Stories of the life of S. Benedict, Medieval fresco series in San Miniato al Monte, Florence, Italy.

The Stories of the Life of S. Benedict are sixteen frescoes painted by Spinello Aretino in 1387 on the walls and vault of the square sacristy of San Miniato al Monte in Florence, a room completed that same year with a cross vault resting on four corner pillars. The scenes fill the middle and upper registers of the four walls, read from left to right and top to bottom starting from the wall opposite the entrance, and the four Evangelists are painted in the vault. The cycle is the earliest complete depiction of the saint's life in Tuscany.

Spinello Aretino created these frescoes between 1387 and 1388 after leaving Arezzo when the city fell under military siege. The works emerged during a turbulent period and show the artist's skill as he sought new opportunities in Florence.

The sixteen frescoes are read left to right, top to bottom, starting on the wall facing the entrance. The cycle begins with the young Benedict leaving for Rome and ends with his death; the vault above shows the four Evangelists. The sacristy also holds a wooden cupboard of about 1387, enlarged in 1472 by the Arte di Calimala.

The frescoes are located in the sacristy of San Miniato al Monte church, reached by climbing steps to one of Florence's highest points. Plan time for the climb and expect narrow spaces, but the views on the way are worth the effort.

The wooden cupboard in the sacristy was commissioned by Benedetto di Nerozzo degli Alberti, as recorded in a codicil dated 11 July 1387 and kept at the State Archives of Florence. It was enlarged in 1472 for the Arte di Calimala and restored with Neo-Gothic additions around 1860.