introduction
San Miniato al Monte is locatied on a hillside overlooking Florence. Built from 1018-63, 300 years before the official begining of the Rennaissance, it's form is considered a precursor to the Rennaissance called Romanesque, reflecting the Roman sense of architectural form.
The spatial qualities of the church at S.Miniato breaks away from the long, empty rectangle of Early Chrisitan churches. Here the walls on the colonnedes break up the continuous space into smaller rectangles. It shows the beginning of the Italian Romanesque architecture which is more complex and visually satisfying.*
July 20, 2004
reflection: visiting miniato
The anticipation and excitement grew as I ascended up the winding drive on a quiet bus to S. Miniato al Monte. I had waited on a busy little side street in the shadow of the Druomo for the first bus, transfered just on the other side of the Arno to finish to journey up al monte.
The gravel stairs crunched underfoot walking up several sets of wide stairs to the front of the church. It peeked above the horizon, first the lantern with the eagle on top then the first story and then the front entrance a few dozen feet from the top of the stairs.
I was anxious to see the marble facade that had inspired the facades of other famous churches below, San Maria Novello and Santa Maria del Fiore. I found out later that St. John's baptistry actually inspired the facade on Miniato. It wasn't really the most engaging aspect of the visit once I got there.
Inside I went up to the alter looking for another feature mentioned in a guide book I had read on the bus ride. The raised alter over the crypt. It took a while to see that the stairs on both sides of the alter led down to the crypt and the alter indeed floated above the large crypt area below.
I investigated the crypt and found that I loved the art work and the architectural features very much. The capitols on the columns were Egyptian lotus flowers. They felt ancient and thin. I could sense the complex connections between the immense Roman empire and their conquests in Egypt and the architects love for the forms of the past. The enire crypt was filled with columns webbed together with beautiful, curving vaults. The frescoes behind the crypt alter provided a quiet narrative in early Rennaisance style.
The ceiling in the entire transept is ceramic tile, maybe even majolica, all by della Robbia. I loved the near eastern look of the patterns and the bright colors.
The sun shown over my shoulder onto the massive mosaic above the alter. Turning to leave the church the air was golden. As I moved out through the simple wooden doorway the sun was setting over Florence. It was moving to look out over the city and ponder, as everyone does, the place where so much creativity and beauty resides.
Florence is always a part of the painting and design that I do. I feel as though the city is my teacher. Now I can add another face and voice to those that I already cherish.