The facade of the Church of Santo Spirito occupies the southern end of the piazza which sees market days on weekends. The austere exterior (18th century) of Santo Spirito is in direct contrast to the interior which is pure Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi initiated its construction in 1444 until his death two years later. The Church houses the masterpieces of Lippi's Madonna and Child, Ghirlandaio, and Cosimo Rosselli's works. Michelangelo's Crucifix was returned to its rightful place in the Church this year after touring Italy. In celebration of its return, the Crucifix was placed in the center of the Basilica instead of its usual sacristy. We were fortunate to see this magnificant, haunting really, masterpiece. I'm not sure if this sculpture was intentionally placed in this spot for the dramatic lighting, or if we were there at a serendipitous time when the filtered sun through the window illuminated the face of Christ and cast a silhouette of the crucifix against the stone wall.
This Church serves as the principle residence of the Augustinian community in Florence. We were treated to a quick look into the courtyard of the abbey where more murals graced its walls. It was only a minute but surely a high point in our trip. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed.
4 comments:
Hi M, wonderful post. I had not heard of the Church of Santo Spirito before. The history and description is so interesting. And I must say that I wonder too if the Crucifix was placed in that spot where the light shines with purpose. The effect is amazing...
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful photos of this church(love the bells). I really enjoyed learning about it.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Beautiful photos! What a wonderful place. That light streaming in is magical.
Have a great weekend!
Beautiful picture. I love this area of Florence. It sounds like a great trip.
I love Santo Spirito. The apt I rented on my solo trip looked out over this church's dome, so it came to feel like "my" church after three weeks!
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