Santa Maria del Carmine is a lovely church in Florence. It proves that you can't judge a book by its cover.
Construction started in 1268 after the Carmelites were forced to leave their mountaintop convent in the Holy Land. Some settled in one of the poorest areas of Florence and set about building a church with a convent. The result, seven centuries later, is a church complex filled with amazing art and architecture and an active community of Carmelites living n the convent.
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| Santa Maria del Carmine: The Romanesque façade remains unfinished, like the facades of many churches in Florence and elsewhere in Italy. We have learned that an unfinished façade might hide an exquisitely beautiful interior. |
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| Santa Maria del Carmine: Illustration of the church (left) and convent with cloister (right) |
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| Santa Maria del Carmine: The cloister garden was once cultivated. The illustration depicts an earlier Gothic version of the façade with a round window and marble entry. Over 700 years, the church was updated from Gothic to Renaissance to Baroque to Rococo. A 1771 fire and 1966 flood required extensive repairs. |
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| Santa Maria del Carmine: The Rococo-style nave of the church |
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| Santa Maria del Carmine: The cloister today. The cloister was once cultivated and provided food for the residents. |
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| Santa Maria del Carmine: A frescoed lunette in the cloister. The figure in the middle seems to be walking right out of the painting. |
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| Santa Maria del Carmine: A frescoed lunette in the cloister, with a figure inviting the viewer to follow him right into the painting. |
Next Up: The treasure in Santa Maria del Carmine.
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