San Matteo in Arcetri, Catholic church in Arcetri district, Florence, Italy.
San Matteo in Arcetri is a Catholic church located in the southern hills of Florence, positioned near historic villas and scientific institutions. The building sits along a hillside road where residential properties and vineyards surround the area.
Hermits of Saint Augustine founded a hospice on the Amidei hill in 1240; by 1269 it had become a female monastery of the order. Augustinian nuns were followed by Poor Clares, later moved to San Francesco di Paola, and from 1897 by Discalced Carmelites from San Paolino. The original convent was confiscated under the French suppressions, confirmed by the Italian government under Urbano Rattazzi, and bought by the Gondi family, who turned it into a villa.
The name Arcetri likely comes from Arce Veteri, meaning ancient fortress. Augustinian hermits founded a hospice here in 1240, which became a female monastery in 1269; the Augustinians were followed by the Poor Clares and, from 1897, by the Discalced Carmelites from San Paolino. Galileo's daughters Livia (Sister Arcangela) and Virginia (Sister Maria Celeste) lived in the convent, and Maria Celeste wrote many letters to her father from here.
The church stands on Via San Matteo in Arcetri, in the hills south of central Florence, and is reached by road rather than by a direct city-centre route. The original convent buildings were taken over after the French suppressions and later became the Gondi family villa, so the present monastic complex is a reduced remnant of the medieval foundation.
Galileo did not live in the village itself: his last years were spent in the nearby villa Il Gioiello. His daughters Virginia and Livia were nuns in this convent, Virginia as suor Maria Celeste, and from here she wrote many letters to her father.
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