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Photo: sailko, CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Abbey / Monastery
Convent San Marco
Convent uin Florence
- Within the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Centre of Florence”
At a glance
- Type
- Abbey / Monastery
- Architect
- Michelozzo
- Coordinates
- 43°46′18″ N, 11°15′13″ E
History and description
San Marco is a Catholic religious complex in Florence, Italy. It comprises a church and a convent. During the 15th century it was home to two famous Dominicans, the painter Fra Angelico and the preacher Girolamo Savonarola. The church houses the relics of St Antoninus of Florence and the tomb of Pico Della Mirandola, a Renaissance philosopher and humanist.
History
The present convent occupies the site where a Vallombrosian monastery existed in the 13th century, which later passed to the Sylvestrine monks. The church was used both for monastic liturgical functions and as a parish church.
From this initial period there have recently been rediscovered some traces of frescoes below floor level. In 1418 the Sylvestrines, accused of laxity in their observance of the Rule, were pressured to leave, but it took a direct intervention of Pope Eugene IV and the Council of Basel before finally in 1437 the San Marco buildings were vacated, the displaced Sylvestrines moved to the smaller monastery of San Giorgio alla Costa.
A decisive element in securing the move was the intervention of Cosimo de' Medici the Elder, who since 1420 had already shown his support for the reformed Franciscan convent of Bosco ai Frati. From his return from exile in 1434, he had made clear his desire to see an observant community of Dominicans established in Florence. This was achieved when a group arrived from the Convent of San Domenico, Fiesole, not far from the city. On their arrival, the new residents found the San Marco buildings in poor condition, so much so that for two years or so they were obliged to live in damp cells or wooden huts. For funds to renovate the entire complex, they appealed to Cosimo. According to Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, Cosimo in fact invested in the new convent a notable amount of finance, amounting to some 40,000 florins. …
Recent times
The convent was confiscated from the Dominicans in 1808, during the Napoleonic Wars, and again in 1866, when it was seized by the new Kingdom of Italy, whose temporary capital was Florence.
Until recently San Marco still housed a community of Dominican friars, who occupied the Western part of the complex adjacent to the larger cloister. In 2014 the few friars remaining were transferred to join the community at Santa Maria Novella in the city.
The convent is now constituted as the Museo Nazionale di San Marco. The entrance to the museum is from the Cloister of St. Antoninus, decorated with frescoes by Bernardino Poccetti in the 16th–17th century.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Convent San Marco».
Timeline
- 1437Reconstruction
People
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
Firenze Santa Maria NovellaTrain, nearest
800 m as the crow flies
Convent San Marco
Aeroporto Firenze Amerigo Vespucci5.9 km
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
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Frequently asked questions
Where is Convent San Marco?
Convent San Marco is in Florence, in the province of Firenze (Tuscany), Italy. GPS coordinates: 43.77170, 11.25360.
What else is there to see near Convent San Marco?
Nearby you’ll find: Roman Forum (0 m away), Palazzo dell'Arcone di Piazza (0 m away), Palazzo della Luna (0 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- Chiesa di san marco, facciata 01 — sailko, CC BY 2.5
- Piazza san marco, angolo via cavour, convento di san marco 01 — Sailko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Piazza san marco, angolo via la pira, convento di san marco 01 — Sailko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Piazza san marco, convento di san marco, lapide padre egidio raimondo maccanti, 1918 circa — Sailko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Via della dogana, convento di san marco, retro 01 — Sailko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Via giorgio la pira, convento di san marco, lapide giorgio la pira 1983 — Sailko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Complesso di san marco visto da via la marmora — Sailko, CC BY 3.0
- Piazza san marco, ingresso museo di san marco 03 maniglia — Sailko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- San Marco (Florence) — Yair Haklai, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences