The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is one of the most important churches in Florence and stands on the homonymous square. If Santa Croce was and is an ancient center of Franciscan culture and Santo Spirito hosted the Augustinian order, Santa Maria Novella was for Florence the reference point for another important mendicant order, the Dominicans.
In 1219, twelve Dominicans arrived in Florence from Bologna, led by Fra 'Giovanni da Salerno. In 1221, they obtained the small church of Santa Maria delle Vigne, so called because of the agricultural land that surrounded it (at the time outside the walls). This church, owned by the canons of the Duomo, was consecrated in 1049 or, according to other sources, in 1094, although this second hypothesis is more probable, since in the Chapter Archive of the Florentine cathedral a document is kept that mentions this date. However, some remains of the ancient church have been found under the current sacristy, in particular the bases of some Romanesque pillars.
In 1242 the Dominican Florentine community decided to start work on a new and larger building, obtaining indulgences from the pope for those who had contributed financially to the works as early as 1246. On 18 October 1279, during the feast of San Luca , the ceremony of the Laying of the First Stone was celebrated in the Gondi Chapel with the blessing of the Latin Cardinal Malabranca Orsini, even if in fact the works had already started for some time. The new church had a facade facing south. The construction was completed in the mid-14th century.
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
Address: Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, 18, 50123
Phone: 055 219257
Site:
https://www.smn.it/it/Location inserted by
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