San Miniato Al Goes up

11 juin 2007

The beautiful Romance church of San Miniato is located on one of the hills of Florence, from where one has a very beautiful sight on the city.

It was built some time after the year 1000 on the preexistent Oratory built by San Miniato (Holy Minias), the first evangelist and Christian martyr of Florence.

Victim of persecutions of the emperor Decio (249-251) one says that Miniato was perhaps a Armenian prince: the legend tells that after being decapitated, it collected its head, gave it on its neck and went itself from there to die in the cave of the top of the Fiorentinus mount, called the mount alle Croci today where it lived as a hermit and where then one built the oratory and the church bearing his name. Its tomb is in the crypt.

The construction of the temple, which remains one of the most beautiful examples of pure Romanesque architecture florentine, started in 1018 thanks to évèque Ildebrando and continued until 1207. The frontage was made out of white marble of Carrara and green of Prato (XII-XIIIème centuries) and was divided into two orders connected to each other by marquetries of form rhomboidale which refer to the opus reticolatum, typical Roman mural weaving of the imperial age, which was also taken again by Leon Battista Alberti for the bases of the Rucellai Palate. It is characterized by three naves and an elevated chorus above the crypt.

It is about a Romance church in basilical plan with 3 naves and monastery which replaced the initial vault in 1018 on the orders of évèque Hildebrand.

The frontage comprises a mosaic on gold bottom, of XIIème century in which are gathered the Virgin, Christ and San Miniato. The gold eagle of the corporation florentine Calimala throne at the top.
It inspired Alberti for the completion of the coating of the frontages of Santa Maria Novella, the Dome and Santa Croce.

But the originality of San Miniato lies in the columns of the nave which come from Roman buildings, of a nave which has a comprising pavement of the marble and inspired of the zodiac and of a polychrome wooden carpentry what makes the unit even more disparate.

The crypt with 7 naves, with XIe century dedicated to the relics of the saint, is partly covered with vestiges of frescos of Taddeo Gaddi going back to 1341.