San Giuseppe, Baroque church in Florence, Italy

San Giuseppe is a Baroque church on Via San Giuseppe near Piazza Santa Croce in Florence. Its 1759 facade is pale yellow stucco on a grey stone base, with smooth Tuscan pilasters, a triangular pediment and a sculpted figure in a niche above the brown wooden doors. Inside, a single nave under a frescoed barrel vault ends in an apse with a gilded organ case of 1764.

Construction began under architect Baccio d'Agnolo and the facade was completed in 1759 after the project went through multiple building phases. This long construction period reflects the complexity involved in realizing such large church buildings.

The name San Giuseppe refers to Saint Joseph; the church was consecrated in 1522 to him and to Santa Maria del Giglio. In the left chapels, a painted crucifix attributed to Lorenzo Monaco was carried by the Battuti Neri, hooded penitents who accompanied condemned prisoners along via dei Malcontenti to the scaffold outside the Porta alla Giustizia.

The church sits near Piazza Santa Croce, making it easy for visitors to locate and access. You can explore the interior freely and observe the artworks displayed on walls and ceilings throughout the space.

The medieval painted crucifix attributed to Lorenzo Monaco, the only surviving work from the old oratory, was carried by the Battuti Neri as they accompanied condemned prisoners along via dei Malcontenti to the scaffold outside the Porta alla Giustizia; the street's name comes from that procession.