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San Miniato al Monte (St. Miniatus on the Mountain) is a basilica in Florence, central Italy, standing atop one of the highest points in the city. It has been described as one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany and one of the most beautiful churches in Italy. There is an adjoining Olivetan monastery, seen to the right of the basilica when ascending the stairs. St. Miniato or Minas was an Armenian prince serving in the Roman army under Emperor Decius.Basilica San Miniato al Monte se află în cel mai înalt punct din Florența (fiind situată pe un deal), și a fost descrisă ca fiind cea mai frumoasă structură romanică din Toscana și una dintre cele mai frumoase biserici din Italia. Poziția sa oferă minunate priveliși ale râului Arno și ale centrului istoric, până departe la Fiesole și peste dealuri.Prinț armean servind în armata romană, Sfântul Miniato a fost primul martir din Florența.

The geometrically patterned marble façade was probably begun in about 1090, although the upper parts date from the 12th century or later, financed by the Florentine Arte di Calimala (cloth merchants’ guild)

Arte di Calimala (cloth merchants’ guild), was responsible for the church’s upkeep from 1288. The eagle which crowns the façade was their symbol.In 1499 the campanile collapsed and was replaced in 1523, although it was never finished. During the siege of Florence in 1530 it was used as an artillery post by the defenders and Michelangelo had it wrapped in mattresses to protect it from enemy fire.

According to tradition, the martyr St Miniatus, who was suffered during the persecution of Decius in the 3rd century, was buried on the hill where the church bearing his name now stands

The beautiful façade, of green and white marble in the Tuscan manner, has a blind colonnade in the lower register. The mosaic on the pediment showing Christ in benediction between the Virgin and St Miniatus dates from the beginnnig of the 13th century. The polychrome marble decoration of the facade is also a feature of the interior, dominated by the raised presbytery.

The church, which is one of the masterpieces of the Tuscan Romanesque, combines a basilical plan of classical origin with typically romanesque elements; some of the capitals are Roman and others are romanesque.

The oldest decoration is the mosaics and the marble inlay work, of which the most important is the central part of the pavement. This area, which retains its original decoration, shows interesting figurative motifs, enriched with symbolic significance.The beautiful Zodiac, which is originally a pagan motif, here assumes a Christian symbolic value, according to some, by its subdivision into twelve signs which allude to the twelve Apostles.

The patterned pavement dates from 1207

Marble floor, slab depicting 9th ca. zodiac

The area of the apse is also richly decorated, with superb marble inlays on the altar, the enclosure and the pulpit, and is dominated by the beautiful mosaic bearing the date 1297;

The beautiful mosaic bearing the date 1297 depicts Christ in benediction between the Virgin, Saint Miniatus, the symbols of the Evangelists and the kneeling donor, and it is characterized by a technique making use of strong chromatic contrast.

The centre of the nave is dominated by the beautiful freestanding Cappella del Crocefisso (Chapel of the Crucifix), designed by Michelozzo in 1448 and decorated with panels long thought to be painted by Agnolo Gaddi.

Illuminated mosiac vaults in the nave of San Miniato

The panels on the altar begun by Agnolo Gaddi in 1394 and unfinished at the time of his death in 1396 represent Saint John Gualberto in an austere black monk's cloak and Saint Miniatus in colorful oriental attire. At the sides are scenes from the Passion of Christ; above, in the crown of the arch, is the Ascension flanked by the Annunciation, and in the predella, Mary and the twelve apostles

Aisle

The paint

ceiling restored

Aisle Frescoes: Christ, St Miniatus, and Julian and the Vierge by Jacopo da Firenze - 1409

Paolo SchiavoThe Madonna enthroned with the Child and Saints Francis, Mark, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, James and Anthony Abbot, fresco (1436).

Romanesque pulpit (1207)

Romanesque pulpit (1207)

Sound: Cecilia Bartoli sings Domine Deus (Antonio Vivaldi: Gloria RV 589)

Text and Pictures: Internet

Copyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda