- San Miniato al Monte
The Basilica di San Miniato al Monte (
Basilica of St Minias on the Mountain) stands atop one of the highest points inFlorence , and has been described as the finest Romanesque structure inTuscany and one of the most beautiful churches inItaly .St. Miniato or Minas ( _hy. Մինաս) was an Armenian prince serving in the Roman army under EmperorDecius . [cite book
last =Hare
first =Augustus John Cuthbert
title =Florence
publisher =Adamant Media Corporation
date =2002
pages =p. 204
isbn =1402159331 ] He was denounced as a Christian after becoming a hermit and was brought before the Emperor who was camped outside the gates of Florence. The Emperor ordered him to be thrown to beasts in the Amphitheatre where a panther was called upon him but refused to devour him. Beheaded in the presence of the Emperor, he is alleged to have picked up his head, crossed theArno and walked up the hill of Mons Fiorentinus to his hermitage. [cite book
last =Brucker
first =Gene
title =Florence: The Golden Age, 1138-1737
publisher =University of California Press
date =1998
pages =p. 194
isbn =0520215222] A shrine was later erected at this spot and there was a chapel there by the8th century . Construction of the present church was begun in 1013 by BishopAlibrando and it was endowed by the Emperor Henry II. It began as aBenedictine monastery, then passed to theCluniacs and then in 1373 to theOlivetans , who still run it. The monks make famousliquor s,honey andtisane s, which they sell from a shop next to the church.The geometrically patterned
marble façade was probably begun in about 1090, although the upper parts date from the 12th century or later, financed by the Florentine "Arte di Calimala " (cloth merchants’ guild), who were responsible for the church’s upkeep from 1288 (the eagle which crowns the façade was their symbol). Themosaic of "Christ between the Virgin and St Minias" was made in 1260. Thecampanile collapsed in 1499 and was replaced in 1523, although it was never finished. During thesiege of Florence in 1530 it was used as anartillery post by the defenders andMichelangelo had it wrapped in mattresses to protect it from enemy fire.The interior is extremely unusual, with the
choir raised on a platform above the largecrypt , and has changed little since it was first built. The patterned pavement dates from 1207. The centre of thenave is dominated by the beautiful freestanding "Cappella del Crocefisso" (Chapel of the Crucifix), designed byMichelozzo in 1448. It originally housed the miraculouscrucifix now in Santa Trìnita and is decorated with panels long thought to be painted byAgnolo Gaddi . Theterracotta decoration of the vault is byLuca della Robbia .The crypt is the oldest part of the church and the high altar supposedly contains the bones of St Minias himself (although there is evidence that these were removed toMetz before the church was even built). In the vaults arefresco es byTaddeo Gaddi .The raised choir and presbytery contain a magnificent Romanesque
pulpit and screen made in 1207. Theapse is dominated by a great mosaic dating from 1297, which is depicts the same subject as that on the façade and is probably by the same unknown artist. The crucifix above the high altar is attributed toLuca della Robbia . Thesacristy is decorated with a great fresco cycle on the Life ofSt Benedict bySpinello Aretino (1387).The "Cappella del Cardinale del Portogallo" to the left of the nave, "one of the most magnificent funerary monuments of the Italian Renaissance", [Linda A. Koch, "The Early Christian Revival at S. Miniato al Monte: The Cardinal of Portugal Chapel", "The Art Bulletin" "'78".3 (Sep.tember 1996:527-555) p. 527.] was built in 1473 as a memorial to Cardinal
James of Lusitania , who died in Florence, to which he was Portuguese ambassador, in 1459. His is the only tomb in the church. The chapel is a collaboration of outstanding artists of Florence:it was designed by Brunelleschi's associate,Antonio Manetti , and finished after his death byGiovanni Rossellino . The tomb was made by Antonio andBernardo Rossellino . The chapel decoration is byAlesso Baldovinetti , Antonio andPiero del Pollaiuolo , andLuca della Robbia .Adjacent to the church is the fine
cloister , in planning from 1426 and built 1443-mid 1450s to designs ince again by Bernardo and Antonio Rosselino, financed by the "Arte della Mercantia" of Florence, [According to the Strozzi papers that recorded excerpts of the lost accounts (Howard Saalman, "Paolo Uccello at San Miniato" "The Burlington Magazine" 106 No. 741 (December 1964:558-563) p. 558f and notes, quoting archiveal accounts.] and the fortified bishop’s palace, built in 1295 and later used as a barracks and a hospital. The whole complex is surrounded by defensive walls, originally built hastily by Michelangelo during the siege and in 1553 expanded into a truefortress ("fortezza") byCosimo I . The walls now enclose a largecemetery , the "Porte Sante", laid out in 1854.Carlo Collodi , creator ofPinocchio , politicianGiovanni Spadolini , painterPietro Annigoni , poet and authorLuigi Ugolini , film producerMario Cecchi Gori , sculptorLibero Andreotti , writerGiovanni Papini , and physicist Bruno Benedetto Rossi are buried there.Notes
External links
* [http://www.holiday-apartment-tuscany.net/tuscany_travel_guide/florence_basilica_di_san_miniato_al_monte.htm San Miniato al Monte - History and other useful information]
* [http://www.san-miniato-al-monte.com/ San Miniato al Monte - history and pictures]
* [http://www.florence-journal.com/photos/san_miniato_al_monte/ San Miniato al Monte]
* [http://www.borghiditoscana.net/eng/tuscany/firenze/firenze/sanminiatoalmonte/sacrestia.html The Sacristy of the Basilica]
* [http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Italian%20Images/Montages/Firenze/San%20Miniato.htm Paradoxplace San Miniato Photo Page]
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