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Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence

Rough unfinished brown stone church front with a brick dome behind, people crossing a sunny square
Photo: Nelson Pérez, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
Paid, basilica and Old Sacristy
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Opening hours
Daily, Sunday from early afternoon
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
45 min
With kids
Fine with kids
Highlights
Brunelleschi, Donatello, Old Sacristy
Next door
Medici Chapels, Laurentian Library, market
Time needed
40–45 minutes
Location
5 minutes from the Duomo and the station
Coordinates
43.77500, 11.25389YesGo MapGoogleApple

Key facts

393the first church on the site was consecrated
SourceEnglish Wikipedia
1419Brunelleschi began rebuilding it for the Medici
SourceEnglish Wikipedia
1421–1440the Old Sacristy was built
SourceEnglish Wikipedia
Donatellomade the bronze pulpits, his last works
SourceEnglish Wikipedia
Michelangelodesigned a façade that never got beyond a model
SourceEnglish Wikipedia

History of the Basilica of San Lorenzo

A church on this site was consecrated as early as 393, and for about three centuries it served as the city's cathedral, which makes San Lorenzo one of the oldest churches in Florence. The present building was begun in 1419 to designs by Filippo Brunelleschi, paid for by the banker Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici and his neighbours.

The Medici lived around the corner in Palazzo Medici Riccardi, and San Lorenzo became their parish church. Generation after generation they hired the best artists of the day here, from Brunelleschi and Donatello to Michelangelo, until a whole complex had grown up around the basilica, with a cloister, a library and lavish chapels.

The surprise is the front. It's still bare, rough stone. In 1518 Pope Leo X, himself a Medici, asked Michelangelo to clad it; he produced a design and a wooden model, but work never started. The model is in the Casa Buonarroti museum, and on Piazza San Lorenzo you see the undressed wall, which has a beauty of its own.

Inside: Brunelleschi and Donatello

The interior is one of the first pieces of true Renaissance architecture. Brunelleschi laid it out in clear proportions: grey pietra serena columns, white walls, round arches and a flat coffered ceiling. After the dim Gothic churches, this calm, light space struck people as a revelation.

In the nave stand Donatello's two bronze pulpits, with reliefs of the life of Christ, the great sculptor's last works and full of movement and feeling. One side chapel has Filippo Lippi's Annunciation, with lovely perspective; another holds Rosso Fiorentino's Marriage of the Virgin, striking for its unusual colours.

Left of the altar is the Old Sacristy, built by Brunelleschi in 1421–1440: a small cube of a room under a dome, worked out like a geometry problem. Donatello did the decoration, with coloured roundels, bronze doors and reliefs. It's one of the first complete Renaissance interiors anywhere.

What to see in San Lorenzo

  • Brunelleschi's nave — textbook Renaissance proportions.
  • Donatello's pulpits — two bronze pulpits in the nave.
  • Old Sacristy — the dome and Donatello's roundels.
  • Filippo Lippi's Annunciation — in the Martelli Chapel.
  • The cloister — a peaceful court with an orange tree.
  • Steps up to the Laurentian Library — designed by Michelangelo.

The cloister and the Laurentian Library

To the left of the church is a quiet arcaded cloister with an orange tree in the middle, one of the calmest spots in a busy neighbourhood. From here stairs lead up to the Laurentian Library, designed for the Medici by Michelangelo; its vestibule, with an astonishing stone staircase, is counted among the boldest architectural ideas of the 16th century.

Behind the altar, but with their own entrance, are the Medici Chapels: the vast, multicoloured marble Chapel of the Princes and Michelangelo's New Sacristy with his famous figures of Dawn, Dusk, Day and Night. See them the same day; together with the basilica they tell nearly the whole story of Medici taste.

How to get to the Basilica of San Lorenzo

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On foot

  • Laurentian Library is about 1 min away on foot.
  • Medici Chapels is about 2 min away on foot.
  • Palazzo Medici Riccardi is about 4 min away on foot.

More tips

  1. From Santa Maria Novella station, 5–7 minutes on foot.
  2. From Florence Cathedral, 4 minutes along Borgo San Lorenzo.
  3. From the Accademia Gallery, 7 minutes.
  4. The basilica entrance is the main door on Piazza San Lorenzo.

San Lorenzo market and tips

The streets around the basilica are taken over by the San Lorenzo market: rows of stalls selling leather jackets, bags, belts, scarves and souvenirs. Haggling is normal and quality varies a lot, so look carefully. A couple of minutes away is the covered Mercato Centrale: fresh food downstairs, a food hall upstairs with pasta, pizza and Florence's famous lampredotto sandwiches.

Visit the basilica in the morning before the big groups, then have lunch at the Mercato Centrale. On Sunday mornings there are services and visitors are let in only in the afternoon. Dress as for any working church, with shoulders and knees covered. Photos without flash are usually allowed.

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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 Cathedral602 hFree6 min walk
Santa Croce501 hPaid18 min walk
Santa Maria Novella481 hPaid6 min walk
Florence Baptistery4830 minCombined cathedral pass4 min walk
Basilica of San Lorenzoyou are here4645 minPaid—
Orsanmichele4530 minFree8 min walk
Santo Spirito4440 minFree17 min walk
Medici Chapels431 hPaid3 min walk
San Miniato al Monte4345 minFree34 min walk
Brancacci Chapel4130 minPaid, timed entry19 min walk
Giotto's Campanile411 hCombined cathedral pass5 min walk

The Medici quarter in half a day

The Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Laurentian Library and the Medici Chapels, then Palazzo Medici Riccardi.

  1. Basilica of San Lorenzoyou are here45 min · Paid
  2. 3 min walk from the previous stopLaurentian Library30 min · Paid
  3. 3 min walk from the previous stopMedici Chapels1 h · Paid
  4. 4 min walk from the previous stopPalazzo Medici Riccardi1 h · Paid

4 places · about 3 h 25 min with walks · 10 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby and on the way

Laurentian Library

Florence, Italy

30 min · Paid · 3 min walk

Medici Chapels

Florence, Italy

1 h · Paid · 3 min walk

Florence Baptistery

Florence, Italy

30 min · Combined cathedral pass · 4 min walk

How to do it right

  • The Medici Chapels have their own entrance.
  • Mornings are quieter.
  • The Mercato Centrale is next door.
  • Cover shoulders and knees.

Questions

What is there to see in San Lorenzo, Florence?

Brunelleschi's nave, Donatello's bronze pulpits, the Old Sacristy, Filippo Lippi's Annunciation and the cloister with the stairs to the Laurentian Library.

Why does San Lorenzo have no façade?

Michelangelo was commissioned to clad it in 1518, but work never began; only his wooden model survives.

Are the Medici Chapels included in the San Lorenzo ticket?

No, they are a separate museum with their own entrance and ticket.

How much is entry to San Lorenzo?

Entry is paid; check the current price at the door or on the basilica's official site.

How long do you need at San Lorenzo?

40 to 45 minutes including the Old Sacristy and cloister.

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: Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence and Old Sacristy
  • Official basilica site, operamedicealaurenziana.it
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 11.11.2026 ·
How we checkedHistory and works from English Wikipedia. Prices and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge.

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