Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova

The Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova (i.e. Ospedale di Santa Maria Nuova in Italian) is the oldest hospital still active in Florence, Italy.

The hospital was founded in 1288 by Folco Portinari, the father of Beatrice beloved by Dante. Folco was convinced to build the hospital by Monna Tessa, matriarch of the family, whose remains are buried under the tombstone is still visible in the Cloister of the Bones of the Hospital.

This is one of the oldest and most important Florentine welfare institutions which became over the centuries very rich and powerful, thanks to the many legacies and donations. Besides the historical perspective, the hospital has a rich artistic legacy due to the profusion of decorations by some of the best Florentine artists over the centuries. Unfortunately, hospital needs have in many instances come into conflict with the need for conservation of artistic works. As such, there are many masterpieces in museums located nearby, such as Spedale degli Innocenti and San Marco Museum. The hospital was divided into two areas, female (woman's ward) and male (men's ward), and can accommodate about two hundred patients.

In the fifteenth century, the hospital enjoyed remarkable economic prosperity and in 1419 received a visit from Pope Martin V. In 1420 the addition of the cloister of the medical center by Bicci di Lorenzo marked a major transformation and expansion of the original building. The addition still has a terracotta lunette depicting the Pietà by Giovanni della Robbia and clay sculpture with the Madonna with Child and two angels, attributed to Michelozzo. In the early decades of the fifteenth century the aisles were decorated by Niccolò di Pietro Gerini with frescoes that are now partially preserved in the original locations and some were detached and placed in the living roomof Pope Martin V where they now have the office of the hospital president. In the Cloister of the Bones was a detached fresco representing Last Judgment by Fra Bartolomeo, now at San Marco Museum.

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