Orsanmichele Church

The Church of Orsanmichele, in Florence

The Church of Orsanmichele is a unique building of Florence, a former grain market become a church, adorned with the statues of the guilds. The Florence audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke this singular place, a true museum of Renaissance sculpture.

The grain market become church of the guilds

The Church of Orsanmichele is one of the most original buildings of Florence, halfway between the Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria. Originally, the building was not a church but a loggia sheltering the grain market of the town. It was then transformed into a church, while the upper floors served as granaries. Its particularity lies in its exterior façades, pierced with niches that shelter the statues of the patron saints of the great guilds of Florence, these powerful guilds of merchants and craftsmen that made the wealth of the town. Each guild commissioned its statue from the greatest artists of the Renaissance, including Donatello, Ghiberti and Verrocchio, making the building a true open-air museum of sculpture. Inside, you admire a magnificent Gothic tabernacle. A singular sanctuary and a jewel of art, the Church of Orsanmichele is discovered with respect.

What to see

You admire, with respect, the unique building, a former grain market become a church, whose façades are adorned with the statues of the patron saints of the guilds of Florence, commissioned from the greatest artists of the Renaissance like Donatello, Ghiberti and Verrocchio, a true museum of sculpture, and its magnificent interior Gothic tabernacle. The Church of Orsanmichele is a jewel of Florence. It is a stop to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Church of Orsanmichele lies in the heart of Florence, between the Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria, reachable on foot. You admire the statues of the façades freely from the street; the visit of the interior and the museum follows its own hours and conditions, which vary. It is best to check them before coming and to respect the character of the place.

What is particular about the Church of Orsanmichele in Florence?

It was originally a loggia sheltering the grain market, transformed into a church; its façades are adorned with the statues of the patron saints of the Florentine guilds, commissioned from the greatest artists of the Renaissance, including Donatello, Ghiberti and Verrocchio.

Where is the Church of Orsanmichele?

In the heart of Florence, between the Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria, in Italy.