Badia a Settimo, Romanesque abbey in Scandicci, Italy.
Badia a Settimo is a Romanesque abbey church in Scandicci, west of Florence, with a three-nave interior supported by columns and decorated with glazed terracotta by Buglioni. The site is listed as Italian national heritage and functions today as both a church and a museum open to visitors.
The monastery was founded by Benedictines and passed to the Cistercian order in 1236 by decree of Pope Gregory IX, under the abbot Galgano Guidotti. That change shaped the development of the complex and its monastic life for the centuries that followed.
The chapel of San Jacopo holds frescoes from the early 14th century attributed to the painter Buffalmacco. A second chapel displays works by Giovanni da San Giovanni from the 17th century, showing how different generations of artists left their mark on the interior.
The abbey sits in Scandicci and is reachable by public transport from Florence. Opening times can vary depending on the liturgical calendar, so it is worth checking in advance before making the trip.
The church facade brings together three different building styles on the same wall: Romanesque decoration, a Gothic rose window, and Renaissance doorways. This is not the result of a single design choice but of repeated changes made over many centuries.
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