Ex monastero di Santa Verdiana, Medieval monastery in Florence, Italy.
The former monastery of Santa Verdiana is a building complex in Florence featuring octagonal pillars, acanthus leaf capitals, and a central courtyard that brings together architectural elements from different periods. The structure sits between several streets in the city center and displays the typical layout of a medieval monastery with a cloister and church.
The monastery was founded in 1391 by a notary for Vallombrosan nuns and received official protection from Florence's government in 1402. After suppression by Napoleon in 1808, it was converted into a slaughterhouse and later became a women's prison before eventually being preserved as a historical site.
The name comes from Saint Verdiana, a locally venerated figure whose spiritual life shaped the place's religious purpose. Walking through the remaining spaces, visitors can sense how this location once anchored the spiritual rhythm of the city.
The monastery sits between Via dell'Agnolo, Via Santa Verdiana, Piazza Ghiberti, and Largo Annigoni, close to the Sant'Ambrogio market. This central location makes it accessible on foot from many parts of Florence, especially when walking between the city's main attractions and neighborhoods.
The monastery church once held important artworks, including a version of The Baptism of Christ now displayed in the Uffizi Gallery. This relocation reveals how Florence moved religious paintings to its major museums, transforming the spaces where they originally belonged.
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