About This Location
Orsanmichele is one of those Florence buildings that surprises people. It looks like a church, but it started as a grain market. In the Middle Ages, this was the city’s covered granary - a practical answer to food shortages - and only later was it turned into a place of worship. Outside, the walls are lined with deep niches. These were claimed by Florence’s powerful guilds, who competed by commissioning life-size patron saints from top artists. The originals are now protected in the museum upstairs, and most niches hold copies, but the “gallery” feeling is still there as soon as attention goes to the corners and arches. Step inside and the mood changes fast - darker, quieter, and very focused. The centerpiece is the richly carved marble tabernacle made by Orcagna in the 1300s, created to honor an image of the Madonna that drew huge devotion in the city. It is a reminder that this place was both spiritual and very public, right in the middle of daily trade routes. Standing here, the “nearby view” is mostly street life. One side opens onto Via dei Calzaiuoli, one of Florence’s main pedestrian routes linking the Duomo area and Piazza della Signoria.