Context brings the brightest minds to your living room with perspective-shifting online lectures.

Churches of Florence: Santo Spirito with Dr. Alessandra Becucci

Churches of Florence: Santo Spirito with Dr. Alessandra Becucci


No events are scheduled at this time. Want to be notified when it’s back? Click the blue button to the right and we’ll notify you.

Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

Visit the last church designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, the architect of the Cathedral of Florence’s famed dome. Santo Spirito, where Michelangelo conducted his anatomical studies, houses the Renaissance master’s only work carved in wood. Across the Arno river from the city center, Santo Spirito is the spiritual hub of the Oltrarno district.
Santo Spirito is full of hidden treasures. It was the first important Augustinian convent in Florence and was a distinguished cultural center as early as in the 1200s. Giovanni Boccaccio, the famed Renaissance writer, bequeathed his library to Santo Spirito in the 1300s. The forty chapels within the church feature artworks by renowned Renaissance artists, such as Filippino Lippi and other sixteenth and seventeenth-century Florentine masters. In 1492, a young Michelangelo Buonarroti was a guest of the convent. We will admire the wooden Crucifix that he donated to the friars as thanks for allowing him to carry out medical dissections in the Convent’s hospital, a crucial step in his understanding of human anatomy. We will also learn more about Filippo Brunelleschi and his ideas for the design of the church and how he was forced to modify his plans due to pressures from his wealthy Florentine patrons
Led by Florentine art historian Alessandra Becucci this conversation will take us to the heart of Florence to discover the rich history of its famed churches. Join us in the exploration of Santo Spirito, one of the best expressions of Italian artistic genius ever created.
This conversation is part of a series on the churches of Florence with Alessandra Becucci. Each session is designed as a stand-alone seminar as well as part of the series.

Born and raised in Florence, Alessandra has a degree in art history from the University of Florence with a specialization in seventeenth-century painting. She obtained an MRes from the European University Institute in Florence, where she defended her Ph.D in history, focusing on the patronage of Tuscan nobility in Europe during the seventeenth century. She has been teaching art history and Italian for several years in various schools and institutions in Florence.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 7 reviews
100%
(7)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
k
kathy d (Sebastopol, US)
Santo Spirito

Very much enjoy Dr. Alessandra's lectures on Florence. This time it was the Church of Santo Spirito. Rich history and arts presented in an informative and entertaining manner. Thank you!

A
Anonymous (Fort Worth, US)

The history and detail were interesting. Hope to see in person someday!

E
Elizabeth Rocha Barros (São Paulo, BR)
She is an excellent teacher and the way she presets it feels like you are in Florence

It was an amassing presentation , well prepared and easily to engage as if one is really in Florence

P
Patricia (Larkspur, US)
One of the best...

I have participated in more than 30 Context Conversations (5 with Dr. Becucci) and can confidently say that Dr. Becucci is definitely one of the top 5 Context scholars. She give a well organized, thoughtful, detailed-but-not-too-detailed presentation laden with history and beautiful photos. Do not miss her tours of the Uffizi!

S
Susan McG (New York, US)
Delightful Florentine Afternoon

Dr. Becucci is an engaging speaker who delivers a thorough explanation of her topic and is very well prepared with anecdotes and facts and historical references. Wonderful!

Customer Reviews

Based on 7 reviews
100%
(7)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
k
kathy d (Sebastopol, US)
Santo Spirito

Very much enjoy Dr. Alessandra's lectures on Florence. This time it was the Church of Santo Spirito. Rich history and arts presented in an informative and entertaining manner. Thank you!

A
Anonymous (Fort Worth, US)

The history and detail were interesting. Hope to see in person someday!

E
Elizabeth Rocha Barros (São Paulo, BR)
She is an excellent teacher and the way she presets it feels like you are in Florence

It was an amassing presentation , well prepared and easily to engage as if one is really in Florence

P
Patricia (Larkspur, US)
One of the best...

I have participated in more than 30 Context Conversations (5 with Dr. Becucci) and can confidently say that Dr. Becucci is definitely one of the top 5 Context scholars. She give a well organized, thoughtful, detailed-but-not-too-detailed presentation laden with history and beautiful photos. Do not miss her tours of the Uffizi!

S
Susan McG (New York, US)
Delightful Florentine Afternoon

Dr. Becucci is an engaging speaker who delivers a thorough explanation of her topic and is very well prepared with anecdotes and facts and historical references. Wonderful!