A VISIT TO: St. Miniato al Monte

            It was a very convenient coincidence- I was able to go on a tour with my Cultural Introduction to Italy Class, with Martina Ghiandelli as the tour guide- to San Miniato al Monte. While, honestly as the tour began I had no idea where we where going, I knew from the beginning that it was going to be a hike (although Martina was wearing heels). As we climbed the hill up to the church, I knew that at the very least - there would be a great view. Little did I know- St. Miniato al Monte would be my new favorite church in all of Firenze (so far).

            Since this was a tour - I was able to learn about much of the history behind the church such as how and why it was built. I learned that is it considered to be one of the finest Romanesque basilicas in Tuscany. I was surprised to learn that St. Minias was an Armenian prince serving in the Roman army and was denounced as a Christian after becoming a hermit. The most exciting part of his story was that the Emperor ordered him to be thrown into the Amphitheatre with a panther, but the panther would not kill him! Therefore the Emperor, did something much less exciting, and just beheaded him (lame). Due to the story as well of the character of St. Minias, his friend, Bishop Alibrando started building him this beautiful church in 1013.

            While this story was very interesting and caught my attention- seeing it for yourself is a whole different story. First of all, the view was brilliant (in my opinion better then Piazza de Michelangelo). Second, the church’s style of art was very tasteful I thought (I am comparing it to the artwork in the Duomo and baptistery which I did not like so much). You can see in one of my pictures, there is a magnificent golden mosaic at the apse of the church, as Martina told us, it depicts Christ between the Virgin and St. Minias and Christ is surrounded by four winged creachers.  This was my favorite part of the inside of the church. The crypt was also interesting to visit because I learned that it is the oldest part of the church and maybe even contains the bones of St. Minias himself! (But who knows for sure). I also thought the frescos where a nice touch- some of them where not finished which gave the church a very authentic feel - almost as if you where back in the time period when they where being created. Not to mention the cemetery in the back was very charming place to be dead.  Overall the church of St. Miniato al Monte is a very beautiful place to visit as well as has a very interesting history, making it one of my new favorite places in Firenze.

-Claire Shumaker