Everywhere you turn as you explore Florence, three themes appear in various combinations. The themes of A(art), P(politics), & R(religion) are easy to spot when you start looking.
Photo 01 – A & R All medieval and a great deal of Renaissance art features religious subjects. This image is by Fra. Angelico at the convent of San Marco
Photo 02 – R & A Another example of Fra. Angelico’s frescoes
Photo 03 – R & A. These are the original bronze doors to the Babistry of San Giovanni by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
Photo 04 – R & P. One of the most powerful families of Florence for centuries paid to have a lavish church built near their palace. The Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Medici family were tied together forever.
Photo 05 – R & P At the end of the 1400s, the people of Florence wanted to throw off the shackles of Medici rule. They found a leader in the mesmerizing monk, Savonarola. They traded secular tyranny for religious fundamentalism. It only lasted for a short time. He was burned at the stake in May 1498.
Photo 06 – Themes – A & P. The first great poet of Florence was Dante. He sided with the losing party in a political war and was exiled for the remainder of his life.
Photo 07 – A & P. In front of the Piazza Vecchio are two iconic statues, both there as a result of politics. The meanings of the two are long and complicated, but one is pro-Medici, and the other is anti-Medici.
Photo 08 – R, A, &P Another complicated story that involves the Medici, the Pope, and an anti-pope and two great sculptures. Medici support for the anti-Pope John XXIII continued after his death. They asked permission to build a small tomb for him in the Babistry of St. John. The Pope wasn’t happy, but agreed. This huge tomb was made by Donatello and Michelozzo.
Photo 09 – R, A, & P Our last example is the gaudy, over-wrought Tomb of the Princes in San Lorenzo. The Medici started as bankers, but they ended up as royalty and were entombed in the grand display of extravagance.
