Church of San Lorenzo in Florence: Brunelleschi’s Hidden Jewel in the Heart of the City

Brunelleschi, Donatello, Michelangelo, Rosso Fiorentino, Filippo Lippi… Uffizi Gallery? Not at all! We are talking about the oldest Church in Florence, the San Lorenzo Basilica. Here, you can admire masterpieces by these (and many other) artists spread throughout the basilica, crypts, chapels, and the marvelous library. Don’t be deceived by its simple appearance because those who dare to explore beyond the initial prejudice will be significantly rewarded!

Things to See in Florence: Church of San Lorenzo

Florence has parts that contrast the modern bustle due to its majestic antiquity. Others have seamlessly integrated, and perhaps our tourist eyes, accustomed to the different materials and geometries of, for example, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, are at ease with them. However, when you pass through Piazza San Lorenzo and see the San Lorenzo Basilica, it’s impossible not to pause in perplexity. Its exterior is relatively unadorned, unlike the ones we commonly see on Florence postcards. But if you give it a chance, you’ll discover indescribable wonders inside… Don’t believe it? Keep reading!

San Lorenzo, Florence: History of the Basilica

Let’s begin by saying that when you find yourself in Piazza San Lorenzo in Florence, facing the steps leading to the entrance of San Lorenzo Church, you are in front of the city’s oldest Church. With its simple rough stone facade, this Church was founded in the 4th century. Its first consecration dates back to 393 when the city walls had not embraced it. It was only in 1059 that expansion works, and a second consecration began. But that wasn’t the last one: another took place in 1461.

Thanks mainly to the Florentine de’ Medici family‘s intervention, the Church underwent a long period of construction, renovations, and expansions. The primary and initial financier was the banker Giovanni di Bicci de Medici.

Later, Cosimo de’ Medici took over the commissioning and financing of the works. He closely supervised the works and was eventually buried in the crypt of the San Lorenzo Church, which we will discuss later.

Two other Medici members also contributed their efforts: Pope Leo X and Pope Clement VII. Both turned to Michelangelo for the facade (never realized), the Medicean-Laurentian Library, and the balcony in the counter-facade dedicated to displaying relics.

Over time, other elements were added, which we still see today: the marvelous Chapel of the Princes, the bell tower (dating back to 1740), the decorative works of the dome, and the New Sacristy with its small dome and lantern on top. The latter, another creation by Michelangelo, opens on the right side, characterized by an order of pilasters and blind arches on smooth stone.

Finally, during the 19th century, the library was administratively separated from the rest of the Church, and the Medici Chapels Museum was created. Since 1907, the conservation of the San Lorenzo Church in Florence has been entrusted to the Medici Laurentian Works, funded by the entrance tickets purchased by tourists. Are you ready to contribute to history?

What to See in Florence Inside the San Lorenzo Church

As mentioned, you would never guess it holds so many wonders from the outside. It’s a discovery that leaves many in awe, while those who were wise enough to research before entering (just like those reading these lines—well done!) will have the pleasure of retracing its history step by step.

In the architectural structure of the San Lorenzo Basilica, Brunelleschi incorporated both Florentine tradition (Latin cross plan, three aisles, chapels opening on the sides, a transept, and a dome above the crossing of the arms) and exciting innovations. A significant part of Brunelleschi’s project changed the work due to the existing structure, and other modifications were made after his death.

However, it should be noted that Brunelleschi chose a spatial arrangement that was extraordinarily innovative and daring for the time. The use of a regular module, the rhythmic repetition of architectural elements, and other technical features still create a sense of awe and a perception of a larger space. For example, as we can observe inside the San Lorenzo Church, light floods every surface thanks to the high arched windows along the clerestory. A noteworthy detail is Brunelleschi’s pulvinus or Brunelleschi’s cushion. The artist created a unique pulvinus (the part located between the capital and the arch’s impost) in an inverted pyramid.

DISCOVER THE ART OF FLORENCE WITH AN EXPERT GUIDE

Duration: 2 hours, Private Tour

Uffizi Gallery Florence Private Tour with Local Guide

Embark on an interactive treasure hunt at the Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest museums in Europe. This tour is perfect for all ages and allows you to discover Renaissance masterpieces as our expert guide unveils the secrets behind iconic works by Michelangelo, Botticelli

BOOK NOW

Duration: 1.5 hours, Private Tour

David & Accademia Gallery Florence Private Tour with Local Guide

Visit the Accademia Gallery and immerse yourself in the beauty of Renaissance artworks and statues, including the iconic masterpiece of Michelangelo’s David. With the help of an enthusiastic local guide, your experience is sure to be unforgettable.

BOOK NOW

The Old Sacristy

This area was the first completed by Brunelleschi and was originally intended to be the Medici family mausoleum. We find it on the left side of the transept, divided into 12 sections and richly decorated with contrasts from the gray stone and painted stuccos with angelic and saintly figures. Some of these paintings are by Donatello, just like the bronze door panels.

Fascinating are the frescoes on the dome of the apse, which represent the exact positions of the Sun, the Moon, five planets, and constellations on the night of July 6, 1439, the date of the Council of Florence, aimed at unifying the Roman and Byzantine churches.

Among the many artworks to admire, on the left arm of the transept, in one of the chapels on the left, we find Donatello‘s Martelli sarcophagus (1455) and Filippo Lippi‘s Martelli Annunciation ( 1450).

A must-see collection of artworks

But what are the attractions to see in Florence’s San Lorenzo Basilica? In addition to the marvelous interior facade, as mentioned, a work by Michelangelo (1531-1532) called The Reliquary Tribune, here is a brief list of the prominent artworks not to miss, starting from the right aisle and proceeding counterclockwise:

The Marriage of the Virgin by Rosso Fiorentino (1523)

Tombstone of the musician Francesco Landini (1397)

San Lorenzo and the Souls in Purgatory by Niccolò Lapi

The Assumption by Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio

Adoration of the Magi by Girolamo Macchietti

Sacrament by Desiderio da Settignano (circa 1460), on the wall bordering the transept

The Pulpit of the Resurrection and Pulpit of the Passion (facing each other) by Donatello

San Zanobi by Fabrizio Boschi (late 16th century) in the chapel dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament

Funerary monument of Carolina of Saxony (1857)

The glory of the Florentine Saints by Vincenzo Meucci (1742) in the dome at the crossing of the arms

Madonna with Child, a wooden work by Giovanni Fetti ( 1382), displayed in a glass case

Monument dedicated to Berta Moltke With field by Giovanni Duprè
The Cloister of the Canons

Another architectural work by Brunelleschi consists of a double loggia accessed from the left side of the Church. This was once the residence and accommodation for various church members. From here, you can reach the Medici Laurentian Library, the crypt, and the Chapel of the Canons.

DISCOVER THE ART OF FLORENCE WITH AN EXPERT GUIDE

Duration: 2 hours, Private Tour

Uffizi Gallery Florence Private Tour with Local Guide

Embark on an interactive treasure hunt at the Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest museums in Europe. This tour is perfect for all ages and allows you to discover Renaissance masterpieces as our expert guide unveils the secrets behind iconic works by Michelangelo, Botticelli

BOOK NOW

Duration: 1.5 hours, Private Tour

David & Accademia Gallery Florence Private Tour with Local Guide

Visit the Accademia Gallery and immerse yourself in the beauty of Renaissance artworks and statues, including the iconic masterpiece of Michelangelo’s David. With the help of an enthusiastic local guide, your experience is sure to be unforgettable.

BOOK NOW

The Medici Laurentian Library and Manuscripts

Although it cannot be freely visited and requires a reservation and proof of scholar status (with a letter of presentation and motivation), we must mention this incredible library. The building was designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti ( 1519-1534), albeit reluctantly. Towards the end of the works, he left Florence and continued to oversee the project from a distance through epistolary instructions. The library’s name refers to the Church (San Lorenzo) and the origin of the volumes and manuscripts from the Medici family collections. Those fortunate enough and privileged to access it will face 68,405 printed books, 406 incunabula, 4,058 cinquecentine, 11,044 precious manuscripts, and 2,500 Egyptian papyri. It holds the most extensive collection of Egyptian papyri in all of Italy.

But that’s not all: inside the Medici Laurentian Library, invaluable works are preserved, including:

• The Amiatine Bible, dating back to the 7th-8th century. It is the oldest Bible manuscript accompanied by rare examples of Italo-Saxon miniatures.
• The Squarcialupi Codex is probably the only testimony of secular music and the ars nova of the 14th century.
• The Laurenzian Virgil by Turcius Rufius Apronianus Asterius, dating back to 494.
• The Littera Florentina (6th century), the world’s oldest copy of Justinian’s Pandectae.
• Plato’s Dialogues in fine paper, a version of Plato’s works that Lorenzo the Magnificent donated to Marsilio Ficino for translation.
• Autograph of the Life written by himself by Benvenuto Cellini, as well as autographs of Petrarch and Boccaccio.

Generally, the library is closed but open to the public during the week and on occasions of temporary exhibitions. It’s always best to confirm before planning your trip!

Florence: What to See in the Medici Chapels

The term Medici Chapels refers to various constructions within the Basilica of San Lorenzo, namely:

Sagrestia Vecchia (or San Lorenzo Sacristy)

Cappella dei Principi (Chapel of the Princes)

Crypt

Crypt rooms below the Chapel of the Princes (where temporary exhibitions, ticket office, and bookshop are located)

This complex is now considered a single museum, accessible from Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini, behind the Basilica of San Lorenzo.

The Crypt of the Medici Family

Entering the Medici Chapels Museum in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the first area we encounter is the crypt. On the floor, we can see the tombstones of the grand dukes of the Medici family, as well as those of their consorts and close relatives. Recently, display cases containing relics and other objects related to the grand dukes, dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, have also been added, mainly due to the efforts of Ferdinando I de’ Medici and his wife Cristina di Lorena, both devout believers.

DISCOVER THE ART OF FLORENCE WITH AN EXPERT GUIDE

Duration: 2 hours, Private Tour

Uffizi Gallery Florence Private Tour with Local Guide

Embark on an interactive treasure hunt at the Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest museums in Europe. This tour is perfect for all ages and allows you to discover Renaissance masterpieces as our expert guide unveils the secrets behind iconic works by Michelangelo, Botticelli

BOOK NOW

Duration: 1.5 hours, Private Tour

David & Accademia Gallery Florence Private Tour with Local Guide

Visit the Accademia Gallery and immerse yourself in the beauty of Renaissance artworks and statues, including the iconic masterpiece of Michelangelo’s David. With the help of an enthusiastic local guide, your experience is sure to be unforgettable.

BOOK NOW

Moving on, we reach the Chapel of the Princes.

The Chapel of the Princes

One of the most exciting attractions and most beautiful places to visit in Florence is the Chapel of the Princes. Once again, the exterior needs to do more justice to the interior. Upon entering, we find ourselves inside an octagonal hall, 28 meters wide, with the Dome of San Lorenzo soaring 59 meters above. Commissioned by Ferdinand I to architect Matteo Nigetti in 1604 (but conceived by Cosimo I), its construction involved various types of polychrome marbles, alabasters, and semi-precious stones.

Of the eight niches present, only two have been completed with the statues of two grand dukes (Ferdinand I and Ferdinand II). Similarly, an essential element must be added to the center of the atrium. In the original plans, this is where the Holy Sepulchre, containing the mortal remains of Jesus Christ, was supposed to be preserved. However, every attempt to acquire it (and even steal it) failed.
Only leave after a tour around the altar, behind which precious shrines are located.

The New Sacristy

Finally, the Medici Chapels also include the New Sacristy, where Michelangelo excelled as an architect and sculptor. After designing the floor plan based on Brunelleschi‘s project, he created the crypts with their respective statues. The key theme of the entire space is “Time-consuming Everything.” For this reason, on the various tombs, we see statues representing allegories of the passage of time.

For example, the representations of the four moments of the day: Day and Night on the tomb of Giuliano de’ Medici, Duke of Nemours, and Twilight and Dawn on the tomb of Lorenzo de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino. At the center of the statues’ gazes is the Madonna with Jesus in her lap. Just below the statue of the Madonna lie the remains of Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother, Giuliano de’ Medici.

Experts have identified in the statues’ gaze toward the Madonna a symbolism that recalls the ephemeral nature of earthly life compared to the spiritual sphere.

Curiosities about the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence

The Basilica of San Lorenzo served as Florence’s cathedral from its consecration in the late 1300s for the next 300 years. Afterward, it was replaced by Santa Reparata Cathedral, starting when the remains of Saint Zanobi, Bishop of Florence, were placed there.

Almost no remains of the foundations of the very first Church of San Lorenzo exist. A few artifacts were discovered during restoration and recovery works in the early 1900s and the 1960s.

Cosimo de’ Medici, one of the financiers of the reconstruction project of the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence, was buried in the underground crypt, precisely under the central altar.

DISCOVER THE ART OF FLORENCE WITH AN EXPERT GUIDE

Duration: 2 hours, Private Tour

Uffizi Gallery Florence Private Tour with Local Guide

Embark on an interactive treasure hunt at the Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest museums in Europe. This tour is perfect for all ages and allows you to discover Renaissance masterpieces as our expert guide unveils the secrets behind iconic works by Michelangelo, Botticelli

BOOK NOW

Duration: 1.5 hours, Private Tour

David & Accademia Gallery Florence Private Tour with Local Guide

Visit the Accademia Gallery and immerse yourself in the beauty of Renaissance artworks and statues, including the iconic masterpiece of Michelangelo’s David. With the help of an enthusiastic local guide, your experience is sure to be unforgettable.

BOOK NOW

During the construction of the Chapel of the Princes, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Workshop of Semi-Precious Stones) was created, a laboratory where semi-precious stones such as coral, mother-of-pearl, and lapis lazuli were worked.

In the hierarchy, in front of the altar, there is a bronze grate among the geometric designs created by the play of polychrome marbles. In the crypt, Cosimo de’ Medici is buried just below the grate. The peculiarity of this tomb is that this position was usually reserved for saints and not civilians, a testimony to the importance of this figure.

On the plinth of the Chapel of the Princes, we see sixteen coats of arms representing the Tuscan cities loyal to the Medici family.

Donatello and Brunelleschi were a well-coordinated duo in their work for years. However, their collaboration ended during the works on the Church of San Lorenzo. The reason? According to Brunelleschi, Donatello was too audacious in his pictorial works decorating the Church, risking to divert attention from Brunelleschi‘s carefully designed architecture. For this reason, Brunelleschi excluded Donatello from future works, including the decorations of the Pazzi Chapel.

In 2014, the Medici Chapels ranked 17th among Italy’s most visited national sites.
Since 2004, studies and examinations have been carried out on the remains of the Medici family members preserved in the crypts. The aim is to clarify some unclear aspects of their history, including the identity of the remains of an unknown infant presumed to be an illegitimate child of a family member.

The facade project was entrusted by Pope Leo X (another member of the Medici family) to Michelangelo. Michelangelo was competing against Raphael and Giuliano da Sangallo. Unfortunately, the project never came to fruition. In 2011, the then-Mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, proposed reviving Michelangelo’s project (dated 1515) on the occasion of the 500th anniversary (in 2015), but the initiative still needs to pass the popular referendum.

A magnificent Serassi organ dating back to 1864 is preserved inside the basilica.
The Chapel of the Princes, located at the back of the Church, is the second-largest dome in Florence. The first is that of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the Florence Duomo.

Visiting Florence: Tourists’ Opinions on the Basilica

As we have seen, with its austere appearance, this Church conceals some of the most important masterpieces by Donatello, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Lippi, Rosso Fiorentino, and many others. It is an almost obligatory stop when visiting Florence.

What do tourists who have left their impressions on the TripAdvisor page think? Here are some TripAdvisor reviews about Church of San Lorenzo

However, without a doubt, most tourists would rush back to admire the Church of San Lorenzo!

DISCOVER THE ART OF FLORENCE WITH AN EXPERT GUIDE

Duration: 2 hours, Private Tour

Uffizi Gallery Florence Private Tour with Local Guide

Embark on an interactive treasure hunt at the Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest museums in Europe. This tour is perfect for all ages and allows you to discover Renaissance masterpieces as our expert guide unveils the secrets behind iconic works by Michelangelo, Botticelli

BOOK NOW

Duration: 1.5 hours, Private Tour

David & Accademia Gallery Florence Private Tour with Local Guide

Visit the Accademia Gallery and immerse yourself in the beauty of Renaissance artworks and statues, including the iconic masterpiece of Michelangelo’s David. With the help of an enthusiastic local guide, your experience is sure to be unforgettable.

BOOK NOW

Church of San Lorenzo, Florence: Opening Hours, Tickets, How to Get There, and Useful Info

First, the Basilica di San Lorenzo also gives its name to the square in front of it, Piazza San Lorenzo. However, it is essential to distinguish this square from where the San Lorenzo Market in Florence takes place, Piazza del Mercato Centrale. In any case, the areas of interest in Florence are all relatively close, and the San Lorenzo Market is no exception: you can find it just a 3-minute walk from the Church.

The Church of San Lorenzo, the opening hours:

From 10:00 am to 4:00 pm every day except Sunday, January 1st and 6th, and August 10. The last entry is at 3:30 pm.

For visiting the Church of San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels, the prices are as follows:

Full ticket to the Basilica Complex : € 9.00

Reduced access: for families with up to three children, only adults pay

Free admission for children under 12, people with disabilities, their companions, tour guides, and group escorts.

To enter and purchase tickets, access is through the left side door of the facade. Important: to take advantage of discounts, tickets must be bought at the Basilica di San Lorenzo ticket office.

Keep an eye on the official website of the Basilica di San Lorenzo to find out when special visits to the Basilica and Michelangelo‘s Tribune will be available again. Alternatively, you can write to info@operamedicealaurenziana.org or call +39 055 214042.

Address and Map:

Piazza San Lorenzo