The Odd History of Orsanmichele

One of the most fascinating of Florence's medieval structures is the church in the heart of the historic center called Orsanmichele. Its name is a contraction of Orto San Michele or the Garden of St. Michael because the church was built on the site of a long-gone monastery's garden.

But this building was not originally built as a church at all. It was granary with a grain market on the first floor, offices on the second, and the city's grain warehouse (insurance against famine or siege) on the third.

But it so happened that one of the pillars was decorated with an image of the Madonna and it soon became a place of devotion and miraculous healings. The granary was damaged by a fire in 1304 and the image gradually faded.

When a new loggia was built, the artist Bernado Daddi  was commissioned to paint a new Madonna. It's this work, known as Madonna della Grazie, Our Lady of Favors(on the right)), that you see today in the church. Devotion to the Madonna increased when the Black Plague struck in 1348, and by 1359 it was felt the place was no longer suitable for commerce and the grain market was moved, although the upper floor remained a warehouse. You can still see the chutes that were used for the wheat.

At the end of the 14th century the loggia was enclosed, stained glass windows added, and the building was dedicated as a church. All of the Arti Maggiori or principal guilds were charged with donating statues to fill the niches on the outside of the church. The wealthy guilds vied to hire the best artists to create statues of their patron saints. For example, Donatello was commissioned to sculpt St. George (at left), the patron of the Armorers, Lorenzo Ghiberti created his St. Matthew for the Bankers and also St. John the Baptist for the Wool Merchants.

The statues in the outdoor niches are now replicas of the originals which are being restored and prepared for a new Orsanmichele museum. It's fun to look at the statues and the guild emblems to see who's who.

We'll be seeing this unusual church next month on Time of Your Life Tour's  Tastes of Tuscany. It's too late to sign up for that one, but check out Tour News for all our upcoming tours, including a trip to Milan, Lake Como, and Venice in the spring with master business coach Caterina Rando.