San Miniato al Monte

Tonight I joined a free Italian guided tour of San Miniato al Monte, led by one of the teachers at my school. I thought it would take an hour or so but by the time we finished, almost three hours had passed. What a happy and unexpected surprise!

We took a short bus ride to Piazzale Michelangelo which is right in front of the basilica of San Miniato al Monte. The views from the piazza are stunning. Even though it was a cloudy and rainy day, I still had by breath taken away by the Florentine rooftops.

The imposing dome of Santa Maria del Fiore (aka il Duomo)

 The Arno River, with its many bridges, separates two sides of central Florence

La basilica di San Miniato al Monte

 

Built in the early 1000's, this Roman church houses some of the remains of St. Minias, an Armenian king who died in martyrdom in Florence. The crypt contains, among his relics, "recycled" ancient Roman columns and wall paintings. Benedictine monks perform a mass with Gregorian chants there everyday at 5:30pm.

The floor of the entranceway comprises of intricate mosaic tiles depicting real and fantastical animals. In one of the sections, a zodiac is depicted with the sun in the middle, representing God. There is a clear eastern influence as Christianity was led both by Rome and Constantinople during this time, with artists hailing from many different countries. The Medici family funded the small temple you see housing the altar and remnants of a sacred cross.