The Basilica of San Lorenzo (Italian: Basilica di San Lorenzo) was a major church located in Florence, Italy and the burial place of the prominent members of the Medici family, including Lorenzo de' Medici.
History
Construction
San Lorenzo claims to be the oldest church in Florence, consecrated in 393 while still outside the city walls.
Michelangelo designed the inner facade, while Filippo Brunelleschi, the creator of Santa Maria del Fiore's dome, designed the layout. He died before the church was finished and several of his designs were subsequently modified.
Containing nearly fifty tombs, the Medici crypt was intended to house the Holy Sepulchre containing the body of Christ at its centre. However, attempts to buy it and, then, to steal it from Jerusalem failed.
Bonfire of the Vanities
During 1494 Girolamo Savonarola seized control of Florence; his Captain Guard then laid a trap at San Lorenzo. Any dissidents who sought to slay the Captain were forced to fight within its enclosed cloister, facing not just the Guard Captain but large numbers of other guards and archers. Many individuals fell victim to the trap, until in 1497, the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze was able to kill the Captain.
Trivia
- A glyph can be found on the building.