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Santo Spirito, Florence

Plain cream church front with a round window and a dome behind, cars and bicycles parked along the wall
Photo: Lucarelli, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
Church free; sacristy with crucifix paid
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Opening hours
By day, with a lunch break
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.
40 min
With kids
Fine with kids
Highlights
Brunelleschi's interior, Michelangelo's crucifix
Piazza
Morning market, cafés and bars
Time needed
30–40 minutes
Location
Oltrarno, 10 minutes from the Ponte Vecchio
Coordinates
43.76722, 11.24778YesGo MapGoogleApple

Key facts

1444building began to Brunelleschi's design
SourceEnglish Wikipedia
1487the basilica was largely complete
SourceEnglish Wikipedia
38side chapels line the walls
SourceEnglish Wikipedia
c. 1493the young Michelangelo carved the wooden crucifix
SourceEnglish Wikipedia
Augustiniansfriars of this order serve the basilica
SourceEnglish Wikipedia

History of Santo Spirito

An Augustinian friary stood on this site from the 13th century. In the 15th century the friars decided to build a large new church and asked Filippo Brunelleschi, creator of the cathedral dome and the Basilica of San Lorenzo, to design it. Work began in 1444, and it became his last major project; his followers finished it by 1487.

Brunelleschi had an unusual plan: rows of chapels would ring the entire church and form a rippling wall of half-round niches outside. It was never fully carried out, but the idea survives inside, where 38 side chapels wrap around the nave in an unbroken chain.

The façade was never clad; it stayed smooth and cream-coloured with a single round window. Florentines love it that way, and the plain front above the square has become a symbol of the south bank, the Oltrarno.

The interior and Michelangelo's crucifix

Inside is a light-filled hall with rows of grey pietra serena columns, round arches and white walls. Everything follows clear proportions, and many consider it Brunelleschi's most harmonious interior. The chapels hold 15th- and 16th-century altarpieces, among them Filippino Lippi's Nerli Altarpiece, with a view of old Florence in the background.

The most famous treasure is a wooden crucifix carved by Michelangelo around 1493, when he was only 17 or 18. He was living at the friary at the time and gave it to the friars. The figure is slender, light and calm, quite unlike his later marble giants. It's now displayed in the octagonal sacristy designed by Giuliano da Sangallo.

The friary keeps two cloisters, and the former refectory houses a small museum of old frescoes with a separate entrance from the square.

What to see at Santo Spirito

  • Brunelleschi's nave — columns, arches and proportion.
  • Michelangelo's crucifix — in the sacristy.
  • Sangallo's sacristy — an octagonal room.
  • Filippino Lippi's Nerli Altarpiece — with old Florence behind.
  • The plain cream front — the Oltrarno's emblem.
  • Piazza Santo Spirito — market, fountain and cafés.

The piazza and the Oltrarno

Piazza Santo Spirito is the heart of the Oltrarno, a district of artisans, restorers, bookbinders and woodworkers. There are trees, a fountain in the middle, and cafés, trattorias and bars with terraces all around. In the morning there are vegetable and flower stalls; by day it's quiet, and in the evening the young crowd gathers.

From the square it's an easy walk to the Brancacci Chapel and Masaccio's frescoes, Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. Wander the nearby streets, Via Maggio, Borgo San Jacopo and Via Santo Spirito, where workshops still restore furniture, gild frames and make paper the traditional way.

How to get to Santo Spirito

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Where are you starting from?

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On foot

  • Palazzo Pitti is about 4 min away on foot.
  • Brancacci Chapel is about 6 min away on foot.
  • Ponte Vecchio is about 8 min away on foot.

More tips

  1. From the Ponte Vecchio, 8–10 minutes on foot through the Oltrarno.
  2. From Palazzo Pitti, 5 minutes.
  3. From Santa Maria Novella station, 15 minutes via the Ponte Santa Trinita.
  4. The basilica entrance is the main door on the square.

Tips for your visit

Santo Spirito is a working parish church, so it closes for lunch and is shut to visitors on some days; check the hours. Cover shoulders and knees. Photography inside is usually not allowed, and the rule is strictly kept.

The best plan is to visit the basilica by day and come back to the square for dinner. It's good with children: the square is closed to cars, with a fountain and room to run, and ice cream and pizza all around.

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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 hFree17 min walk
Santa Croce501 hPaid21 min walk
Santa Maria Novella481 hPaid14 min walk
Florence Baptistery4830 minCombined cathedral pass15 min walk
Basilica of San Lorenzo4645 minPaid17 min walk
Orsanmichele4530 minFree12 min walk
Santo Spiritoyou are here4440 minFree—
Medici Chapels431 hPaid17 min walk
San Miniato al Monte4345 minFree28 min walk
Brancacci Chapel4130 minPaid, timed entry6 min walk
Giotto's Campanile411 hCombined cathedral pass16 min walk

The Oltrarno in half a day

Palazzo Pitti, Santo Spirito and the Brancacci Chapel, then an evening on the square.

  1. Palazzo Pitti2 h · Paid
  2. 5 min walk from the previous stopSanto Spiritoyou are here40 min · Free
  3. 6 min walk from the previous stopBrancacci Chapel30 min · Paid, timed entry

3 places · about 3 h 21 min with walks · 11 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby and on the way

Palazzo Pitti

Florence, Italy

2 h · Paid · 5 min walk

Brancacci Chapel

Florence, Italy

30 min · Paid, timed entry · 6 min walk

Ponte Vecchio

Florence, Italy

20 min · Free · 8 min walk

Palazzo Strozzi

Florence, Italy

1 h 15 min · Courtyard free, exhibitions paid · 10 min walk

How to do it right

  • Free entry to the church.
  • No photos inside.
  • Aperitivo on the square at dusk.
  • The Brancacci Chapel is nearby.

Questions

What is there to see at Santo Spirito?

Brunelleschi's interior, Michelangelo's wooden crucifix in the sacristy, Filippino Lippi's Nerli Altarpiece and the square outside.

Is Santo Spirito free?

The church is free; there's usually a small charge for the sacristy with Michelangelo's crucifix.

Why is Santo Spirito's façade so plain?

It was never clad in marble; the smooth cream front stayed as it was and became a symbol of the district.

What is there to do on Piazza Santo Spirito?

A market in the morning, and in the evening an aperitivo and dinner in the surrounding bars and trattorias.

How long do you need?

30 to 40 minutes.

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: Santo Spirito, Florence and Crucifix (Michelangelo)
  • Official basilica site, basilicasantospirito.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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