Orsanmichele

Orsanmichele

Orsanmichele is a unique Gothic building set into the very heart of Florence: splendid views of the old city are framed by the large biforas on the top floor. Built in the Middle Ages to house the city grain market, it was later transformed into a church, while the upper floor is now home to a museum of the great collection of sculpture coming from the building itself.

Being one of the main building of fourteenth century Florence, Orsanmichele houses on the ground floor the oratory dedicated to San Michele in Orto (hence the name), realized by closing the original loggia of the grain market, while on the upper floors there are two large halls, formerly intended as cereal warehouses of the cereals, built by the city government to guarantee food to the Florentines and avoid famine.

The lost ancient image of the Madonna which was venerated here, was replaced by a Madonna and Child by Bernardo Daddi (1347), magnificently enshrined by Andrea di Cione, known as l’Orcagna, into a grandiose marble tabernacle (1359), a true masterpiece of Florentine Gothic sculpture. Other works of art decorating the oratory interior are the frescoed vaults (around 1389-1400), depicting characters from biblical history, and the painted images of patron saints of the Arts (guilds of arts and crafts) on the pillars of the church.

The Florentine Arts were also responsible for commissioning statues of their patron saints for the marble niches on the external facades of the building. Today, the original sculptures have been replaced by copies for conservation reasons, and the original works have been moved to the museum on the first floor, which reveals itself as an extraordinary gallery of monumental Renaissance sculpture, with bronze and marble masterpieces by great masters such as Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello, Nanni di Banco, Andrea del Verrocchio, Giambologna.

Opening hours

Monday
08.30 am - 06.30 pm
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
08.30 am - 06.30 pm
Thursday
08.30 am - 06.30 pm
Friday
08.30 am - 06.30 pm
Saturday
08.30 am - 06.30 pm
Sunday
08.30 am - 01.30 pm

Closing days

Tuesday

25 December 2025

Closed for Christmas holidays

1 January 2026

N.B. Last entry 50 minutes before closing time. On Sundays, the last entry to the church is at 12pm for religious services.

Accessibility and Public Services

Accessibility

The museum does not have facilities for disabled access.

Groups

Reservations are compulsory for school groups, up to a maximum of 25 per group + 1 accompanying person. Two groups are admitted in the morning and two in the afternoon.
Groups of visitors, up to a maximum of 20 people + 1 accompanying person/guide, are also permitted without a reservation.