While there is no shortage at all of beautiful buildings and churches, in particular, to visit once you've found a luxury villa in Florence, there is one that we would definitely recommend making some time for while in the city. This is the Basilica della Satissima Annunziata (the Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciation) which is located in the Piazza della Santissima Annunziata, one of the most beautiful piazzas in all of Florence and worked on by some of the greatest architects of the Italian Renaissance. The square alone is worth the visit but the church is like a magical little jewellery box full of art, beauty and fascinating stories, just waiting to be discovered.
The Basilica della Satissima Annunziata is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and the mother church of the Servite order. It was founded in 1250 as the Oratory of Cafaggio, by the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, an order founded in 1234 by seven Florentine aristocrats who, on seeing a vision of the Virgin, retired from Florence to a hermitage in the wilds of Monte Senario. The Basilica was designed by the great Florentine Renaissance architect, Brunelleschi, who was also the mastermind behind the Piazza Santissima Annunziata itself and the other main building on the square, the Spedale degli Innocenti (or Foundling Hospital).
Other great names from the history of architecture are also connected to the building. The façade of the church was added in 1601 by the architect Giovanni Battista Caccini, in imitation of Brunelleschi's facade of the Foundling Hospital. Furthermore, the present structure took shape between 1444 and 1477, when Michelozzo began the tribune with its radiating chapels and Alberti was also called in to work on the building in the 15th century, though he was limited by the pre-existing structure.
Famous artists also contributed to the building Bronzino, Pontormo, Ghirlandaio, Alesso Baldovinetti, Cosimo Rosselli, Andrea del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino and Fraciabigio, among them. These artists created the frescoes that helped imbue the breath-taking interior with more colour and stunning detail. Paired with the coloured marble, golden ceiling (decorated between 1664 and 1670 to a design by Baldasarre Franceschini) and chapels, the overall effect is remarkable. However, the reason that the church became so famous is largely down to one extraordinary work of art which we will discuss in the next post.
Be sure to stop by this special and stunningly beautiful church when in Florence and learn all about the treasures it holds.
Famous artists also contributed to the building Bronzino, Pontormo, Ghirlandaio, Alesso Baldovinetti, Cosimo Rosselli, Andrea del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino and Fraciabigio, among them. These artists created the frescoes that helped imbue the breath-taking interior with more colour and stunning detail. Paired with the coloured marble, golden ceiling (decorated between 1664 and 1670 to a design by Baldasarre Franceschini) and chapels, the overall effect is remarkable. However, the reason that the church became so famous is largely down to one extraordinary work of art which we will discuss in the next post.
Be sure to stop by this special and stunningly beautiful church when in Florence and learn all about the treasures it holds.
Photo credits
Picture 1: Max_Ryazanov / CC BY-SA 3.0;
Picture 2: Sailko / CC BY 2.5
Picture 1: Max_Ryazanov / CC BY-SA 3.0;
Picture 2: Sailko / CC BY 2.5
