Ognissanti, Florence
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The chiesa di San Salvatore di Ognissanti, or more simply chiesa di Ognissanti (; "Church of All Saints"), is a
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
church located on in central
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. Founded by the lay order of the Umiliati, the church was dedicated to all the saints and martyrs, known and unknown. It is the burial place of the famous Early Renaissance painter, Sandro Botticelli, as well as Age of Discovery-era explorer Amerigo Vespucci, from whom the name " America" is derived.


History

It was completed originally during the 1250s, but almost completely rebuilt around 1627 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 by the architect Bartolomeo Pettirossi. Soon after, a new façade (1637) was erected using designs by Matteo Nigetti, that conserved the glazed terracotta lunette over the doorway, which while resembling the work of Della Robbia, is now attributed to Benedetto Buglioni. Ognissanti was among the first examples of
Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...
to penetrate this Renaissance city. Its three reversed orders of pilasters enclose niches and windows with elaborate cornices. To the left of the façade is a campanile of 13th and 14th century construction. The Umiliati, by the dedication and probity of the lay brothers and sisters, gained a reputation in Florence, and dedicated works of art began to accumulate in their severely simple church. For example, Giotto's celebrated ''Madonna and Child with angels'' (c. 1310) was painted for the high altar. Recent cleaning of the ''Crucifix'' in the left transept has led this work to be attributed also to Giotto. During the sixteenth century, the Umiliati declined in power, and in 1571 the
Franciscan order The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
assumed control of the church, and were able to bring to the church precious relics, such as a robe of St Francis of Assisi. In the early 17th-century, the interior was remodeled in Baroque style, with the apse rebuilt with a pietre dure high altar and a '' sotto in su'' perspective painting (1770) on the vaulted nave ceiling. Fifteenth-century frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio and Sandro Botticelli were preserved in the nave; Botticelli is buried in the church near his beloved Simonetta Vespucci. Botticelli's fresco of '' St Augustine in His Study'' faces across the nave the chapel with Ghirlandaio's '' St Jerome in His Study''; both were executed contemporaneously in 1480. Ghirlandaio also frescoed a version of the ''Last Supper'' in the refectory, now a museum, located between the two cloisters, a work which likely influenced Leonardo da Vinci's later work in Milan. In the Vespucci chapel, a fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio with his brother David, depicting the '' Madonna della Misericordia protecting members of the Vespucci family'' (c. 1472), is reputed to include the portrait of Amerigo Vespucci as a child. When Amerigo found a bay in the actual
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, he named to "San Salvatore di Ognissanti", in Portuguese "San Salvador de Todos os Santos": this is the origin of the name of the city of Salvador and Bahia de Todos os Santos. Over the door to the sacristy is a crucifix in wood by Veit Stoss.


Notes


References


Citations


Bibliography

* . * , republished 1964. * .


External links

*
Photos of Ognissanti Church and Last Supper Fresco
* ttp://www.gcatholic.org/churches/italia/50704.htm Chiesa di Ognissantiat GCatholic.org {{Coord, 43.77252410, 11.24566970, format=dms, type:landmark_region:IT-52_source:wikidata, display=title 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Baroque architecture in Florence Franciscan churches in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Florence