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Art History History | Cloister Orange Trees

The Cloister of the Orange Trees of the Badia Fiorentina in Florence

The cloister of the orange trees was built by Bernardo Rossellino from 1432 to 1438.

Cloister of the Orangers Badia Fiorentina built by Bernardo Rossellino 1432-1438 Frescos Giovanni di Consalvo

Cloister of the Orangers It is composed of two series of superimposed arcades with lowered arches resting on columns with Ionic capitals.

A 15th century well is located in the centre of the cloister.

The frescoes in the upper gallery were painted between 1436 and 1439.

They were painted by Giovanni di Consalvo and an anonymous painter known as the Maestro del Chiostro degli Aranci.

The 12 lunettes tell the story of the life of Saint Benedict.

The scenes in the frescoes are read in an anti-clockwise direction.

We start with the departure of Saint Benedict from Rome, followed by the miracle of the broken earthenware colander of the wet nurse, the taking of the habit, the isolation and the priest being reprimanded by the angel for having eaten during the holy fast.

We can then see a lunette painted by Bronzino where the saint throws himself into the brambles to overcome temptations and a half-lunette with the mysterious initials "I.M." which refers to the miracle of the poisoned wine.

On the west side, St Benedict delivers a monk from the devil, retrieves a billhook that has fallen into the water, sends Mauro to save Placid who is drowning, where he is saved by a raven that flies away taking with it the poisoned bread that the priest Florent had offered, lifts a rock weighed down by the devil, resurrects a young monk buried under a collapsed wall (these two scenes refer to the construction of the Abbey of Montecassino).

The last scenes in the south-west corner are by another painter and show the presentation to St Benedict of the fake Totila, King of the Goths, and the deadly prediction made to the saint by King Totila.