Church of Santa Felicita
Church of Santa Felicita
4.5
About
The small church of Santa Felicita was used by the Medici family dukes and holds the Mannerist artist Pontormo's masterpiece, "The Deposition." The unusual colors, exaggerated poses and expressive portraits are an unforgettable theatrical scene..
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Neighbourhood: Oltrarno
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4.5
124 reviews
Excellent
55
Very good
52
Average
17
Poor
1
Terrible
0
130Doug
Navarre, FL1,223 contributions
Sept 2019
We had grabbed a quick meal somewhere nearby and just stumbled onto this place. Absolutely beautiful place that you shouldn't miss. It's a bit brighter in this cathedral than in some others. The smell of incense combined with the frescoes and paintings, and we could have stayed in here longer, but it's a big city that calls to every sense!
Written 5 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maggi713
Baltimore, MD12,366 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
This is a church I have wanted to see for many years and have never been there when it was open. It took two attempts on this trip to get in. This church is the oldest church on the Oltrarno. You might miss it as the front of the church is partially obscured by the Vasari Corridor, which joins Palazzo Vecchio and Pitti Palace and was built 1565 by Giorgio Vasari. On the inside of the corridor there is a large window, covered by a thick gate, where the Grand Dukes of the Medici family used to listen to the mass without being seen by the people below. It is famous for the masterpiece of Mannerist painting exposed in its interior, the Deposition by Pontormo. The Deposition from the Cross is an altarpiece, completed in 1528, depicting the Deposition of Christ by the Italian Renaissance painter Jacopo Pontormo. (It is considered to be the artist's surviving masterpiece.) The church is open from Monday thru Saturday from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Written 20 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnRegoPark
Rego Park, NY1,242 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
This church is conveniently located just on the opposite side of the Ponte Vecchio near the base of the bridge. Walk about forty feet and you will see it on your left at the end of a small plaza. The church is generally open, but closes for about two hours for lunch at around 12:30. The Pontormo painting is immediately to your right when you enter the church. You absolutely cannot miss it, especially since it is beautifully illuminated. The painting was recently restored, as was the whole chapel, and is stunning. There is no cost to enter, and you get the opportunity to see a work in its intended surroundings, instead of on a museum wall.
Written 23 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stefanie C
Elkton, MD11 contributions
Aug 2013 • Friends
Although our apartment in Florence was across the piazza from Il Duomo, I was determined to visit the Chiesa de Santa Felicita, a not-too-distant walk to and across the Ponte Vecchio. Although the guide books give little attention to this church, my reason for going there was to see two great frescoes of one of my favorite artists, Jacopo Pontormo. Pontormo was a Mannerist artist of the 16th century, and his works evoke in me such an emotional response, unmatched by any others save for Michelangelo and one or two others. Upon entering the church, you turn immediately to your right to view the Capponi Chapel, which is in semi-darkness. For one Euro placed in a metal box, the lights will go on and an explanation of the frescoes in your chosen language will play for a few minutes. I could have stayed there for an hour looking at Pontormo's 'The Deposition from the Cross' and 'The Annunciation.' Although I saw magnificent paintings, sculpture and frescoes in Italy, Santa Felicita and Pontormo's works rank right up there with my favorites.
Written 10 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
worldbasics
Burlington, VT81 contributions
June 2013 • Couples
We went twice, and I'm not catholic. Listened to incredibly beautiful chanting by nuns and monks. Felt transported to the 1500's. SMALL not touristy. Felt local. Loved it !
Written 11 June 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen P
Minneapolis, MN998 contributions
Aug 2019
This church was originally built at the end of the Roman road and in its earliest days was Orthodox, as some of the burials show. It was largely rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries (the sacristy dates to the 15th). It was the chapel that the Medici family used and was on the path of the secret Vasari corridor that stretched from Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti, their residence. They would stop along that corridor and watch from a high balcony at the back of the church. It also contains a baroque painting masterpiece, the Deposition of Pontormo, one of the early baroque masters just subsequent to Michaelangelo, the Renaissance master whose Sistine Chapel ceiling is thought by many to be the first baroque painting. Pontormo's work is full of bright color, energy and flowing energy characteristic of the baroque. And it comes before the high italian baroque wind machine takes over. (My impression of the many of the churches in Rome is the somebody forgot to turn off the wind machine!)
The architecture retains a bit of Renaissance sobriety. The paintings in the side chapels are unusually well done baroque pieces as well, although i do not know the painters.
I was there in August and there were hordes of tourists (actually a little odd for August which tends to be the quieter month of the summer). Not many stopped in here so it was a nice way to cool off a little and rest our feet in addition to seeing a baroque masterwork. (Males should remember to remove your hat whenever you enter a church in Florence. The idea is not to let anything get between you and God. Some churches are patrolled by scowling monks to remind you.)
The architecture retains a bit of Renaissance sobriety. The paintings in the side chapels are unusually well done baroque pieces as well, although i do not know the painters.
I was there in August and there were hordes of tourists (actually a little odd for August which tends to be the quieter month of the summer). Not many stopped in here so it was a nice way to cool off a little and rest our feet in addition to seeing a baroque masterwork. (Males should remember to remove your hat whenever you enter a church in Florence. The idea is not to let anything get between you and God. Some churches are patrolled by scowling monks to remind you.)
Written 20 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
valnowell
Nantwich, UK112 contributions
Feb 2017 • Couples
Enclosed as it is in a locked chapel, visible only through iron railings, I feel that I have never really been able to experience this important Mannerist work in anything like an enjoyable way. I don't know why it has to be exhibited thus and although seeing paintings in their original church settings is usually such a great delight, I find myself wishing that somebody would intervene and display it properly, probably in the Uffizi.
Written 13 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ABF
San Diego, CA43 contributions
Jan 2017 • Couples
This is a lovely little church on the Oltrarno, but its star attraction is an amazing Pontormo painting that is just to your right as you walk in. Don't miss it! The hours are sketchy, and the church is usually closed on weekends, but make a point to visit.
Written 29 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Florencelovers
Florence, Italy37 contributions
Dec 2012 • Couples
The church of Santa Felicita is quite beautiful in itself, but the real reason for visiting it is to see Pontormo's "Deposition," one of the greatest art works in a city absolutely full of great art. Do not miss it.
Written 12 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
headingtonroadrunner
Didcot, UK129 contributions
Apr 2012 • Friends
The vigil on the night before Good Friday - Catholic mass - and the remarkable juxtaposition of Pontormo's beautiful Annunciation and bizarre. richly-hued Deposition - made this an unforgettable moment in a city that's filled with them.
Written 9 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi! Would you know what time the Sunday masses are in the Church of Santa Felicita? Are there masses in English?
Written 18 March 2018
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