Santa Maria degli Angeli, Florence

Santa Maria degli Angeli is a former church and convent in Florence, Italy. It belonged to the Camaldolensian order, which was a reformed branch of the Benedictines. The order was founded in 1012 by the hermit St. Romuald at Camaldoli, near Arezzo, hence the name. Very little of the medieval building exists today.

The so-called Rotonda degli Scolari, partially built by Filippo Brunelleschi, is part of the complex.

The Rotunda

In 1434, Filippo Brunelleschi was commissioned by the Medici family to design an oratory for the convent. It was located at the corner of the property, along the outer wall. Though the construction was rapid, it was halted due to funding problems in 1437. In 1503, the shell was given a simple wooden roof, but the structure deteriorated rapidly. The building, which was used for various purposes, was patched up and given its modern appearance in the 1930s. It was given the university and thus its more modern name Rotonda degli Scolari (Scholar's Rotunda)

Drawings, which are copies of original plans, and descriptions give us a good indication of Brunelleschi’s intentions. The building was to have an octagonal, domed space at its core, surrounded by eight ancillary spaces. [ cite book|first=Eugenio |last=Battisti|title=Filippo Brunelleschi|location=New York|publisher=Rizzoli|year=1981.] Though the outside - as it was restored - has little similarity with what Brunelleschi intended, on the inside one can see how some of the original spaces were arranged.

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