Florence & Tuscany Guide / Museums / Museo di Santa Maria Novella

Echoes of the renaissance

Can you hear the chant of the Dominican monks? Can you hear the click of their rosary beads? Can you hear the chip, hammer and tap tap of a hundred chisels sculpting and carving incredible frescoes and statues? Explore the Museo di Santa Maria Novella. Walk through the huge Square that echoes with the swish of whips swinging through the Inquisition air. Go back in time to an ancient past filled with the odor of blood as heads swung from the noose or were just chopped off! Run into the safe haven of the Museo di Santa Maria Novella and let the peace of a holy and beautiful church course through your veins.

Enter the medieval square and listen to the muted sounds of horse hooves beating a harmony of clip clops, as they raced in a furious pace at the ‘Palio dei cocchi’ or the Chariot Race introduced by the famous Cosimo I. You will find the Santa Maria Novella easily as it is located very close to the Santa Maria Novella train station. Imposing and arresting, the Museo di Santa Novella structured by the Dominican monks in 1278, stands tall and glittering in the sunlight with its façade of green and white marble in the unusual Gothic-Romanesque style which was completed by the famous architect, Leon Battista Alberti. Originally designed by Dominican architects, Brother Sisto and Brother Ristoro, the church was built with zeal and the passion of dedicated friars. Carried on by Brother Jacopo Talenti and Giovanni da Campi, the church was completed in the Gothic style. This is evident in its avelli or niches sculpted with pointed arches and a quietly elegant façade. The restoration was finished with classic motifs designed by Leon Battista Alberti who was commissioned by Giovanni Rucellai, who funded this beautiful church.

Learn more about the famous Alberti and his fantastic work on the Santa Maria Novella. As your eye follows the marble work, it is evident that he transformed the exterior with four ground floor half columns in the Corinthian style. Admire the sculpted triangular pediment with its inscribed frieze mirroring the Renaissance art from Florence’s Spedale degli Innocenti. Leon Battista Alberti added unique S-curve scrolls that enhanced and harmonized the ground and the upper floors that gave way to a new style of architecture that bore no resemblance to the antiquities, being a complete masterpiece of high standards. This beautiful Florentine Basilica of the 14th century exhibits the Dominican frame of mind with its Sacristy and the tall Bell Tower that is a fusion of the Renaissance and the Dominican styles.

A Cosmic Ambience

With paintings, frescoes and sculptures lining its walls and the ceilings, the Museum holds splendid works of art like, ‘The Trinity’ by Masaccio, special frescoes by Filippino Lippi and Ghirlandaio. Walk into the exquisite Tornabuoni chapel and be moved by Giotto’s ‘Crucifix’ and Brunelleschi’s wooden ‘Crucifix’. The Piazza Santa Maria Novella where the Museo Santa Maria Novella is located resounds with the thundering speeches of Saint Peter, the Martyr, who condemned heretics. Reflecting a picturesque purity, the ‘Coronation of the Virgin’, glows with cosmic splendor from the stained glass windows that is found above the entrance in the center. As you cross the awesome interior of the church, you will find its vast space divided into a nave with two aisles supported with pilasters elegantly carved with ogival vaults and the entire structure shaped into an Egyptian cross. Harmonized with incredible sculptures of the ‘Crucifixion’ by Giotto, the ‘Monument to the Beata Villana’ by Bernardo Rossllino and the exquisite Rucellai Chapel, you will also find a tombstone dedicated to the memory of Leonardo Dati by Ghiberti.

Go around to your left to the second pillar and reach the nave where the pulpit is structured. Find to your amazement that this the historical spot where Galileo was accused of his theory of the Earth revolving around the Sun! Massaccio’s ‘Trinita’ is another landmark in sculpture where the frescoed ceiling seems to have been engraved in the vast skies. The entire transept is filled with fabulous frescoes with the sanctuary sculpted by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his many pupils. The Tournabuoni family who commissioned the frescoes is reflected in their family portraits.

Let the fabulous cloisters of the Museum wrap the ambience of a monastery around you. Walk in the cool ambience of the excellent Green Cloister or the Chiostro Verde that was frescoed by Paolo Uccello and his pupils. Let your footsteps guide you instinctively into the Chapter Room or the Cappellone degli Spagnoli and stand entranced before the lovely fresco by Bonaiuto. Take a break and visit the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella and bathe in the sweet aroma of perfumes, soaps and fragrances in a perfect Neo Gothic atmosphere.

A Cultural Sojourn

Though an admission fee is charged, it is worthwhile to wander down the cloisters of Santa Maria Novella. Discover the treasures of the old and ancient families and wonder at the tastes and culture of bygone days of yore. The Rucellai Chapel beckons you with her appealing ‘Madonna and Child’ by Nini Pisano, which moves you to tears. Move on to the Capella Bardi as you turn to the right, your eyes shift automatically to the second sculpture that is the resting place of his Majesty Duccio da Boninsegna. Drag your eyes away from the intricate sculpture and get drawn towards the chapel in which the mysterious inscriptions of the 1590s, breathe whispered tales of Saint Filippo Strozzi by Filippino Lippi. Touch the statues by Benedetto da Maiano and transport yourself into the world of the maestros of art.

Have you equipped yourself to meet the minds behind the political and cultural personalities who were the foundations of the famous Florentine culture? Then do so now, because you are going to step into the exciting scenes of politics and culture where minds met minds and blades met blades and chisels met hammers with a resounding clash! Tread with care at the chapel of Giovanni Tornabuoni decorated with the famous men of Florence. Your eyes will dart with wonder everywhere as you see frescoes on the life of the ‘Madonna’ and ‘Saint John the Baptist’ by the famous and artistically renowned Dominic Ghirlandaio and his entire family along with Sebastiano Mainarda between 1485-90.

If you can tear yourself away from these wondrous scenes, then prepare to stand all day and stare at the Capella Maggiore and after that the Capella Gondi with its fabulous and most talked about wooden cross by Brunelleschi that is surrounded by the beautiful architecture of Guiliano da Sangello. This was so realistic and so perfect that when the artist Donatello saw it for the first time, he dropped a basket of eggs that he was carrying! Walk on to the Capella Gaddi with its awesome decoration of encrusted and embedded stones and marble. Give your mind a break and then take in the secrets of life at the Capella Strozzi. The concept of the secret mystery of life is revealed by Nardo di Cione with fantastic scenes frescoed in the 14th century of Heaven, Hell and the Judgment Day. Buy your religious mementos and sacred books after you see the holy Sacristy and its rich decorations. Pass the gorgeous frescoes by Masaccio and on the left, you can see the lovely fresco of the Madonna and Saint John, the kneeling Lenzi duo.

An Enchanted Place

Flashes of the Biblical figures are portrayed in its cloisters, in a colorful but faded array in a series of frescoes by Paolo Uccello which talk vividly of the transitions from the Genesis with a vibrant picturesque description of the Flood in Noah’s times. Come and view the beautiful frescoes of Andrea da Firenze. Some of his earlier works that were painted between 1348 and 1355 are preserved beautifully in the chapter house or the Cappellone degli Spagnoli (Spanish Chapel), away from the cloister. The Museo di Santa Maria Novella offers its absolutely enchanting display of frescoes, sculptures, architecture and paintings from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries that are mesmerizing and dynamic. Get into your artistic mood and feast your eyes on Vasari’s ‘Madonna of the Rosary’ with its prayerful attitude, Masaccio’s ‘Trinity’, the ‘Miracle of Jesus’ by Bronzino that moves the soul and Ghirlandaio’s frescoes that are miracles in themselves. Turn into the gate on your left that takes you to the First Cloister with its Romanesque style lined with frescoes of Biblical stories. Now get ready for an awesome walk through the Chiostrino dei Morti which takes you to the Chiostro Grande with the grand sight of more than fifty arches, each of them frescoed with works of the old and most talented masters. But unfortunately, this part of the museum is not opened to the public as it is used officially for the armed forces.

Come and spend enchanting hours in an enchanted place where the mind is transported to cosmic heights. Enter the Museo di Santa Maria Novella and experience a cultural sojourn from Sunday to Friday between 12 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. There is a special admittance to the museum on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. You can also call: +39 055215918 for enquiries. Enjoy a different world at the Museo do Santa Maria Novella on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella and educate the mind, refresh the soul and give time a break with the music of the galaxies.

See a reflection of life before, during and after your sojourn on earth…