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Parish churches Churches

PARISHES AND CHURCHES

The Parish Church of S.Pietro a Ripoli

The Parish Church of S.Pietro a Ripoli,just outside Florence, boasts a small 14th century portico that was originally topped by the statues of Sts. Peter and Paul, now preserved in the interior. The Lupicini family, the patrons of the Church, commissioned the fresco of The Pietà of Christ between the symbols of the Passion , attributed to Pietro Nelli, in the 14th century; the remains of the fresco of the Annunciation and the Processional Cross are thought to have been carried out by the same painter. The church furnishings are completed by an elegant marble tabernacle dating from the late 15th century and several 17th century paintings, among them the splendid "Beheading of St. John the Baptist" by Orazio Fidani.

Pietro Nelli, Pietà between the symbols of the Passion, Parish Church of S.Pietro a Ripoli

The exterior of the Parish Church of S. Maria dell'Antellais Romanesque in style while the interior has undergone considerable alterations, most of them the result of the remodernization carried out between the 16th and 17th centuries. The altars in local stone in the nave and the pulpit (1580) date from this period; the marble baptismal font is 17th century. The painting of the Madonna giving her dress to the seven founder Saints of the order of the Servites by Lorenzo Lippi, signed and dated 1660, is of outstanding quality; the Assumption of the Virgin in the apse by Domenico Passignano, and the Crucifixion between St. Jerome and St. Antonio Abbot, attributed to Simone Pignoni, are also fine examples of 17th century Florentine painting. The Madonna enthroned in polychrome terracotta of the early 16th century is attributed to Benedetto Buglioni.

Church of S. Donnino at Villamagna

The Church of S. Donnino a Villamagna is well known for the important works of art it contains in the interior. In 1395 Mariotto di Nardo painted (probably for the high altar), the triptych of the Virgin and Child with angels and twelve Saints, among them the titular saint of the church and Gherardo da Villamagna, a locally born saint and Franciscan monk, whose remains lie in an urn in the church. The same figures are portrayed kneeling on either side of the mid 16th century Madonna by Francesco Granacci, a painter who was born in Villamagna. The church also contains a Renaissance style altarpiece of the Madonna enthroned with Sts. John the Baptist, Nicholas, Michael and Donnino by the school of Ghirlandaio and the sinopite for a 15th century fresco of the Virgin enthroned between angels, by the so-called Maestro of Signa from the workshop of Lorenzo di Bicci.

CHURCHES

The Church of Vicchio di Rimaggio, which can already be found mentioned in documents of the 12th century, is built on a single nave with a high belltower decorated with statues on the exterior which was added in the 18th century; a portico with Neo-Gothic ornamental work is attached to the facade. Thanks to the recent restoration carried out in the interior, many of the late 14th century frescoed decorations by Florentine painter Cenni di Francesco have been recovered; the same artist also painted what remains of The entrance of souls into Paradise and St. Francis receiving the stigmata, as well as the panel of the Mystic wedding of Saint Catherine. The panel containing the image of the Virgin Mary enthroned with Child has been the subject of great religious devotion for centuries; it is by an anonymous artist known as the "Maestro of Vicchio di Rimaggio" whose painting, although still based on 13th century styles, already shows signs of the early 14th century influence of Giotto.

Cenni di Francesco, Mystic wedding of St. Catherine, Church of S. Lorenzo at Vicchio

The Church of Vicchio also contains two important tabernacles in local stone by Tuscan craftsmen dating from the second half of the 15th century; one of these was made especially to hold the fragment of the Holy Cross, which is still enclosed inside its original copper casing, engraved with the figure of St. Helen, who, according to tradition, found this priceless relic.

The Church of S. Andrea a Candeli was an ancient Benedictine Abbey that passed to the Camaldolites in 1130 and then, from 1526, was owned by Vallombrosan Order. The church was completely rebuilt in 1735-1736 on a design by Vittorio Barbieri, who carried it out on a single nave with a series of deep-set lateral chapels. The interior contains a painted panel of the Madonna and Child dating from the first half of the 15th century by Bicci di Lorenzo, the most important exponent of an artistic style that tried to blend the 14th century iconographic and compositional traditions with the new ideas introduced by the Renaissance.

The history of the Church of S. Giorgio a Ruballa, which stands just outside Osteria Nuova, is closely linked to the Bardi family, patrons of the church from the 14th century. The Bardi family were responsible for the ornate Baroque reconstruction of the facade in 1707, a style that is continued inside the church; further alterations were carried out by architect Niccol˜ Matas in 1863. The two 14th century paintings that are still preserved in the interior are a demonstration of the importance and prestige of the church's patrons; the solemn Mourning Crucifix, a late work by Taddeo Gaddi, and the important Madonna and Child with angels between St. George and St. Matthew, a panel attributed variously to Maso di Banco, Bernardo Daddi or the young Orcagna and dated 1336.

Church of S. Giorgio a Ruballa, outside Osteria Nuova

The Church of S.Quirico a Ruballa, stands in the near vicinity; this church already existed in the 13th century but was rebuilt in recent times and contains a delicate early 16th century Madonna and Child with St. John as a youth, attributed to Domenico Puligo, and a painted Crucifix that dates from the first half of the 14th century.

Master of San Quirico at Ruballa, Crucifix, Church of S.Quirico at Ruballa

The Church of S. Martino a Strada or ai Cipressi , can be found mentioned in documents from the 11th century. The restoration carried out at the beginning of the century gave it back its mediaeval simplicity, while also bringing to light the remains of 14th-15th century frescoes in the interior, which also contains a late 15th century painting of the Virgin Mary enthroned with Saints, a work that has only recently been attributed to Andrea Verrocchio. A small loggia, held up by elegant columns in local stone, is built onto the facade of the stone-built construction. The Compagnia, founded in 1535 and dedicated to the Virgin, stands right next to the church and contains a Madonna of the Rosary, signed by Lorenzo Lippi and dated 1658.

Several other churches, founded in the Middle Ages but radically restructured in modern times, contain important works of art.

The Church of S.Maria a Quarto contains a Madonna and Child, signed by a painter called Francesco and dated 1391; the predella contains an unusual portrayal of Christ in the professorial chair teaching the Florentine Priors, or Signoria of Florence. A triptych composed of a Madonna enthroned on a gilded background by Bicci di Lorenzo, dating from the mid 15th century, and two older panels of Sts. Bartholomew and Laurence, of mid 14th century Florentine school, stands behind the high altar and was assembled at a later date.

The Church of S.Maria at Quarto

The Church of S. Stefanoat Paterno conserves a really beautiful painted Crucifix, noticeable for its intensely dramatic figure, a late 13th century work by a student of Cimabue, usually known as "Gaddo Gaddi". The altar at S. Stefano is also interesting, composed of several 13th century architectural fragments which include carved capitals decorated with the heads of men and animals.

The Church of S. Giusto a Ema contains an interesting altarpiece with the Madonna enthroned between Sts. Anthony Abbot and Barbara, carried out in the early 16th century by the Maestro of Serumido and donated by the Marquises Niccolini; it used to be in the Church of S. Procolo in Florence.

The Crucifixion, signed by the painter Cosimo Daddi and dated 1595 in the Church of S. Andrea a Morgianojust outside Capannuccia, still has its original frame decorated with the coats of arms of the Galli-Tassi and Strozzi families, who probably commissioned the work. The same church also contains a fine a triptych of the Virgin Mary and Sts. Francis and Anthony Abbot on a gilded background, of late 14th century Florentine school and attributed to the Maestro of 1399, as well as an early 16th century Madonna in polychrome terracotta

The tiny Church of S. Tommaso a Baroncelli, built in 14th century style and standing in a panoramic position, contains a fresco of the Annunciation, of mid 15th century Florentine school.