Fashion Groove Café In Incisa in val d'arno

Inside the monastic complex of Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi, which I didn't see because it was closed for restoration, there is a chapel of extraordinary beauty... the Chapel of the Giglio-Neri. Indeed, walking along Via Borgo Pinti, an anonymous doorway hides a Renaissance-era atrium. From there, you enter a "cloister," a quadriportico in the Ionic style, which is not really a cloister (in fact, it doesn't lead to any room of the monastery)... in the background stands the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi. The cloister was commissioned by Bartolomeo Scala and built by Giuliano da Sangallo in the late 15th century. To the right, in the atrium, is the entrance to the Chapel of Santa Maria del Giglio. The chapel was built during the same period as the cloister for devout women (they could enter the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi only twice a year, for special celebrations) under the patronage of the Del Giglio family. Later, in 1598, it passed to Nereo Neri, and it is to him that we owe the frescoes by Bennardo Barbatelli, known as Bennardino Poccetti... approximately 400 square meters, painted immediately, starting in 1598. The pictorial cycle is based on three distinct groups. On the ceiling, the Coronation of Mary, surrounded by a jubilation of celebrating saints (in contrast to the style favored by the Counter-Reformation, which often depicted scenes of martyrdom). On the walls are the stories of Benedictine of Clairvaux, founder of the Cistercian Order, who settled here in 1442, and of Philip Neri, depicted here even before his canonization in 1622. Also on the walls, in the upper sections, is Charity, which, along with the other Virtues (Innocence, Purity, and Virginity), are a clear reference to the Virgin Mary. On the high altar is the altarpiece of Saints Achilleus and Nereus by Domenico Cresti, known as Passignano. Today, it is owned by the FEC - Fondo Edifici di Culto (Fund for Buildings of Worship), and the services are entrusted to the Augustinian Fathers of the Assumption. The visit, following a successful restoration funded by the Ministry of Culture, which took place between 2024 and 2025 in just 10 months, was made possible thanks to an initiative by the Superintendence of Fine Arts. Its staff organized guided tours of the construction site and then, once the work was completed, free of charge. This wonderful initiative has opened the doors to a "gem" otherwise hidden from most. For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that in this monastic complex, in the part now used as a school, the Liceo Michelangelo, and specifically in what was once the chapter house, there is a fresco by Perugino, the Crucifixion. Visits are only possible on certain occasions (see the MIC - Ministry of Culture website).

This is closed due to renovations until end of 2026

Fantastic news! The restoration work on the Cappella Del Giglio-Neri has been completed. The conservation work focused on the interior decorations, bringing to light the frescoes painted by Bernardino Poccetti, born Bernardo Barbatelli, an artist active between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century. The pictorial cycle is organized into three main elements: the Coronation of Mary, the stories of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, founder of the Cistercian order, and those of Philip Neri, depicted even before his canonization, which took place in 1622. The central nucleus of the figurative expression is present in the dome, where Bernardino Poccetti painted a lively scene of the Coronation of Mary surrounded by a crowded group of joyful and happy saints. This pictorial representation was created in a period of transition between the Counter-Reformation and the Baroque, in which the devotional and celebratory practices of the patronal Neri family were placed at a point of balance in the artist's lively expressive narrative.

The church is currently undergoing conservative restoration and the little that has been seen of the interior allows us to imagine the great beauty for those lucky enough to be able to visit it when the works are finished.