Orsanmichele

Orsanmichele, also known as Or San Michele or Orsammichele, is a special building located in the beautiful city of Florence. Its name comes from the Tuscan words for "orchard" or "kitchen garden of Saint Michael." This unique place served many important purposes over the years. It was used as a grain market, a granary for storing food, and as a church where people could pray.

One of the most amazing things about Orsanmichele is the beautiful art that decorates it. The building holds an important piece of art called a tabernacle, made by a artist named Orcagna. This artwork is considered one of the best examples of Italian Gothic sculpture. The walls of the building are covered with sculptures that show the patron saints of the important major Florentine guilds. These sculptures are some of the earliest and finest examples of marble and bronze art from the Early Renaissance period.

Famous artists like Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello, and Nanni di Banco created wonderful works of art for Orsanmichele. These artists helped make the building a true masterpiece of architecture and art. Today, Orsanmichele stands as a reminder of the rich history and talented artists of Florence.

Historical background

From the mid-13th century, Florence grew wealthy and peaceful. Groups called guilds formed, bringing together people who worked in the same trades. Two political groups, the Guelphs who supported the papacy, and the Ghibellines who supported the Holy Roman emperor, often argued for control of the city.

During this time, Florence built many important buildings, including the new Cathedral, the Santa Maria Novella church, and the Santa Croce church. Orsanmichele became the main place to store and sell grain, helped by a group called the Confraternity of Orsanmichele. Despite some tough times, like floods and crop failures, Florence remained a busy and important city.

History

Orsanmichele is located on Via Calzaiuoli in the historic centre of Florence, between the Palazzo della Signoria and the Cathedral. Originally, this spot had a small church dedicated to Saint Michael with a kitchen garden. In the 13th century, it became a place for community gatherings. By 1290, it was turned into an open loggia for the grain market, possibly under the direction of Arnolfo di Cambio.

In 1304, a fire destroyed the building. It was rebuilt in 1336 to serve both religious and community purposes. Artists like Orcagna added beautiful structures and artworks. Over time, Orsanmichele became a church for the guilds, with statues of their patron saints placed on its outside. The building also stored grain to help during times of need.

The oratory

The oratory on the ground floor of Orsanmichele holds a beautiful marble tabernacle made in 1359. It was designed by the artist Andrea Orcagna to hold a painting of the Virgin Mary by Bernardo Daddi, created in 1347. The tabernacle is very fancy, with marble columns, pinnacles, and decorations in blue, red, and gold glass. It shows scenes from the life of Mary, including her birth, engagement, and ascension.

Other artworks in the oratory include a marble group by Francesco da Sangallo from around 1526, showing Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Anne. The walls have many frescoes painted between 1389 and 1400, showing saints and religious scenes. The oratory reopened to the public in January 2024 after restorations.

Exterior

The four sides of Orsanmichele have special spaces called niches where statues stand. These niches are made in a Gothic style, except for one made by Donatello that follows Classical order design. Each niche has a small picture at the bottom showing what the trade members did and their symbol. The three richest trades chose to make their statues from bronze, which was much more expensive than marble.

The statues show how proud the trades of Florence were, and they wanted to create amazing art to show off. Over time, pollution and acid rain hurt the statues a lot. In the 1980s, experts began cleaning and fixing them. They used special tools to remove dirt and discovered old gold decorations on some statues. After many years of work, the statues were shown again in a museum in 2006. Two of Donatello’s works are displayed in other museums in Florence.

Main articles: Gothic, Classical order, Florence's historic centre, World Heritage Site, Opificio delle pietre dure, National Gallery of Art, Donatello, Bargello, Basilica di Santa Croce

Chronological table of all 14 niches and patron saints

The niches and patron saints of Orsanmichele are arranged in a special order based on when each work was completed and put in place. You can refresh the page to see the latest dates. This table shows all 14 niches and the saints they honor, giving us a clear view of the history and art of this unique building.

Museum and artwork from Orsanmichele

In 2005, Orsanmichele joined a group of Florentine museums called Polo museale fiorentino. By 2015, it became part of the Musei di Bargello, which is led by the Florentine sculpture museum.

Orsanmichele is home to many beautiful artworks. Some famous pieces include a marble statue of Saint George by Donatello and sculptures by Andrea Pisano and Orcagna. Many of these artworks are now displayed in other museums, but Orsanmichele still holds important pieces like paintings and wooden sculptures.

Outer façade

• Andrea Pisano, Saint Stephen, marble
• The "Orcagnesque" Saint John the Evangelist, marble, restored in the 2000s
• Niccolò di Piero Lamberti, Saint Luke, marble, c. 1404–1406, Bargello
• Michelozzo, Sibyls from the cusps of Lorenzo Ghiberti's tabernacle of Saint Matthew
• Donatello's Saint George, marble, c. 1415, Bargello (a plaster cast is installed in the original niche)
• Donatello, Saint Louis of Toulouse, gilded bronze, Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce (a plaster cast is installed in the original niche)
• Three statuettes from the tabernacle of the Madonna della Rosa, marble, divided between the upper floor of Orsanmichele, the Bargello, the Lapidary Museum, Avignon, the Museo Bardini in San Marco

Sculptures from the oratory

• Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, polychromed wood, probably once on the later fourteenth-century altar of Saint Anne, now in the Bargello
• Orcagna, Crucifix, polychromed wood, c. 1360, now in San Carlo dei Lombardi (opposite the oratory)
• Several small marble lions from the corner colonnettes of Orcagna's Tabernacle of the Virgin, now at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure

Paintings from the oratory

• Bernardo Daddi's Saint John the Baptist, 1346, now in San Martino a Gangalandi
• Jacopo del Casentino, Saint Bartholomew Enthroned, c. 1330–1350, now in the Galleria dell'Accademia
• The Annunciation, c. 1350–1400, now in the Galleria dell'Accademia
• Orcagna and Jacopo di Cione, Saint Matthew Triptych, c. 1367–1368, now in the Galleria degli Uffizi
• Giovanni del Biondo, Saint John the Evangelist Enthroned, c. 1379, now in the Galleria dell'Accademia
• Lorenzo di Bicci, Saint Martin Enthroned, c. 1381–1385, now in the Galleria dell'Accademia
• Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, lateral sections from the altarpiece of the Four Crowned Martyr Saints, c. 1380–1385, now scattered among the Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon, the Denver Art Museum, a private collection in Florence, the John G. Johnson Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
• The Miracles of Saint Nicholas of Bari, detached fresco fragments, in the Villa Corsini, Florence
• Francesco di Antonio del Chierico, three extant organ shutters, c. 1429, now in the Galleria dell'Accademia
• Piero del Pollaiuolo, Tobias and the Angel, c. 1469, now in the Galleria Sabauda, Turin