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the middle of the thirteenth century, the Augustinian brothers chose
this patch of land in the Florentine Oltrarno to build first an
oratory and then a church. The brothers fit in very well with the
Florentine people, and with the passage of time the prestige of
their church grew, to the point that in 1343 it was enlarged and
decorated with frescos.
Around about 1445, the Frescobaldi family decided to finance renewal
work on the church, which was undertaken by Brunelleschi. He died
two years later, but his work was continued first by Antonio Manetti
and then by others. It was only completed in 1487, and three years
later the bell tower of Baccio d'Agnolo was added. Later additions
were the Vestibule by Cronaca, the Sacristy by Sangallo, the first
and then the second cloister.
The church of Santa Spirito has a simple but striking appearance
with its plain pale facade broken only by the rose window and the
three doors.
Inside there are as many as 38 chapels, decorated by skilled artists
as proof of the devotion of important Florentine families. The Cappella
Corsini, built in the 14th and restored in the 18th century, can
be reached via the second cloister; amongst other things, it houses
the Gothic tombs of Tommaso and Neri Corsini.
The church of Santo Spirito faces onto a large piazza of the same
name, where there is a fountain which was once in the cloister of
the convent.
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