Basilica of St. Lawrence ( English Basilica di San Lorenzo ) - one of the largest and oldest churches in Florence , Italy , located in the central part of the city. The first church appeared here at the end of the 4th century , then it was rebuilt in the Romanesque style in the 11th century , and the modern Renaissance church building appeared in the 15th century thanks to the famous architect Filippo Brunelleschi .
| Church | |
| Church of san lorenzo | |
|---|---|
| ital. Basilica di san lorenzo | |
 View of the church from the west | |
| A country |  Italy |
| City | Florence |
| Denomination | Catholicism |
| Diocese | Archdiocese of Florence |
| Type of building | Lesser Basilica |
| Architectural style | Rebirth |
| Builder | Filippo Brunelleschi , Donatello , Andrea Verrocchio and others. |
| Architect | |
| Established | 393 year |
| Building | 1424 - 1446 years |
| Site | |
Numerous works of art adorn the inside of the temple: two departments of the work of Donatello , decorations of the old sacristy, also made by Donatello, the sarcophagus of Pierrot and Giovanni Medici by Verocchio , tombstones of the Medici by Michelangelo . Here lie the most famous members of the Medici family from Cosimo the Old to Cosimo III .
Content
History
The church of San Lorenzo was founded in 393. In the XI century, the church was reconstructed in the Romanesque style . In the XV century, the basilica was reconstructed again. In particular, by order of Cosimo de Medici Elder, Brunelleschi attached Old Sacristia .
Later, according to the project of Michelangelo, on the other side of the transept, the New Sacristia with the tomb of Lorenzo and Giuliano Medici was added and the library of Laurenzian was erected. Pope Leo X entrusted Michelangelo with the facing of the church, but the work was never completed. In the XVII century , a chapel of princes with a large dome was attached to the church.
Medici Chapels
- He came to the church of the holy archdeacon Lavrenty, who was conceived to do that for 94 years; and it’s incessantly from the time that it was started, and still is being done, and not yet finished, and that they’re impossible to finish the church for more than ten years. That church is not small, osmerogolnaya, even in all walls, from the face is made of serago stone with devotion; in many places around the windows inserted alabaster pretty glatky work.
- And from the inside, that church is all made of pink marbles with such glorious work, which work is not found anywhere else in the whole world. And colored marbles, Native American and Persian stones, and shells, and carolki, and entari , and tunias, and crunched with such awesome work, which mastery can not be truly described, are cut into those marbles. Near those pink marbles, copper, cast, and gilded gold-plated dodozhniki are laid. Those colored marbles are so set in the face, loudly as hefty mirrors; and in those stones that church and the people who are in it are visible, loudly as in mirrors.
- A Roman altar was made in that church, made of all pure gold with amazing craftsmanship, which costs one million red gold. In the same church, coffins are made of pink marbles near the walls, in which the bodies of the ancient Florensky princes will lie. Between those, a coffin was created, where, after death, the body of the present grandeur, that is, the Grand Duke of Florence, lies. Those coffins are made by such a shameful work that it is not comprehensible to the human mind. And above those coffins were placed the persons of the aforementioned ancient Florensky Grand Dukes, as well as the present Grand Duke of Florence, a person stands above the Eve's coffin. And those of them all were carved from alabaster with a fair amount of skill and with such figures that it is impossible to describe in detail [1] .
Prince Chapel
Almost all representatives of the Medici family, belonging to the ducal branch, are buried in the crypt. The prince chapel in 1604 began to draw up Matteo Niggetti . In the chapel are marble ornaments and mosaics, which depict the coats of arms of the cities of the Tuscan Duchy . The chapel was not completed. Almost all niches intended for sculptures are empty. Only two statues were installed depicting Ferdinand I and Cosimo II Medici . The chapel was painted by Pietro Benvenuti in 1826 . The tomb of Cosimo de Medici is located next to the altar of the church.
New Sacristy (sacristy)
In 1520, Giulio Medici (future Pope Clement VII ) ordered Michelangelo to build a new tomb ( Italian: Sagrestia Nova ). Four allegorical sculptures are located in the chapel: “Day”, “Night”, “Morning” and “Evening”. “Day” and “Night” are located on the sarcophagus of Giuliano , the Duke of Nemursky is the youngest son of Lorenzo Medici , and “Morning” and “Evening” are located on the sarcophagus of Lorenzo , Duke of Urbinsky (grandson of Lorenzo Medici, father of the French Queen Catherine de Medici ). Lorenzo the Magnificent himself and his brother Giuliano, who died during the Pazzi conspiracy, are also buried in the chapel. On the sarcophagus of Giuliano are located: Madonna and Child and the patrons of the Medici family - Saints Cosmas and Damian .
Facade of the Church of San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo Interior
sarcophagus of Lorenzo, duke of Urbinsky
Basilica of San Lorenzo
In Culture
On the territory of the church of San Lorenzo is one of the missions of the game Assassin's Creed II . According to the plot, in 1497 the main character penetrates the church yard to find and kill one of the minions of the monk Girolamo Savonarola , who seized power in the city. After a short conversation with his goal, the protagonist has to climb the roof of the church to catch up and finish it there [2] .
Notes
Literature
- Florence. History, art, folklore. Beccocchi Editor, Florence, 2000.
- Peter Barenboim (with Arthur Heath). 500 years of the New Sacristy: Michelangelo in the Medici Chapel , LOOM, Moscow, 2019. (Eng.) ISBN 978-5-906072-42-9
- Erwin Panofsky. The Mouse That Michelangelo Failed to Carve // Essays In Memory of Karl Lehmann. - NY: Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1964. - S. 242—255 .
- Edith Balas. Michelangelo's Medici Chapel: A New Interpretation , Philadelphia, 1995. (English)
- James Beck, Antonio Paolucci, Bruno Santi. Michelangelo. The Medici Chapel , London, New York, 2000. (English)
Links
- Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Lorenzo
- Guide "Posters"