{"id":289,"date":"2014-08-10T04:48:17","date_gmt":"2014-08-10T04:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/?page_id=289"},"modified":"2016-06-14T08:02:11","modified_gmt":"2016-06-14T08:02:11","slug":"the-buonomini","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/?page_id=289","title":{"rendered":"The Buonomini"},"content":{"rendered":"

The little church of San Martino del Vescovo<\/strong><\/em> (or dei Buonomini) is home to frescoes from the workshop of Ghirlandaio. The fresco cycle follows both the actions of St Martin of Tours and the work of the Buonomini confraternity in the local community.<\/p>\n

Founded in the mid-fifteenth-century, the lay confraternity of the Dodici Buonimini, or Twelve Good Men, was an institution devoted exclusively to the provision of public assistance to the poor. Nineteenth century historians argued that among the aims of its founder, the Dominican Prior Antoninus (whose portrait is today found above the front door), was the preservation and protection of some of the great families of Florence who were suffering due to the discriminatory taxes imposed by the Medici regime which was dominant after 1434. \u00a0A broader\u00a0interpretation\u00a0of the role of the Buonomini depicts them as generally taking care of the needs of the \u2018ashamed destitute\u2019, or those paupers whose gentility precluded them from begging for alms.<\/p>\n

This depiction of St Martin Giving Alms to the Poor<\/em>, found in the tabernacle on the entrance fa\u00e7ade, is by the artist Cosimo Ulivelli.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

On occasions when there was a desperate need for funds, the Buonimini would place a lighted candle over the doorway, giving rise to the expression \u201cessere ridotti al lumicino\u201d \u2013 to be reduced to a little light.<\/p>\n

These are the interior frescoes, created by Domenico Ghirlandaio\u2019s workshop towards the end of the 15th<\/sup> century, depicting\u00a0Scenes from the life of St Martin<\/em>, and Works of Mercy<\/em>. They are all my own photos; I was fortunate enough to visit just after the\u00a0frescoes\u00a0had been painstakingly refreshed, and the attendant on duty was most agreeable\u00a0in allowing me free range with my camera.<\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Many fascinating\u00a0objects\u00a0of beauty or significance, spiritual or corporeal, or both, are to be found within the walls of this little church…<\/p>\n

\"Buonomini<\/a>
Buonomini – Mother and Child<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"he<\/a>
The Buonomini – dedication<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini\"<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini\"<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini<\/a>
Buonomini – Sant’Antonino altar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini\"<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini\"<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini\"<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini\"<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini\"<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini\"<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini\"<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Buonomini<\/a>
Buonomini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back to the top<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

or<\/p>\n

more of Florence’s\u00a0churches and cathedrals<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

or<\/p>\n

The keys to\u00a0the front door<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The little church of San Martino del Vescovo (or dei Buonomini) is home to frescoes from the workshop of Ghirlandaio. The fresco cycle follows both the actions of St Martin of Tours and the work of the Buonomini confraternity in the local community. Founded in the mid-fifteenth-century, the lay confraternity of the Dodici Buonimini, or … Continue reading The Buonomini<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":542,"parent":286,"menu_order":12,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-289","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=289"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2796,"href":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/289\/revisions\/2796"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/leebraden.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}