Santo Spirito
Florence, Italy
Brancacci Chapel, Florence
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Photo: Masaccio, Masolino und Fra Filippo Lippi, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Paid, timed booking
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Opening hours
- By day, not every day
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 30 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Highlights
- Expulsion from Eden, Tribute Money
- Artists
- Masaccio, Masolino, Filippino Lippi
- Time needed
- About 30 minutes
- Location
- Oltrarno, Piazza del Carmine
Key facts
c. 1424–1427Masolino and Masaccio painted the chapel
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English Wikipedia1480sFilippino Lippi completed the cycle
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English Wikipedia1771the chapel survived a fire in the church
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English Wikipedia1980srestoration brought back the bright colours
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English WikipediaMichelangelocopied Masaccio's figures here as a youth
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English WikipediaHistory of the Brancacci Chapel
The chapel in the Carmelite church of Santa Maria del Carmine was commissioned by the wealthy merchant and diplomat Felice Brancacci. Around 1424 two painters began work: the experienced Masolino and his young colleague Masaccio, barely into his twenties. The subject was the life of St Peter.
A few years later work stopped: Masolino left, Masaccio went to Rome, and Brancacci himself soon fell out with the Medici and was banished from the city. The chapel stood unfinished for more than half a century until Filippino Lippi, son of the painter Filippo Lippi, completed it in the 1480s, so carefully that his parts aren't easy to tell from his predecessors'.
In 1771 a fire badly damaged the Carmine church, but the chapel survived. The frescoes were darkened by soot, and only a major restoration in the 1980s revealed their true bright colours. Today it's one of the most important monuments of early Renaissance painting, sometimes called the Sistine Chapel of the early Renaissance.
Masaccio's frescoes: why they matter
Before Masaccio, figures in frescoes looked flat and weightless. He was the first to paint people as solid and heavy, with shadows cast from a single light source, as if light were falling from the chapel's real window. His figures stand firmly on the ground, and the landscape and buildings recede according to the rules of perspective.
The most famous scene is the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden: Adam covers his face with his hands, Eve cries out in grief, and there's more raw feeling in them than Italian painting had ever shown. Next to it is the Tribute Money, with the apostles standing in a semicircle around Christ while Peter, in three episodes within one picture, finds a coin in a fish and pays the tax collector.
Later generations of artists came here to learn. Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli and then Michelangelo all copied Masaccio's figures; the young Michelangelo's drawings show how closely he studied them.
What to see in the Brancacci Chapel
- Expulsion from the Garden of Eden — Masaccio, on the left entrance pier.
- The Tribute Money — the large upper scene on the left.
- The Temptation of Adam and Eve — Masolino, facing the Expulsion.
- St Peter Healing with His Shadow — Masaccio, by the altar.
- Filippino Lippi's scenes — the lower tier.
- Madonna del Popolo — the old icon on the altar.
The Oltrarno and the Carmine church
The chapel is in the Oltrarno, the district beyond the Arno on the south bank. It's a neighbourhood of artisans, workshops, small trattorias and quiet squares, with far fewer tourists than around the cathedral. The church of Santa Maria del Carmine is plain outside, with an unfinished front, and bright inside, redecorated in 18th-century Baroque after the fire.
Nearby, look into the basilica of Santo Spirito, Brunelleschi's last church, whose square fills with locals in the evening. Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens are also close, so the chapel slots easily into a day on the south bank.
How to get to the Brancacci Chapel
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Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Santo Spirito is about 6 min away on foot.
- Palazzo Pitti is about 10 min away on foot.
- Ponte Vecchio is about 12 min away on foot.
More tips
- From the Ponte Vecchio, 12 minutes on foot through the Oltrarno.
- From Santa Maria Novella station, 15 minutes via the Ponte alla Carraia.
- From Palazzo Pitti, 10 minutes.
- The entrance is to the right of the church front on Piazza del Carmine.
Tips for your visit
The chapel is small and the frescoes run in two tiers, so take time over the upper scenes, where Masaccio's key works are. A short film on the history of the paintings is usually shown before you go in; it helps you see who painted which part.
Photos without flash are usually allowed. Mornings are best, followed by lunch in an Oltrarno trattoria. Children won't know much about Masaccio, but they tend to like the scene where Peter finds a coin in a fish's mouth, so tell them the story before you go in.
Before you go
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Florence's churches: compare and choose
Churches and basilicas in Florence rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Florence Cathedral | 60 | 2 h | Free | 20 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Croce | 50 | 1 h | Paid | 26 min walk |
| Santa Maria Novella | 48 | 1 h | Paid | 14 min walk |
| Florence Baptistery | 48 | 30 min | Combined cathedral pass | 18 min walk |
| Basilica of San Lorenzo | 46 | 45 min | Paid | 19 min walk |
| Orsanmichele | 45 | 30 min | Free | 16 min walk |
| Santo Spirito | 44 | 40 min | Free | 6 min walk |
| Medici Chapels | 43 | 1 h | Paid | 18 min walk |
| San Miniato al Monte | 43 | 45 min | Free | 34 min walk |
| Brancacci Chapelyou are here | 41 | 30 min | Paid, timed entry | — |
| Giotto's Campanile | 41 | 1 h | Combined cathedral pass | 18 min walk |
The Oltrarno in half a day
The Brancacci Chapel and Santo Spirito, then Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens.
- Brancacci Chapelyou are here30 min · Paid, timed entry
- 6 min walk from the previous stopSanto Spirito40 min · Free
- 5 min walk from the previous stopPalazzo Pitti2 h · Paid
- 8 min walk from the previous stopBoboli Gardens1 h 45 min · Paid
4 places · about 5 h 14 min with walks · 19 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- Book a slot in advance.
- Entrance to the right of the church.
- Masaccio's best work is in the upper tier.
- Santo Spirito is nearby.
Questions
What is the Brancacci Chapel famous for?
Masaccio and Masolino's frescoes of the 1420s, which launched Renaissance painting, above all the Expulsion from Eden and the Tribute Money.
Where is the Brancacci Chapel?
In the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in the Oltrarno, south of the Arno; the entrance is to the right of the church front.
Do you need to book the Brancacci Chapel?
Yes, ideally in advance: visits are in small timed groups.
Who painted the Brancacci Chapel?
Masolino and Masaccio around 1424–1427; Filippino Lippi finished it in the 1480s.
How long do you need?
About 30 minutes including the short film.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia: Brancacci Chapel and Masaccio
- Florence civic museums, musefirenze.it
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