Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
come here after their wedding
ceremony to present a bou-
quet of flowers to the Virgin
and pray for a long and
fruitful marriage. Nine chapels
radiate from the sanctuary.
The central one was recon-
structed by Giambologna to
use as his tomb, and contains
bronze reliefs and a crucifix
sculpted by him.
Through the door in the
north transept of the church is
the Chiostro dei Morti
(Cloister of the Dead), so
called because it was
originally used as a burial
ground and is packed with
memorial stones. The fresco
above the entrance porch is
by Andrea del Sarto. Painted
in 1525, it shows the Holy
Family resting on their flight
to Egypt and is usually known
as
La Madonna del Sacco
,
since Joseph is depicted
leaning on a sack.
The Cappella di San Luca
off the cloister has been
owned by the Accademia
delle Arte del Disegno since
1565 and a special service
dedicated to artists is held
here every year on St Luke's
day (which falls on 18
October). Benvenuto Cellini is
among the artists buried in
the vault below.
Mannerist fountain by Pietro Tacca in Piazza della Santissima Annunziata
Piazza della
Santissima
Annunziata
e
Map
2 D4.
The delicate nine-bay arcade
on the eastern side of this
elegant square was designed
by Brunelleschi in 1419 and
forms the façade to the
Spedale degli Innocenti
(see
p48)
. Brunelleschi's round
arches gave rise to the
Classical style widely copied
by Renaissance architects. In
the centre of the square is an
equestrian statue of Duke
Ferdinando I, started by
Giambologna towards the end
of his career. It was finished
in 1608 by his assistant, Pietro
Tacca, who also designed the
two stylized Mannerist bronze
fountains in the square.
A fair is held annually in
the piazza on the feast of
the Annunciation, 25 March,
when homemade sweet
biscuits called
brigidini
are
sold from the stalls.
Fiorentino, Andrea del Sarto
and Jacopo Pontormo, but
many of these frescoes have
suffered from damp and are
fading. The most celebrated
are
The Journey of the Magi
(1511) and
The Birth of the
Virgin
(1514) by del Sarto.
The interior is dark and
heavily decorated, with a
frescoed ceiling completed
by Pietro Giambelli in 1669.
The church also boasts one
of the most revered shrines
in Florence, a painting of the
Virgin Mary begun in 1252 by
a monk. Devout Florentines
believe it was finished by an
angel, and many newly
wed couples
traditionally
Santissima
Annunziata
r
Piazza della Santissima Annunziata
.
Map
2 E4.
Tel
055 26 61 81.
7:30am-12:30pm, 4-6:30pm
daily.
#
^
The Church of the Holy
Annunciation was founded by
the Servite order in 1250 and
later rebuilt by Michelozzo
between 1444 and 1481.
There is a series of early 16th-
century frescoes in the atrium
by Mannerist artists Rosso
The Birth of the Virgin
(1514) by Andrea del Sarto
