The chief merit of the All Saints Church (also referred to as Chiesa di Ognissanti or, briefly, Ognissanti) lies in the fact it is on of the first Baroque churches built in Florence, given the context of the prevailing Renaissance architecture held in great respect in the capital of Tuscany. It is true the establishment acquired the nowadays Baroque dash only during the 16th century, three centuries after its construction, when Bartolomeo Pettirossi was commissioned to rebuild the edifice which was initially conceived as parish church for the Vespucci family.

The main Baroque highlight of this church refers to the Matteo Nogetti’s façade which, however, strained to preserve the former terracotta lunette with respect to which there is a dispute related to its creator (either Luca della Robbia or Benedetto Buglioni, with the high likelihood for the latter to be, in fact, the author). Botticelli’s fresco rendering Saint Augustine complements the one pertaining to Ghirlandaio which depicts Saint Jerome. Ghirlandaio is further represented by two other frescoes, namely, the Last Supper in the refectory located halfway between the two cloisters, and the Madonna della Misericordia which embellishes the Vespucci Chapel. Botticelli is buried in this chapel, next to other representatives of the Vespucci family, such as Simonetta Vespucci who is said to have been inspired the artist in his conception of the Birth of Venus and to have been the mistress of Giuliano de Medici. In time, the church has been divested of a certain Giotto masterpiece, that is, Madonna and Child with Angels, which is at present displayed at the Uffizi Gallery.

Name:
All Saints Church
Address:
42 Piazza Ognissanti, Florence
Telephone number:
0039 (0)55 239 8700
Website:
www.museumsinflorence.com