Guide to Florence. Religious sites in Florence, Italy

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Religious Sites in Florence

Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia (Convent of Sant'Apollonia), by sp!ros

Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia (Convent of Sant'Apollo
Address: Via 27 Aprile 1 Phone: +39 055 238 8607

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Another depiction of 'Last Supper', however, this time it is housed in the Convent of Sant'Apollonia. Completed after artist Andrea del Castagno's visited Venice, the work occupies one of the walls of the convent's refectory. Right next to the main depiction one can view several additional scenes, namely episodes from the Passion, the crucifixion, entombment plus an episode from the resurrection. Having been a museum since late 19th Century, the convent contains a gallery of minor works by Castagno.

Certosa del Galluzzo , by Benedetta Seravalli

Certosa del Galluzzo
Address: Via Senese 206-208 Phone: +39 055 204 9226
Website: http://www.cistercensi.info/certosadifirenze/
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Looming over the town from its hilltop location, this former monastery offers a comprehensive exhibition of some 500 artworks. Designed by Niccolò Acciaioli in the 14th Century, the building was initially conceived as a religious and educational hub, and was well known for its Medieval library. Apart from the Saint Lorenzo church, which is abundant in frescoes, marble statuary and noble tombs, here one can visit the Renaissance cloister with peculiar monk cells and a garden. The entire ensemble of buildings and parkland reveals a multitude of tiny architectural details, secluded strolling places, paintings, sculptures.

Chiesa di Santa Felicita , by David Condrau

Chiesa di Santa Felicita
Address: Via de Guicciardini 3 Phone: +39 055 213 018

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Among the oldest religious structures in town, this church was presumably completed by the end of the 4th Century and was not replaced by a new one until the 11th Century. Following a substantial renovation during the 1700s, it was converted into a single nave church. Building plans were executed by Ferdinando Ruggieri.

Cimitero degli Inglesi , by Jeremy Knight

Cimitero degli Inglesi
Address: Piazzale Donatello 38 Phone: +39 055 58 2608
Website: http://cimiterodegliinglesi.info/
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Established at some point in the 19th Century by the Reformed Church of England, this plot of land soon started to receive the bodies not only of the Protestant dead, but also of the Greek Orthodox plus all sorts of non-Catholics. The landscaped garden is the work of Carlo Reishammer and Giuseppe Poggi. Here one can visit the tombs of poet Elizabeth Browning plus a long list of prominent 19th-century Englishmen, including the last representatives of the Shakespeare family, Beatrice Shakespeare and Edward Claude Shakespeare.

Cimitero Delle Porte Sante , by Bart Kroon

Cimitero Delle Porte Sante
Address: Salita del Monte alle Croci Phone: +39 055 2 3320


Completed towards the end of the 19th Century, this site combines Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance features. Used as a burial ground for a long line of noble Florentines, this cemetery displays the tombs of Giovanni Spadolini, Giovanni Papini and Enrico Coveri. The Cimitero, work of Mariano Falcini, has been annexed to the Basilica of San Miniato.

Florence American Cemetery & Memorial , by Francesca Birini - Firenze

Florence American Cemetery & Memorial
Address: West Via Cassia Phone: +39 055 230 2033 e-mail: info@abmc.gov
Website: http://www.abmc.gov/
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This cemetery started off after the siege of Rome in 1944, when the Allied forces came to Salerno and Florence was handed over to the British troops. Following a British attack in the summer of 1944, U.S. troops lost a significant number of soldiers and thus, a corresponding burial ground had to be provided. The cemetery is open to visitors upon request and staff members can escort tourists to the graves of their relatives by prior arrangement.

Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine , by Ray Mosley

Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine
Address: Piazza del Carmine Oltrarno Phone: +39 055 2382195


Thanks to its exquisite frescoes, this 14th-century chapel is often dubbed 'The Sistine Chapel of early Renaissance'. Comissioned by Felice Brancacci, an influential Florentine ambassador, the chapel frescoes were the work of Masolino da Panicale and his pupil Masaccio, who died several years after the project begun. The paintings were, subsequently, finished off by Filippino Lippi. What strikes art historians is Masaccio's use of perspective and lighting to create volume, as well as the compositions of figures and vivid facial expressions. Apparently the frescoes in this chapel marked the setting of a new trend, and it was not a surprise that several decades later Michelangelo studied Masaccio's work closely and paid regular visits to the chapel to copy his works.

Church of Ognissanti , by Ryan Richardson

Church of Ognissanti
Address: Piazza Ognissanti Phone: +39 055 239 8700

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This Franciscan church is an architectural piece from the 13th Century, and combines the Baroque styles of Bartolomeo Pettirossi with a 17th-century facade by Matteo Nigetti. What is to be viewed here is the terracotta work by Benedetto Buglioni. While known as the original home of Giotto's 14th-century masterpiece 'Madonna with Child', which used to decorate the altar, the site now remains largely unadorned since all the great work was relocated to the Uffizi Gallery. The Baroque interior contains well-preserved chapel frescoes by Ghirlandaio and Botticelli, whose 'Saint Augustine' overlooks Ghirlandaio's 'Saint Jerome' as if in a deliberate manner. The refectory houses another masterpiece: the 'Last Supper' by Ghirlandaio.