Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi Near Santa Croce
The Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi is a religious complex that includes a church and a former convent, quite close to the Piazza Santa Croce. The addition of the Pazzi name occurred because of the canonization of a Carmelite nun from that family in 1669, as the original convented had been dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen delle Convertite - the converted Mary Magdalen.
In 1332, the Cistercian order from Badia a Settimo took over control of the site, but did not move there until 1442. The convent was transferred to San Donato, and the chapter house and church were rebuilt in the last quarter of the fifteenth century. The original thirteenth century interiors were later redecorated (in the Baroque period), removing altarpieces by such masters as Girlandaio, Raffaelino del Garbo, Lorenzo di Credi, Perugino and Bottocelli.
These altarpieces were replaced by new ones by artists who are now considered relatively minor masters, including Alfonso Boschi, Francesco Curradi, Santi di Tito, Domenico Puligo and Carlo Portelli. A fresco made of three lunettes of the Crucifixion and Saints still remains from the late fifteenth century, however. It was commissioned by Dionision and Giovanna Pucci and painted by Pietro Perugino.
The first chapel to the right of the entrance of the church is the Capella del Giglio, and is frescoed with images of saints and a beautiful altarpiece. In the fourth chapel to the right you can see a stained glass window made by a rare female artist.
Originally, the choir chapel contained a Ghirlandaio fresco, but this was destroyed in the late seventeenth century renovations. The artists working in this renovation included Ciro Ferri, who also painted the current altarpiece. The altar also includes bronze reliefs by Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi. Many other artists have work still displayed in the church as well.
The current entrance to the church is an unremarkable door with no number, but it opens into the attractive cloister, still open to the air and surrounded by Ionic capitaled columns dating to the fifteenth century. You can visit daily between nine am and noon, as well as in the evenings around five or six (the hour varies with the day). Be sure to take the time to see the chapterhouse, which still retains a large fresco of the Crucifixion by Perugino.
The Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi is just one of the beautiful attractions in the area of the Piazza Santa Croce, including the Church of Santa Croce itself. Make sure you take the time to visit and all the surrounding works of art and architecture. There's a lot for anyone to see in this attractive neighborhood.
Of course, if you really want to get the feel of this lovely central Florentine area, you'll want to include it in your search for Florence apartments. They'll offer you the ability to see the area up close and personal, at all times of the day. Apartments in the Santa Croce area are really worth it over a hotel stay.
 |
 |
 |