San Marco Museum Florence

Religious frescoes of Fra Angelico in the convent of San Marco

The Museo di San Marco is a former monastery in Florence and the convent is now a museum with numerous religious artifacts and frescoes of the monks like Fra Angelico.

Frescoes in the Museo di San Marco

In the thirteenth century, a monastery was founded in Florence, which was expanded in 1437 when Franciscan monks were invited by Cosimo Il Vecchio moved to Firenze. The religious objects of the monks and the art from the monastery, such as the frescoes of the monk Fra Angelico, nowadays form a museum: the Museo di San Marco.

The cloister of the Museo di San Marco

Michelozzo designed the new monastery in 1437 and created many simple cloisters in it. He named the most famous Chiostro di Sant'Antonino, named after the first prior of the monastery who later became Archbishop of Florence. The frescoes in this cloister are by Poccetti and show scenes from the life of San Marco. The panels in the right corner of the corridor belong to a resident himself: the gifted Fra Angelico.

^{Museo di San Marco in Florence, convent with the famous frescoes}

^{Located on the busy Piazza San Marco}

Stopover for pilgrims

The pilgrim's stopover has traditionally been a space where pilgrims and other visitors could stay on their way to Rome. Nowadays these rooms have been transformed into a museum space, where the paintings of the museum are showed. For example, here you will find three masterpieces: Angelico's Descent from the Cross, Madonna dei Linaiuoli an altarpiece for the Santa Trinita made by the flax workers' guild and the Lamentation of Christ for the Santa Maria della Croce al Tempio.

^{One of the museum's cloisters}

^{The adjacent church of San Marco}

Other works of art in the former monastery

In the courtyard of the convent Museo di San Marco you will find the chapter house, where Angelico's restored Crucifixion with Saints hangs. One wall of the refectory is covered with the fresco The Last Supper by Ghirlandaio. Angelico's Annunciation hangs on the first floor. In the sleeping cells of the monastery you will find several frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Jesus. At the third gallery you will find a small library, which was designed by Michelozzo for Cosimo. You can also visit the Basilica di San Marco which is next to the monastery.

Tickets Museo di San Marco

Where is the San Marco Museum?