San Giorgio alla Costa church restored, rare example of baroque in Florence

A three-year restoration project involving the decorative apparatus of the Church of San Giorgio e Spirito Santo alla Costa in Florence has been completed. The building is a rare example of Baroque art in the Tuscan capital; it was built before the year 1000 and was one of the main priories of medieval Florence.

The restoration was made possible thanks to the contribution of Fondazione CR Firenze, which provided 274,000 euros in resources. It involved ten restorers and ten laborers to consolidate, clean and restore the entire stucco and marble decorative apparatus, which includes the 17th-century decorated wooden ceiling and the large oval altarpiece by Anton Domenico Gabbiani above the high altar.

The work also included the creation of a modern lighting system so that the beauty of the church can now be fully enjoyed.

The young Giotto executed for this building the altarpiece depicting the Madonna and Child Enthroned and Two Angels, now in the Diocesan Museum of Santo Stefano al Ponte. Having belonged to the canons of Sant’Andrea in Mosciano, the Dominicans and the Silvestrini, in 1520 the convent was granted to the Vallombrosian nuns, who dedicated it to the Holy Spirit. The architectural structure of the church was later renovated by Giovan Battista Foggini in the late 17th century: the Baroque ceiling is by Alessandro Gherardini with a depiction of the Glory of St. George and the high altar oval with the Descent of the Holy Spirit by Anton Domenico Gabbiani.

San Giorgio alla Costa church restored, rare example of baroque in Florence

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