The Chapel of San Jacopo at Fiesole
The Chapel of San Iacopo: a splendid receptacle for the sacred gold and silverware
of the Diocese of Fiesole. Unknown even to most of the townspeople of Fiesole
(it was used as a Caritas collection centre for years), the Chapel of San
Iacopo was once the chapel of the Palazzo Vescovile of Fiesole; it does in
fact still belong to it but now has independent access onto the road leading
from Piazza Mino to the Convent of San Francesco. Probably constructed by
Iacopo il Bavaro in the first half of the 11th century, the oratory was altered
several times over the centuries, though it changed little after the early
the 15th century, when the splendid ÒCoronation of the Virgin Mary between
Angels and SaintsÓ was frescoed on the front wall. Further alterations were
carried out by Bishop Neri Altoviti in the 18th century, leaving the chapel
as we see it today, especially now that the Diocese has restored the splendid
18th century decorations on the walls.
At
the same time the Florentine Board of Artistic Assets made it possible to
restore the great fresco, a majestic portrayal of the Coronation of the Virgin
surrounded by the celestial hierarchies. Christ and the Virgin are enclosed
in an almond-shaped frame with angelic musicians on either side, and two groups
of saints below, headed by St. John the Baptist on the left and St. David
on the right. The fresco is definitely attributed to Bicci di Lorenzo, the
Florentine painter active from the late 14th to the mid 15th century and very
popular in Fiesole, where he left two great altarpieces that can be admired
in the cathedral and the Church of S. Francesco. The painting of the Apostle
James the Elder in the central lunette was instead carried out in the 19th
century by Antonio Marini to replace a late 16th century work by Nicodemo
Ferrucci. The ChapelÕs restoration means that it can now not only be admired
by the general public but that it can also host a rich collection of religious
furnishings that come from all over the Diocese of Fiesole. Up until now they
have been kept in storage in the Diocesan Curia for security reasons. The
50 works on display span the period from the 12th to the 20th century, and
not only testify to the ecclesiastic vitality of the Diocese of Fiesole -
one of the largest in Tuscany - but also to the historic and 
stylistic
evolution of this form of art, often wrongly considered a minor one. The crucifixes,
chalices, ostensories, thuribles, all beautifully restored by the Opificio
delle Pietre Dure, show the gradual development in the manufacture of religious
gold and silverware in Florence and Tuscany, passing from late Gothic sobriety
and Baroque exuberance, Renaissance monumentalism and antireformist linearism
to the eclecticism of the 20th century. Certain objects in the collection
stand out for their unique artistic value and original execution, like the
so-called Òmitre of St. RomulusÓ, one of the most famous and important works
of goldsmithery in Tuscany. The mitre was carried out between 1456 and 1466
in velvet and silver, with rich enamelled decorations in the style of Ghiberti,
and once belonged to Bishop Leonardo Salutati. A great many objects date from
the 16th century, like the silver Òpastoral staffÓ (circa 1570), and the unusual
Òprocessional crossÓ, carried out by Girolamo di Martino Spigliati (1568-69)
for the Church of Santa Maria Primerana, whose enamelled Moorish-style base
makes it quite unique in the history of Tuscan goldsmithery. The objects that
date from the 17th-18th century instead include an elegant chalice from Nipozzano,
carried out by the well known Florentine goldsmith, Francesco Vandi, and an
exquisite silver tray engraved with acanthus leaves, attributed to the silversmith
Cosimo Mari. Free entrance to visitors to the Fiesole Museums (All-in-one
ticket: Full price L. 12.000 - Reduced tickets L. 8.000 - Families L. 28.000).
