Museo di San Marco, A Sanctuary of Renaissance Art and Devotion

Piazza San Marco 1

The cloisters of different churches have different characteristics

4.4

Introduction

The predecessor of the Saint Mark's Museum was a religious complex consisting of a church and a monastery located in the city of Florence, Italy. In the 15th century, two famous Dominican friars, Fra Angelico and Savonarola, resided in the monastery. The monastery also had a library built by Michelozzo, which housed some very valuable manuscripts. The monastery was built in the 12th century, originally managed by the Benedictine Order, then handed over to the Dominican Order brought by Fiesole. In 1435, they invited Cosimo de' Medici who lived in the nearby Medici Riccardi Palace to support the renovation of the entire complex, and two years later Michelozzo was entrusted to manage this project. With the help of others, Fra Angelico painted frescoes for each room. Medici also had a famous meditation room within the monastery. Today, this religious complex has become the famous Saint Mark's Museum, attracting a large number of tourists to visit.