli was the son of a prominent Florentine goldsmith, ...

<-- that graces his tomb. - the painter's, really?--> The

tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the Tribune of the Plebs, tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs ac ...

or choir surrounded by chapels, known as the ''Rotonda'', was designed by

and Alberti between 1444 and 1476. Notable among the chapels is the fifth (aligned to the axis of the nave), which houses a crucifix (1594–8) by

Giambologna Giambologna (1529 – 13 August 1608), also known as Jean de Boulogne (French), Jehan Boulongne (Flemish) and Giovanni da Bologna (Italian), was the last significant Italian Renaissance sculptor, with a large workshop producing large and small ...

, with statues of the "Active and Contemplative Lives" by his pupil Francavilla, saints and angels by

Pietro Tacca Pietro Tacca (16 September 1577 – 26 October 1640) was an Italian sculptor, who was the chief pupil and follower of Giambologna. Tacca began in a Mannerist style and worked in the Baroque style during his maturity. Biography Born in Carr ...

, and murals 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 Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region ...

. The following chapel has a ''Resurrection'' (1548–52) by

Bronzino Agnolo di Cosimo (; 17 November 150323 November 1572), usually known as Bronzino ( ) or Agnolo Bronzino, was an Italians, Italian Mannerism, Mannerist painter from Florence. His sobriquet, ''Bronzino'', may refer to his relatively dark skin or r ...

with a statue of ''St Roch'' attributed to

Veit Stoss Veit Stoss (, also spelled Stoß and Stuoss; ; ; before 1450about 20 September 1533) was a leading German language, German sculptor, mostly working with wood, whose career covered the transition between the late Gothic art, Gothic and the North ...

. The next chapel has a ''Madonna with Saints'' by a follower of

Perugino Pietro Perugino ( ; ; born Pietro Vannucci or Pietro Vanucci; – 1523), an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael became his most famous ...

. In the sixth chapel to the left of the nave is a ''SS Ignatius, Erasmus and Blaise'' by

Raffaellino del Garbo Raffaellino del Garbo (1466–1527) was a Florentine painter of the early Renaissance. Biography His real name was Raffaello di Bartolomeo dei Carli. He was also known as Raffaello Capponi after his adoptive family. The appellation "del Garbo" ...

; the next chapel has one of the panels of '' Annunziata Altarpiece'' (1507) by

, once at the high altar of the church (the ''Deposition'', begun by Filippino Lippi, is now at the

Gallerie dell'Accademia The Gallerie dell'Accademia is a museum gallery of pre-19th-century art in Venice, northern Italy. It is housed in the Scuola della Carità on the south bank of the Grand Canal, within the sestiere of Dorsoduro. It was originally the gallery o ...

, while other panels are divided between other collections in the world). The altarpiece of the next chapel has a ''Trinity with Saint Jerome and two saints'' (c. 1455) by

Andrea del Castagno Andrea del Castagno () or Andrea di Bartolo di Bargilla (; – 19 August 1457) was an Italian Renaissance painting, Italian Renaissance painter in Florence, influenced chiefly by Masaccio and Giotto, Giotto di Bondone. His works include fresc ...

, who also painted the mural of ''The Vision of St. Julian'' in the next chapel, called the ''Feroni chapel''. This chapel was elaborately decorated in a baroque fashion by Gianbattista Foggini in 1692. The first chapel just to the left of the entrance has a tabernacle of the ''Annunciation'' (1448–52) by Michelozzo and the sculptor

Pagno di Lapo Portigiani Pagno di Lapo Portigiani (1408 — 1470) was an Italian Renaissance decorative sculptor, a minor follower of Donatello who worked on numerous occasions in projects designed and supervised by Michelozzo. Biography Pagno di Lapo was born at Fiesol ...

. The organ built by Domenico Di Lorenzo da Lucca in 1509–1521 is the oldest in Florence and the third oldest in Italy. Today the titular organist of the church is

Simone Stella Simone Stella is an Italian harpsichordist, organist, pianist, composer and producer. Recordings * 2009: Georg Friedrich Händel, ''Suites for harpsichord, book 1'', 2 CD, OnClassical (OC33-34B). * 2011: Dietrich Buxtehude, ''Complete Har ...

. The church contains the tomb of the Italian writer

Maria Valtorta Maria Valtorta (14 March 1897 – 12 October 1961) was a Catholic Church, Catholic Italian writer. She was a Franciscan tertiary and a lay member of the Servants of Mary who reported personal visions of Jesus and Mary, conversations with, an ...

. A memorial was erected in the church to the painter Giovanna Tacconi Messini by her husband after her death.

Cloisters

The ''Chiostrino dei Voti'' was designed by Michelozzo. The center of this small cloister in front of the basilica is sheltered by a 19th-century glass roof. Baldovinetti painted the first lunette in the chiostro in c. 1460. In about 1476, Rosselli began its decoration with a lunette dedicated to the then blessed Filippo Benizzi, fifth Prior General of the Servites. Further lunettes were added by Andrea del Sarto (1509–1515) and

Pontormo Jacopo Carucci or Carrucci (; May 24, 1494 – January 2, 1557), usually known as Jacopo (da) Pontormo or simply Pontormo (), was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His work represents a profound stylisti ...

(1516). Andrea del Sarto, S Filippo Benizi's Death and Child restored to Life, 1509f, SS Annunziata, Chiostrino dei Voti, Florence.jpg, Andrea del Sarto, ''S Filippo Benizi's Death and Child restored to Life'' (detail), 1509–10 Andrea del Sarto, Birth of the Virgin, 1509-10, SS Annunziata, Chiostrino dei Voti, Florence.jpg, Andrea del Sarto, ''Birth of the Virgin'' (detail), 1509–15 Franciabigio, Sposalizio della Vergine, 1513, 01.jpg, Franciabigio, ''Marriage of the Virgin'', 1513 Pontormo, Visitation, 1516, SS Annunziata, Chiostrino dei Voti, Florence.jpg, Pontormo, ''Visitation'', 1516 The large cloister, known as the ''Chiostro Grande'' or ''dei Morti'', flanking the northwest of the church, contains the famous frescoed lunette depictiong the '' Madonna del Sacco'' (1525) by del Sarto. The '' Capella di San Luca'', which opens off it, has belonged to the artists confraternity or the ''

Accademia delle Arti del Disegno The Accademia delle Arti del Disegno ("Academy of the Arts of Drawing") is an academy of artists in Florence, in Italy. It was founded on 13 January 1563 by Cosimo I de' Medici, under the influence of Giorgio Vasari. It was initially known as ...

'' since 1565. Many artists are buried in its vault, including

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...

Franciabigio Franciabigio (1482 – 24 January 1525) was an Italian painter of the Florentine Renaissance. His true name may have been Francesco di Cristofano; he is also referred to as either Marcantonio Franciabigio or Francia Bigio. Life and career He was ...

Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (1507 – 31 August 1563), also known as Giovann'Agnolo Montorsoli, was a Florentine sculptor and Servite friar. He is today as often remembered for his restorations of famous classical works as his original crea ...

and

Lorenzo Bartolini Lorenzo Bartolini (Prato, 7 January 1777 Florence, 20 January 1850) was an Italian sculptor who infused his neoclassicism with a strain of sentimental piety and naturalistic detail, while he drew inspiration from the sculpture of the Florentine ...

. Inside is

’s ''Holy Family'' (c. 1514) painted for church of St. Ruffillo and murals by

Alessandro Allori Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (Florence, 31 May 153522 September 1607) was an Italian painter of the late Mannerist Florentine school. Biography After the death of his father in 1541, Allori was brought up and trained ...

: ''Trinity'';

Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work '' Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ide ...

: ''St. Luke paints Madonna''; and

Santi di Tito Santi di Tito (5 December 1536 – 25 July 1603) was one of the most influential and leading Italian painters of the proto-Baroque style – what is sometimes referred to as "Counter-Maniera" or Counter-Mannerism. Biography He was born in Sa ...

: ''Solomon directs the construction of the temple of Jerusalem''. The ten large stucco figures were sculpted by Vincenzo Danti, Montorsoli and others.E. Borsook. page 247. Most part of the Cloister of SS. Annunziata is today the seat of

Istituto Geografico Militare The ''Istituto Geografico Militare'' (IGM), or Military Geographic Institute, is an Italian public organization, dependent on the Italian Army general staff (''Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito''). It is the national mapping agency for Italy.

(IGM). In 2007, in the west part of the cloister occupied by the Istituto, the group found a monumental stair by

, previously hidden, an ''Annunciation'' attributed to

Paolo Uccello Paolo Uccello ( , ; 1397 – 10 December 1475), born Paolo di Dono, was an Italian Renaissance painter and mathematician from Florence who was notable for his pioneering work on visual Perspective (graphical), perspective in art. In his book ''Liv ...

, and some 'Grottesche' frescoes by

Morto da Feltre Morto da Feltre was an Italian Painting, painter of the Venetian School (art), Venetian school who worked at the close of the 15th century and beginning of the 16th. Biography His real name appears to have been Pietro Luzzo, Pietro LuciStefano ...

References

External links