The
exact date when the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte was constructed is
not known, but it is thought that building started on a Benedictine abbey
around about 1015; the date 1207 marked into the paving indicates the
year in which the essential parts of the work are presumed to have been
completed. In 1499 the original bell tower collapsed, and in 1518 it was
replaced by the one designed by Baccio d'Agnolo, which was never completed.
The church and the convent belong to the Olivatans, a Benedictine congregation
whose central base is at Monte Oliveto.
Picture by Sandro Santioli
Translated by Jeremy Carden
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