Badia Fiorentina

Tomorrow is a travel day and before noon I hope to be in Assisi. For this final Florence post, these are pictures of the interior of the Badia Fiorentina, a special sacred church, and a cornerstone of the neighborhood where Dante grew up. Unlike some of the larger churches which have daily crowds of tourists, the Badia is reserved for prayer and services except for three hours late on Monday afternoons. Yesterday being a Monday, I stopped by during the tourist visiting hours. Here is the main altar.

The Badia, with its origins dating back more than a millennium, shows its age and is dark, worn and fragmented in places. However, it retains many of its treasures. Over the center of the church is an intricately carved wood ceiling.

Along the walls are paintings and frescoes.

One wonders when this stand first held music.

To the right of the apse of the church one can exit up some stairs to the Cloister of the Oranges.

This beautifully designed Fifteenth Century work, though worn, still is a peaceful, thoughtful place to visit.

On the upper level are the remains of frescoes on the life of Saint Benedict, also done in the Fifteenth Century.

On parts of the wall can be seen the artist's sketches.

The anonymous artist was known as the "Maestro del Chiostro degli Aranci" or "Master of the Cloister of the Oranges." Here are two more segments of his work.

Finally, back in the church, a true masterpiece of the Renaissance by Filippino Lippi, Apparition of the Virgin to Saint Bernard. Somehow this lovely, hopeful work seems more at home in the Badia Fiorentina than in one of Florence's many fine museums.

Saint Bernard looks up from his work to see the Blessed Virgin surrounded by angels.
Ciao.