Santo Spirito
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The Augustinian church of Santo Spirito is one of the purest creations of the Renaissance and the masterpiece of its architect, Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-46).
In 1428 Brunelleschi was commissioned to design a new church for the Augustinians. However, work didn't begin until 1444, just two years before his death. Construction was continued by Antonio Manetti, with Giovanni da Gaiole and Salvi d'Andrea, and completed in 1487. The bell tower was designed by Baccio d'Agnolo and built between 1503 and 1570. The simple facade wasn't added until the 18th century. The interior takes the form of a Latin cross with a dome over the crossing. The layout is based on simple proportions and mathematical ratios, all using multiples of 11 braccia (roughly two feet or 60 cms), the standard Florentine unit of length. The plan is based on a simple square module, one square for the aisles, two squares for the nave and half a square for the semi-circular chapels. The chapels, forty in all, continue all the way round the church. The colonnade continues, in an almost unbroken fashion, all the way round the church. Brunelleschi had wanted the columns to continue uninterrupted all the way around the interior, which would have resulted in there being a column in front of the central portal. This, in turn, would have necessitated the construction of four doors in the facade rather than the customary three. It was the traditional battle of form versus function. Following Brunelleschi’s death, the idea was debated several times by the works committee of the church and in the end the decision was taken to have the traditional three doors. Purity of form had to be sacrificed to the traditional functioning of the church, which liked to have a prominent central opening for special feast days. The ornate high altar (1599-1607) is by Giovanni Cacciani, with help from Gherardo Salvini and Agostino Ubaldini. It replaces a much simpler altar, which Brunelleschi had designed. Santo Spirito houses a wooden crucifix (1492), which many believe is the work of the young Michelangelo (1475-1564). It is said that, in exchange for being allowed to make anatomical studies of the corpses coming from the church's hospital, the aspiring sculptor carved a wooden crucifix for the monks, which is now exhibited in the sacristy. There are many fine paintings in the church, but one in particular is worth looking out for: the Madonna and Child with Saints (1494-8) by Filippino Lippi (third chapel of the right transept). We can be fairly specific about the dating of the painting, because we know that in 1494, the French king, Charles VII, invaded the Italian peninsula. At the end of that year, the figure kneeling at the bottom left of the painting, Tannai Nerli, who is being presented to the Virgin by St Martin, was sent by the Florentine government to construct a pact with Charles VII. Nerli arrived back in Florence on November 11th, the feast day of St Martin. Hence the inclusion of this particular saint. The pact between the French King and the Florentine Republic was signed on November 25th, which is the feast day of St. Catherine of Alexandria, whom we can see on the right, presenting Nerli’s wife Nanna Capponi. (Normally, the saints who accompany the donors in a painting are in fact their name saints). If you look carefully at the scene in the background of the picture you will see Nerli saying farewell to his family before he leaves the city by way of the Porta San Frediano, the large gate in the distance, which still stands on the south side of the city. |
Interior of Santo Spirito
High Altar
Crucifix by Michelangelo (?)
Madonna and Child with Saints by Filippino Lippi
Madonna and Child with Saints (det.) by Filippino Lippi
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