I first set eyes on San Miniato back in 2002 and I was truly amazed in what I saw. As I got off the bus and Vera(our Art and Architecture teacher) started her explanation of this glorious church, I couldn't help but get starry eyes and huge smile on my face. My GOD is this a Beautiful Chiesa!

San Miniato al Monte sits upon one of the highest points in Florence. It has been conveyed as the finest Romanesque structure in Toscana and one of the most beautiful churches in Italia.

A little story about the background of this fabulous church is that San Miniato or Minas was thought to be an Armenian prince who left his home to make a pilgrimage to Rome or possibly a Greek Merchant. He was by tradition the first Evangelist and Christian martyr in Firenze. In about 250, he arrived in Firenze and took up life as a hermit. When the Emperor Decius found out about him, he was brought before the Emperor who was camped outside the gates of Firenze. The Emperor ordered him to be thrown to beasts in the Amphitheatre where a panther was called upon but refused to devour him. Beheaded in the presence of the Emperor, legend has it that after his decapitation he picked up his head, put it back on his shoulders and went to die in the cave on Monte alle Croci where he has lived as a hermit. That cave is now the location of the oratory and the church that bears his name.

A chapel was built there by the 8th century. Construction of the present church was begun in 1013 by Bishop Alibrando. It began as a Benedictine monastery, then passes to the Cluniacs and then in 1373 to the Olivetans, who still run it to this day. The monks make famous liquors, honey, and tiscanes, which they sell in a shop next to the church.

The campanile collapsed in 1499 and was replaced in 1523, sadly is was never finished. During the siege of Firenze in 1530 it was used as an artillery post by the defenders and Michelangelo had it wrapped in mattresses to protect it from enemy fire.

The center of the nave is dominated by the beautiful Cappella del Crocefisso (Chapel of the Crucifix), designed by Michelozzo in 1448. The crypt is the oldest part of the church and the high alter supposedly contains the bones of St. Minias himself. The whole complex is surrounded by defensive walls, originally built urgently by Michelangelo during the siege and in 1553 expanded into a true fortezza(fortress) by Cosimo I.

If you are ever in Firenze, I suggest making the trip up the Monte all Croci to see this magnificent church. It is free to enter, and if you get there later in the day you can hear the monks chanting in the crypt. It is a glorious sound!