Chiesa di San Lorenzo

In the Piazza San Lorenzo stands the parish church of  San Lorenzo, a part of a complex that also contains cloisters, the Bibiloteca Laurenziana containing the Medici manuscripts and reading tables designed by Michelangelo, as well as the Cappelle Medicee. This parish church features a rough hewn ocher facade which belies the highly refined interior. Rebuilt by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1419, the church has a voluminous interior that is rich with history. The Medici family is buried in the connected Capella Medicee, and Savonarola preached his fire and brimstone edicts here before being consumed by another movement of intolerance, the Inquisition. The photo to the left shows the exterior of the church as seen from the nearby plaza of the same name. The photo to the right shows the open interior with the beautiful dome over the alter, all supported by pietra serena (gray sandstone) columns. The pulpits shown at either side of the picture to the left (as well as in the picture to the lower right) are bronzed creations of Donatello, depicting the Ressurection and scenes from the life of Christ. They were his last work. It was from here that Savonarola delivered his fiery sermons. There are numerous smaller chapels that flank the main alter (picture to the lower left) each dedicated to a different saint. To the right  of the transept at the front of the church lies the Sagrestia Vecchia or Old Sacristry of Brunelleschi, while to the left is the  Sagrestia Nuova by Michelangelo. The church of San Lorenzo contains some significant pieces of Renaissance art in addition to Donatello's pulpits. To the left of the altar is Bronzino's  fresco of the Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, painted in the Mannerist style. Inside the Sagrestia Vecchia (Old Sacristy) are eight tondi (circular reliefs) by Donatello depicting evangelists and scenes from the life of St. John.

Art and Architecture of Chiesa di San Lorenzo [Click on Photos to Enlarge, Hit Browser "Back" Arrow to Return to this Page]
Sagrestia Vecchio and Sagrestia Nuova		Michelangelo's Sculptures: Sagrestia Nuovo
Sagrestia Vecchio (Brunelleschi)	Sagrestia Nuova (Michelangelo)	Tomb of Lorenzo Duke of Urbino with the statues Dawn and Dusk
Michelangelo's Sculptures: Sagrestia Nuovo	Donatello's Bronze Pulpits	Filippo Lippi
Tomb of Giuliano Duke of Nemours with the statues Day and Night	Scenes from the ressurection and life of Christ	Annunciation
One of Donatello's Tondi's	Michelangelo's Staircase	Donatello's Tomb
Sagrestia Vecchio	Laurentian Library	Chiesa di San Lorenzo