Rated Churches in Florence

The church of Ognissanti, one of the first Baroque churches in Florence, dates back to a 13th-century building but was completely renovated in the 16th and 17th centuries and restored after damage by the flood of 1966.

Completely rebuilt between 1444 and 1481 by Michelozzo, the church is considered his architectural masterpiece and contains some superb works of art, although some of the artists may not be universally familiar names.

Several wealthy Florentine families commissioned Brunelleschi, the city's famous architect, to design and build a new church in the Oltrarno, and by the time of his death in 1446, building had progressed as far as the vaulting. It was completed, but not entirely to his original plans, so the austere exterior gives no hint that inside is one of the purest Renaissance churches. The side altars in the nave are resplendent with paintings, statuary, and reliefs; be sure to look back up at the rose window in the façade, Descent of the Holy Ghost, designed by Perugino.

The plain unfinished façade of Santa Maria de Carmen gives no clue to the treasures inside. Neither, in fact, does the first view of its Baroque interior, with its carvings and trompe-l'oeil ceiling. These are the result of rebuilding, after a fire in 1771 destroyed the interior. Fortunately it did not destroy the exquisite attached chapel, the Ca****la Brancacci, whose interior is decorated by 15th-century frescoes illustrating the life of St. Peter and other Biblical scenes.

The 1299 church of San Marco was largely reconstructed and the monastery completely rebuilt by the architect Michelozzo in the mid-15th century. Giambologna added the side altars, the Chapel of St. Antonino, and the Salviati Chapel in 1588. Although you'll find some notable art in the church itself - the funerary chapel of St. Antony is considered Giambologna's main architectural work, and the Byzantine mosaic Virgin in Prayer from a Rome oratory dates to 705 - the convent is why you should visit San Marco.

With all the outstanding churches right in the center of Florence, you might ask why you should take a bus or climb to this one, high above the city on the opposite side of the Arno. The answer lies both in the church and its location above Piazzale Michelangelo, the city's best viewpoint and one of the most popular things to see in Florence.

The Medici family didn't do things by halves, but even they couldn't have dreamed that their family church and mausoleum would, more than five centuries later, still be considered one of the world's greatest artistic achievements. And its highlight - Michelangelo's New Sacristy - was never even finished.

The Franciscan church of Santa Croce was built in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, its facade of inlaid colored marble added in the 1800s. Along with its exceptional frescoes and other artistic attractions, it is notable as the burial place of Florentine luminaries, including Michelangelo and Galileo.

One of Florence's most important churches, the Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella was begun in 1246 and completed over a century later. The dramatic facade of inlaid colored marble, added yet another century later, makes it the focal point of the large square that spreads out in front of it.

Most of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance had a hand in creating Florence's monumental architectural icon, the cathedral complex of the church, baptistery, and campanile. Ghiberti's exquisite bronze doors on the baptistery, Giotto's graceful bell tower, and Brunelleschi's magnificent dome are only the beginning of the treasures of the most famous church in Florence.