Florence - Basilica San Lorenzo

By Mark Sukhija

The Basilica San Lorenzo was consecrated by St Ambrose of Milan in 393 as the first cathedral of Florence. The Cathedral was rebuilt in the 11th Century. Fillipo Brunelleschi started the restructuring the Cathedral in 1418 which was completed by Antonio Manetti in 1461. Under the Dome, an inscription records the burial of Cosimo il Vecchio di Medici. While the exterior of the Cathedral is past it's glory days, the Basilica remains a masterpiece of Florentine Rennaisance and includes works by Donatello, Fillipo Lippi, Desidero da Sattignano, Rosso Fiorentino and Bronzino. The Old Sacristy contains the Verrochio's monument to Giovanni and Piero de Medici and was designed by Brunelleschi and decorated by Donatello. Through the Chapel of the Princes, you can enter Michelangelo's New Sacristy which houses the tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent. The Laurentian Library is accessed through the 15th Century Cloister.