Orsanmichele
chiesa di Orsanmichele · 피렌체
Contents
9 sections · tap a section for its opening lines1Orientation2:45
Welcome to Or-san-mee-kay-lay, one of the most intriguing and structurally unique buildings in all of Florence. Its very name is a contraction of 'San Mee-kay-lay in Or-toh'—Saint Michael in the Garden—recalling an eighth-century…
Listen in the app2The Loggia & The Granary Roots2:18
To understand the architecture of Or-san-mee-kay-lay, we must look past the windows and imagine the building as it appeared in the mid-fourteenth century. At that time, the large ground-floor arches were completely open to the…
Listen in the app3Donatello’s Saint George — The Birth of Psychology2:14
We now come to one of the most revolutionary spots in the history of art. While the statue in this niche is a copy—the original having been moved to the Bargello Museum for preservation—it marks the location of Donatello’s Saint…
Listen in the app4Donatello’s Saint Mark — The Master of Perspective2:07
On the southern facade, we encounter another Donatello masterpiece: Saint Mark, commissioned by the Linen Drapers' Guild in 1411. This statue is famous for a particular anecdote that reveals Donatello’s genius for understanding…
Listen in the app5Ghiberti & The Gothic Transition2:05
As we move to the niches featuring the work of Lorenzo Ghee-ber-tee, such as the statue of Saint John the Baptist, we see a different side of the early 1400s. Ghee-ber-tee was the most famous bronze caster in the city, the man…
Listen in the app6Verrocchio & The Da Vinci Connection2:01
One of the most complex niches is the 'Incredulity of Saint Thomas' by An-dray-ah del Ver-rok-kee-oh, completed in 1483. This group of two figures replaced an earlier statue by Donatello, and it represents the 'High Renaissance'…
Listen in the app7Interior: The Tabernacle of Orcagna2:09
Step inside the dim, hallowed interior of Or-san-mee-kay-lay, and you are immediately struck by a masterpiece that seems to glow in the darkness: the Tabernacle of Or-cah-nyah. Created by Andrea di Cione, known as Or-cah-nyah,…
Listen in the app8The Museum & The Upper Floors2:08
To see the 'real' Or-san-mee-kay-lay, one must ascend to the first floor, which now houses the Museum of Sculpture. In the 1980s, it was realized that the original statues in the exterior niches were being slowly destroyed by air…
Listen in the app9Closing1:57
As we conclude our visit to Or-san-mee-kay-lay, take a moment to look back at this unusual, towering cube of stone. It stands as a profound symbol of the Florentine character—a people who were as deeply pragmatic as they were…
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What is Orsanmichele?
Orsanmichele is a place in 피렌체 with 9 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.
| Location | 피렌체 |
|---|---|
| Type | Heritage |
| Story sections | 9 |
| Total length | 19 min 44 s in all |
| Text language | English |
| Coordinates | 43.7707, 11.2551 |
| Last updated |
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