Church of San Salvatore Al Monte

The Church of San Salvatore al Monte is a Catholic church in Florence, located on the hill known as Monte delle Croci, not far from the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte.

SHORT HISTORY

At the beginning of the 15th century, on this site was a Franciscan chapel. The chapel was enlarged in the first half of the century, and the works were completed around 1442.

In the last decades of the 15th century, the church was renovated by the architect Simone del Pollaiolo, also known as Il Cronaca, by the will of the rich merchant Castello Quaratesi. The renovation started in 1499, and was completed in 1504.

During the Siege of 1529, the church was badly damaged, and throughout the 16th century was left in a state of neglect. In 1665, the friars definitively left San Salvatore al Monte.

In 1875, Piazzale Michelangelo was built nearby.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The facade of the church, very simple and framed by the typical Tuscan cypresses, has plastered surfaces interrupted only by the portal and the gable windows.

Inside, the church has a single nave with five chapels on each side, marked by a double order of stone pilasters in Doric style. The windows, designed by Pietro Perugino, date back to the beginning of the 16th century.

On the main altar, once there was the venerated relic of Saint Francis of Assisi, the clothes that the Saint wore in 1224, when he received the stigmata at La Verna. Today, there is a wooden crucifix, work of a master of Andrea Ferrucci’s circle.

On the right side of the presbytery area, there is Cappella dei Nerli, a remarkable Renaissance structure with a barrel vault, which houses an interesting 16th-century table of the Madonna enthroned with Child, Saints and Angels by an anonymous artist.

In the second chapel on the left, there is a Deposition in glazed polychrome terracotta by Giovanni della Robbia.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Church of San Salvatore al Monte is located about 3 kilometers away from the Santa Maria Novella railway station. The closest bus stop is Galileo San Miniato, located about 150 meters away, on the bus Line 12.