By the Middle Ages, the Florentine republic was ruled by a council, known as the signoria. The signoria was chosen by the gonfaloniere (titular ruler of the city), who was elected every two months by Florentine guild members.  Below is the robe and shoes typically worn by the counsil members.

 

The magnificent Salone dei Cinquecento.  Absolutely amazing!

 

My tour group got to climb into the rafters over the main Salone and marveled not only at the engineering feat, but the fact that most of these timbers were placed in the 14th century.  Oh, what this lumber has endured–manmade and natural.

 

 

 

Dante’s death mask below.

 

The painted ceiling of the room in which the Dante mask is stored.

I posted an appetizer for this lovely, historic masterpiece in Florence yesterday.  Here’s the real entry.

Inside the church is Andrea Orcagna’s bejeweled Gothic Tabernacle (1355-59) encasing a repainting by Bernardo Daddi’s of an older icon of the Madonna and Child.

The ceiling paintings of the central square interior on the ground floor.  This special building in Florence was initially a palazzo, which became the city’s main granary, and later was transformed into this gorgeous church.  It is about halfway between the Duomo and the Palazzo Vecchio, occupying a central place in the city and religious spheres of Florence.

Stained glass doesn’t play a prominent role in Florentine medieval architecture, as it does, for example in France.  Yet Orscanmichele has some gorgeous stained glass.

Orcagna’s frame surrounding the beautiful  painting is breathtaking in its beauty.

 

This opening shown below  is place in the building from which the grain was distributed.

For art historians, Orsanmichele means sculpture.  Some of the finest works of late Gothic through Renaissance works were created for this edifice, and remain within its walls.

Verrochio’s masterpiece, Christ with Doubting Thomas, can be appreciated up close, as can all of the sculptural works created for the building’s exterior niches.

The other works are equally accessible and lovely.

The hike to the 3rd floor is only for the fit.  But, what a payoff!  The vistas of surrounding Florence will take your breath away as well.  Only in a good way.

Find the days the church is open and by any means necessary--vai!