Piazza della Signoria
Florence, Italy
Orsanmichele, Florence
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Photo: sailko, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Free
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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; museum on certain days
verifyingi
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
- Niche statues, Orcagna's tabernacle
- Museum
- Original statues on the upper floors
- Time needed
- 20–30 minutes
- Location
- Via dei Calzaiuoli, 3 minutes from Piazza della Signoria
Key facts
1337the grain market building went up
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English Wikipedia1380the ground floor became a church for good
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English Wikipedia14niches with statues of guild patron saints
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English Wikipedia1355–1359Andrea Orcagna made the marble tabernacle
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English WikipediaGhibertihis St John the Baptist was the first large Renaissance bronze
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English WikipediaHistory of Orsanmichele
The name Orsanmichele comes from San Michele in Orto, the church of St Michael in the vegetable garden that once stood here. The site later became the city grain market, and in 1337 a large stone building went up: an open loggia below where grain was sold, and storehouses above against lean years.
On one of the market pillars hung an image of the Virgin to which Florentines credited miracles. Devotion grew, and in 1380 the ground-floor arches were walled in and the loggia became a church. It was looked after by the guilds, the associations of merchants and craftsmen who then ran Florence.
Each guild was given a niche on the outside wall and expected to fill it with a statue of its patron saint. The guilds competed with one another and hired the best sculptors, and over a century the building's exterior turned into a showcase of Florentine sculpture from Gothic to Renaissance.
The niche statues
Walk all the way round; each side has several niches. Lorenzo Ghiberti's bronze St John the Baptist, made for the cloth merchants, was the first large bronze statue of the Renaissance. Donatello's marble St Mark, for the linen merchants, amazed people with its natural stance, and his St George became the image of the brave young hero.
One of the loveliest groups is Andrea del Verrocchio's Incredulity of St Thomas: Christ and the apostle share one niche as if in conversation. Nearby are Nanni di Banco's Four Crowned Saints, for the stonemasons' guild. Below the niches are the guild crests in coloured glazed terracotta by the della Robbia.
The niches now hold exact copies. After restoration the originals were moved to the upper floors of the building, into a museum where you can see them up close.
What to see at Orsanmichele
- Ghiberti's St John the Baptist — the first large Renaissance bronze.
- Donatello's St Mark — a marble figure in its niche.
- Verrocchio's Incredulity of St Thomas — two bronzes in one niche.
- Guild crests — coloured della Robbia terracotta.
- Orcagna's tabernacle — the marble Gothic shrine inside.
- The upstairs museum — original statues and a city view.
Inside: Orcagna's tabernacle
Inside, the church is dim and rectangular; you can tell at once it was a market. Frescoes of the guilds' patron saints survive on the vaults and pillars, and some pillars still show the openings through which grain was once poured down from the stores above.
The centrepiece is the huge Gothic tabernacle by Andrea Orcagna (1355–1359), a marble shrine decorated with carving, coloured glass mosaic and reliefs of the life of the Virgin. It frames Bernardo Daddi's Madonna, the painting that replaced the old miraculous image. In the half-light the tabernacle glows like a jewel box.
How to get to Orsanmichele
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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
- Piazza della Signoria is about 2 min away on foot.
- Palazzo Vecchio is about 2 min away on foot.
- Vasari Corridor is about 3 min away on foot.
More tips
- From Piazza della Signoria, 3 minutes along Via dei Calzaiuoli.
- From Florence Cathedral, 4 minutes.
- From Santa Maria Novella station, 12 minutes on foot.
- The church entrance is on Via dei Calzaiuoli.
Tips for your visit
Orsanmichele stands right on the main pedestrian street between the cathedral and Piazza della Signoria, so it fits into any walk. First go round the outside and find every niche, free and at any hour. Then step inside for the tabernacle.
To see more of the original statues, pair your visit with the Bargello, which holds Donatello's St George and other works that once stood in the Orsanmichele niches. Classical concerts are sometimes held in the church in the evening.
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 | 5 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Croce | 50 | 1 h | Paid | 12 min walk |
| Santa Maria Novella | 48 | 1 h | Paid | 11 min walk |
| Florence Baptistery | 48 | 30 min | Combined cathedral pass | 5 min walk |
| Basilica of San Lorenzo | 46 | 45 min | Paid | 8 min walk |
| Orsanmicheleyou are here | 45 | 30 min | Free | — |
| Santo Spirito | 44 | 40 min | Free | 12 min walk |
| Medici Chapels | 43 | 1 h | Paid | 9 min walk |
| San Miniato al Monte | 43 | 45 min | Free | 26 min walk |
| Brancacci Chapel | 41 | 30 min | Paid, timed entry | 16 min walk |
| Giotto's Campanile | 41 | 1 h | Combined cathedral pass | 4 min walk |
From the Duomo to Piazza della Signoria
The cathedral, Orsanmichele, Piazza della Signoria and the Bargello: Florence's sculpture in half a day.
- Florence Cathedral2 h · Free; dome paid
- 5 min walk from the previous stopOrsanmicheleyou are here30 min · Free
- 3 min walk from the previous stopPiazza della Signoria40 min · Free
- 4 min walk from the previous stopBargello1 h 15 min · Paid
4 places · about 4 h 37 min with walks · 12 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- The niches outside are free, always.
- Original statues are in the museum upstairs.
- The museum doesn't open daily.
- On the way from the Duomo to the Signoria.
Questions
What is Orsanmichele?
A 14th-century grain market turned into the church of the city guilds, with statues of saints in niches outside.
Which statues are at Orsanmichele?
Ghiberti's St John the Baptist, Donatello's St Mark, Verrocchio's Incredulity of St Thomas, Nanni di Banco's Four Crowned Saints and more; the niches hold copies.
Is Orsanmichele free?
Entry to the church is free; check hours and terms for the upstairs museum on the Bargello Museums site.
Where are the original Orsanmichele statues?
In the museum on the building's upper floors; Donatello's St George is in the Bargello.
How long do you need at Orsanmichele?
20 to 30 minutes, about an hour with the museum.
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: Orsanmichele
- Official Bargello Museums site, bargellomusei.it
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