Venerabile Arciconfraternita della Misericordia di Firenze, Medieval charitable brotherhood in Florence, Italy

The Venerabile Arciconfraternita della Misericordia is a charitable organization in Florence that has served the community for centuries. It operates ambulance services, runs nursing homes, rents medical equipment, and manages food distribution programs for those in need.

The confraternity traces its foundation to the preaching of St. Peter Martyr in Florence, with its archive dating the founding to 1244 as a branch of the Societas Fidei. In 1321 it obtained a seat in a palazzo facing the Baptistery, and after the 1348 plague added an oratory and loggia. A 1329 provision of the Commune granted the brothers the right to elect their captains. In 1425 it merged with the Bigallo, separating again in 1489.

Florentines call the confraternity simply "La Misericordia", a name that spread abroad: a Misericordia Lusitana was founded in Lisbon in 1498, followed by similar foundations in France, Spain and, in 1539, the Santa Casa di Misericordia di Olinda in Brazil. Members are called brothers, and until April 2006 they wore the black dress dating from the 17th century, now kept for representation ceremonies.

The headquarters has stood since 1576 in the former offices of the Uffiziali dei Pupilli, beside Giotto's Campanile; the building was remodelled by Alfonso Parigi, and an oratory was added in 1781 to a design by Stefano Diletti. Brothers still run part of the city's patient transport, so vehicles and crews come and go at all hours. The black dress of the seventeenth century is now worn only at representation ceremonies.

This organization holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating private voluntary institution in the world, maintaining its mission for over eight centuries without interruption. Such longevity makes it a rare example of continuity in a constantly changing city.