San Firenze Complex

The San Firenze complex, with its theatrical façade, is one of the city’s leading examples of Baroque architecture. In 1640 the Oratorian Fathers were given this land, named after the church of San Firenze, a corruption of San Fiorenzo. They built a large complex dedicated to the Florentine Saint Philip Neri, founder of the order, canonised in 1622 and a prominent figure in the Counter-Reformation. Until 2012 the complex housed the law courts. Today it is home to several institutions, including the Franco Zeffirelli Foundation Museum, dedicated to the celebrated director. This ambitious undertaking stretched over many years, with contributions by Pietro da Cortona, Pier Francesco Silvani, Ferdinando Ruggieri and Zanobi del Rosso. The pietra forte sandstone façade, crowned at its centre by the arms of the Serragli family, the order’s main benefactors, forms a theatrical backdrop to the square. The church on the left has a richly decorated interior conceived as a unified design, with works by leading Florentine artists of the 17th and 18th centuries. Episodes from Saint Philip Neri’s life are the principal decorative theme. On the right is the Music Hall. Its choir galleries in the exedras and along the side walls recall the room’s original purpose, devoted mainly to music and the singing of laudi. According to Saint Philip Neri’s teachings, music should have a fundamental role in the liturgy and beyond.