Church of Orsanmichele
The Orsanmichele Church is located in Florence, between two squares - the Cathedral and the Signoria. One of the attractions of the city, dating back to the period before the Renaissance. The name means "St. Michael's Church". Such a temple was located on this site before, but was destroyed in the 13th century. Luxurious orchards once bloomed here, which explains the presence of the particle "orti" in the name (from Italian - "gardens").
A bit of history
Previously, this building was used for completely different purposes - grain storage and bread trade. Therefore, its appearance of the Orsanmichele church can confuse travelers, because it is completely different from the exterior of other sacred sites.
The year 1304 became a "black year" in the history of the building - a massive fire broke out. The reconstruction of the Orsanmichele church was carried out in a style reminiscent of a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance, such a design was very common for those times. The craftsmen were engaged in the superstructure of the third floor, and walled up the arches of the loggia on the first floor.
Public opinion
In 1348, Europe faced a terrible plague epidemic. Many citizens of Florence believed that this was a heavenly punishment for their sins. The amount of donations that people brought to this temple was so large that it exceeded Florence's expenses for the year. In particular, for this money, a large, elegant tabernacle was installed in the Orsanmichele church, which is a recognized masterpiece of art, decorated with kosmatesco mosaics and smalt from different colors. In its niche there is a masterpiece of religious art - the icon of the Madonna and Child, authored by Bernard Duddy.
In 1406, a decree was issued by the Signoria, according to which the craft workshops of the city undertook to decorate 14 niches of the facades of the Orsanmichele church over the next decade. They did not manage on time, but the statues were erected - masterpieces of world sculpture appeared along the entire building, which additionally decorated the already majestic structure of the church.
Features of the attraction
Speaking of the Orsanmichele Church, a copy of the sculpture of the outstanding Donatello "Saint George" should be noted separately. There is a replica of the statue on the facade, and its original, for security reasons, was placed in the Bargello Museum. It is also located in Florence, so visitors to the city will not have much difficulty seeing this sculpture.
In general, the Orsanmichele Church is definitely a place that a traveler should visit if he suddenly finds himself in this wonderful city. The rich history of the building is successfully combined with a whole string of world masterpieces located on its territory.
