# Santo Spirito, Florence > Santo Spirito is a basilica in the Oltrarno and Brunelleschi's last major work; behind its plain cream front lies one of the most harmonious Renaissance interiors anywhere. It holds a wooden crucifix carved by the young Michelangelo, and the square outside is a favourite with locals. Entry to the church is free; allow 30 to 40 minutes. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santo-spirito - City: [Florence](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence), Italy - YesGo score: 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 40 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Church free; sacristy with crucifix paid - Opening hours: By day, with a lunch break - 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, 11.24778 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1444** — building began to Brunelleschi's design (source: English Wikipedia) - **1487** — the basilica was largely complete (source: English Wikipedia) - **38** — side chapels line the walls (source: English Wikipedia) - **c. 1493** — the young Michelangelo carved the wooden crucifix (source: English Wikipedia) - **Augustinians** — friars of this order serve the basilica (source: English 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](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/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 in the evening** Piazza Santo Spirito comes alive towards evening: locals fill the bars and trattorias, and people sit on the church steps and around the fountain. It's one of the best places in Florence for an aperitivo, without the tourist bustle of the centre. On weekday mornings a small market sets up, and weekends sometimes bring craft fairs. ## 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](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/brancacci-chapel) and Masaccio's frescoes, [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/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 1. From the [Ponte Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/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. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Check the basilica's opening hours - [ ] Cover shoulders and knees - [ ] Find Michelangelo's crucifix in the sacristy - [ ] Wander the Oltrarno workshops - [ ] Come back to the square for an aperitivo ## Florence's churches: compare and choose Churches and basilicas in Florence rated by YesGo. - [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Free; dome paid - [Santa Croce](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-croce) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Paid - [Santa Maria Novella](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-maria-novella) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [Florence Baptistery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-baptistery) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Combined cathedral pass - [Basilica of San Lorenzo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-lorenzo) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Paid - [Orsanmichele](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/orsanmichele) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Santo Spirito](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santo-spirito) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Medici Chapels](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/medici-chapels) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [San Miniato al Monte](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-miniato) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Brancacci Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/brancacci-chapel) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid, timed entry - [Giotto's Campanile](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/giottos-campanile) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Combined cathedral pass ## The Oltrarno in half a day Palazzo Pitti, Santo Spirito and the Brancacci Chapel, then an evening on the square. 1. [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Paid 2. [Santo Spirito](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santo-spirito) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free 3. [Brancacci Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/brancacci-chapel) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid, timed entry ## Don't mix it up Santo Spirito is a basilica, a square and a slice of the Oltrarno: when Florentines say "see you at Santo Spirito", they usually mean the square and its bars rather than the church. ## Tips - 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. ## How we checked History and works from English Wikipedia. Prices and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Santo Spirito, Florence and Crucifix (Michelangelo) - Official basilica site, basilicasantospirito.it --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.