London,
Henry S. King & Co., 1877; Transcribed and Photographed,
Carolyn Carpenter
WALKS IN FLORENCE: CHURCHES,
STREETS AND PALACES
SUSAN AND JOANNA HORNER
Chapter V: Institutions of
the Misericordia and the Bigallo
Among the buildings which surround
the piazzas of San Giovanni and of the Duomo, there are two at
the corners
of the Via Calzaioli which belong to institutions closely
connected with
the history, the manners, and the character of the Florentine
people; the
Misericordia and the Bigallo.
The Misericordia, the
oldest of
the two, once possessed the beautiful little oratory now
belonging to the
Bigallo. The origin of the Misericordia is related by
an old chronicler,
Messer Francesco Ghislieri, a follows: - In the thirteenth
century it was
customary to hold two annual fairs, one at the feast of St.
Simon, in October,
and the other at that of St. Martin, in November.
Woolen cloth, the
staple commodity of the city, was the article chiefly sold
on these occasions,
and a great many porters were employed to carry the goods to
the houses
of the purchasers. The porters had their stand in the
Piazza di san
Giovanni, near the Cathedral; but as the pavement was often
overflowed
in autumn or winter by inundations from the Mugnone, they
were allowed
to take shelter in the cellar of a house belonging to the
Adimari, one
of the principal Florentine families, where they gathered
round a brasier,
and gambled away their scanty earnings. It happened
that in the year
1240 one of their number, Pietro Borsi, was the son of pious
parents, and,
scandalized by the oaths and vices of his comrades, he
exhorted them -
and not without effect - to amend their lives: he
further proposed
that any one blaspheming the name of Christ or the Virgin,
should pay a
fine into a box suspended against the wall of the
cellar. A considerable
sum was soon raised, and the question next arose how to
dispose of the
money.
Florence was at that time distracted
by war and pestilence; for though the Signory had just
concluded a peace
with their neighbours, the Siennese, the feuds betwixt Guelphs
and Ghibellines
continually occasioned fresh disturbances within the
city. Although
prone to swearing and gambling, the Florentine is by nature
devout; and
as, in times of public calamity, men are everywhere peculiarly
susceptible
to religious impressions, Pietro Borsi suggested that his
comrades should
form themselves into a society, and devote the proceeds of
their fines
to the purchase of six litters for the conveyance of sick or
wounded persons
to the hospitals or to their homes, and to carry the dead to
burial.
One litter was assigned to each district or Sestiere of
Florence, and the
porters who undertook this office at first accepted a small
remuneration,
but afterwards refused all payment. After Pietro Borsi
had departed
this life, a second leader was chosen, who caused the box to
be hung in
a conspicuous place outside, with an inscription fastened to
it, asking
alms for the sick from those who passed that way. The
money thus
obtained enabled the Society to purchase rooms above their
cellar, which
they converted into a chapel or oratory.
The feuds within the city
had meantime
been fomented by the intrigues of the Emperor Frederick II.,
and had increased
in violence. Every family of wealth or distinction was
ranged on
one side or the other, and converted the high towers
attached to their
dwellings into fortresses. The Ghibellines, who proved
successful,
destroyed the palaces and churches belonging to the rival
faction; even
the Baptistery, because chosen by the Guelphs for their
place of meeting,
had become obnoxious to them, and they consulted how to
destroy it.
Opposite, at the corner of the Via Calzaioli, adjoining the
houses of the
Adimari, stood one of the highest towers of Florence, known
as the Guarda-Morto,
because near the entrance of the cemetery, and where the
dead were exposed
previous to internment. The Ghibellines determined on
its demolition,
in the hope that the Baptistery should be crushed in its
fall as if by
accident, and the confided the work to Nicola Pisano, who
was, however,
equally resolved to save this ancient temple from
destruction. He
accordingly contrived to shake the strong walls of the
Guarda-Morto by
piercing them at intervals throughout the entire height, and
setting fire
to combustible materials placed within for the purpose; he
thus caused
the tower to fall perpendicularly, without causing any
injury to the circumjacent
buildings. After the demolition of the Guarda-Morto,
the Brothers
of mercy - as the society of poor porters called themselves
- obtained
possession of the site, which they surrounded with an iron
grating and
used for their burying-ground. The space was
sufficiently large for
the purpose, since it was then customary, and is still usual
in Tuscan
villages, to construct a pit for the reception of the dead,
closed by a
slab, which is raised for every burial.
From an early period in the history
of the Misericordia a certain number of the younger brethren
or novices
were appointed, week about, to perform the offices of
mercy. They
wore a red dress and hood to match the litter of the same
colour, but they
afterwards adopted a black dress and black litter with the
blue coverlid
for the sufferer. In the course of years the brethren
increased in
numbers, so that they were obliged to change their residence,
but they
never relaxed the rules they had laid down for themselves,
viz., to carry
the sick, and to repeat a certain number of litanies in their
Oratory,
as well as to offer up a daily mass for the souls of their
deceased breathren,
and of those who might have died on their way to the hospital,
and for
whom they provided a burial in one of the three vaults under
the Cathedral,
granted to the Misericordia by the Board of Works of St. Maria
del Fiore,
and which may still be recognised by the arms of the Society.
About four years after the foundation
of the Misericordia, a new cause of discord arose in the
city. Early
in the thirteenth century a sect of heretics began to speak
their dogmas
in Florence. Their theological opinions did not differ
widely from
those professed by our own Wickliffe, by the Bohemian John
Huss, and by
all the early Protestant Reformers, and were derived from the
Paulician
Christianity of the East, a branch of the Manichean, who
placed the highest
value on the writings of St. Paul. They were first known
in Europe
as Albigenses, from Albi, a small town in the south of France;
in Italy
they were called Paterini - Sufferers. Among these
Paterini in Florence
were several who belonged to the leading families; but when
summoned by
the bishop to answer for their opinions before the
Ecclesiastical Tribunal,
they refused to obey, and fled to the fortresses of the Nerli
and Baroni,
two powerful families, who offered them protection beyond the
walls of
Florence.
The order of St. Dominick had been
recently founded for the extirpation of heresy, and had been
just then
introduced into Florence; three of the brethren, Fra Giovanni
of Salerno,
Fra Aldobrandini Cavalcanti, and Fra Ruggiero Calcagni, had
signalised
themselves in the work; but, unable to cope with a heresy
protected by
the most influential families in the city, they summoned to
their aid Fra
Piero of Verona, or Peter Martyr, who was remarkable for his
great eloquence;
he used the weapon to good purposes, to alarm the
superstitious fears of
the populace, who hastened in crowds to listen to his
preaching.
Sometimes he addressed them from a pulpit at the corner of the
Palace of
the Vecchietti, in the Via Ferravecchi, leading to the old
market, and
there, on one occasion, he declared that he saw the Devil in
the shape
of a black horse galloping past, and he exorcised him by the
sign of the
cross. At other times he preached from a pulpit attached
to the walls
of the Oratory, now called the Bigallo, but then belonging to
the Misericordia.
The hooks or cramps by which Peter Martyr's pulpit was
fastened, were till
very recently to be seen there.
The Dominican, in imitation of our
Saviour, chose twelve of his disciples, whom he appointed
captains of the
people, and to whom he delivered twelve banners bearing the
Blood Red Cross
on a white field.51
He bade them go forth on a new crusade against the heretics
within the
walls of the city. Two bloody battles were fought in the
streets
of Florence, the attack being led on by the Dominican friar in
person and
his twelve captains. The Paterini were all massacred,
except a small
remnant who fled to the Gaggio, now a monastery, situated
beyond the Porta
Romana of Florence. The work of holy murder
accomplished, the captains
turned to works of mercy. Several hospitals for the
reception of
pilgrims already existed, and these were recommended to their
protection.
Among them was one called the Bigallo, an old hospital, now a
private dwelling,
which exists about four miles from Florence, on the highway to
Arezzo,
and which bore the sign of the White Cock, Bianco Gallo.
The company
accordingly adopted the name of Bigallo, and built other
hospitals, whilst
the large contributions they received enabled them to extend
their charities
still further. They held their first meetings in Sta.
Maria Novella,
and afterwards in other churches, until, in 1352, the
municipality bestowed
on them a fixed residence.
During this interval the
Brothers
of Mercy had built for themselves a Loggia, or covered
porch, enclosed
by an iron grating, within which to place children who had
been lost or
abandoned, that they might be seen and recognised, or that
they might excite
the compassion of the citizens. The wealth of the
Misericordia had
been increased by legacies during the plague of 1348, and
the brethren
resolved to enlarge their chapel, and increase the size of
their establishment
by fitting up other rooms in an adjoining house. The
space was, however,
still insufficient for their purpose, and they made a fresh
appeal to Florentine
liberality. The inhabitants of the district of St.
Reparata therefore
granted them a few more feet of ground in advance of the
covered Loggia,
and they commenced the building which now forms the Loggia
to the Oratory
of the Bigallo. Vasari attributes the design to Nicolo
Pisano, but
as its date is a century later, it was probably the work of
Andrea Orcagna.
The Loggia was finished in 1358, when the delicate iron
grating, the work
of Francesco Petrucci, a celebrated Siennese artist, was
placed here.
According to the books of the company, the statue of the
Virgin within
the chapel was executed by Alberto Arnoldi, a pupil of
Andrea Pisano; he
was also the author of the group of the Madonna and Child
outside, now
preserved under glass, above what was at one time the
entrance to the chapel.
Though this exquisite
little building
was erected by and for the Brothers of Mercy, the Signory
passed a decree
in 1425, obliging the Misericordia to unite with the
Bigallo, and to divide
their residence and possessions with the company: the
arms of both
societies - the Cock of the Bigallo and the Cross of the
Misericordia,
were therefore quartered on one seal. A fire having
destroyed the
upper part of the building, the captains of the Bigallo
hoped to establish
their claim to the whole, by ordering two frescos to be
painted, which,
though much injured, may still be traced on the outer walls;
in one of
these Peter Martyr is represented preaching at the corner of
the Via Ferrivecchi,
where he exorcised the black horse; and in the other he is
seen distributing
banners to his followers. The building is here
represented as it
then appeared, the Loggia occupying the space within the
first arch, the
Oratory or chapel within the second, and the entrance to the
residence
of the captains of the Bigallo within the third. The
first fresco
is attributed to Taddeo Gaddi, the second to Pietro
Chellini, but neither
of them with any foundation. They were really painted
by two artists
of small repute, Ventura di Moro and Rossello di Jacopo di
Scolari Franchi.
These frescos were executed in 1445, and were partially
restored in 1864.52
Above the arch, to the left of these frescos, are two angels
full of grace
and beauty, evidently the work of a superior master, perhaps
Orcagna, if,
as appears probable, he was the architect of the
Loggia. They are
on either side of the statuette of the Madonna and Child,
which stands
in a shrine under a rich canopy. Beyond these, are
statuettes of
a male and female saint bearing palm branches, probably
intended for St.
Thomas Aquinas and St. Mary Magdalene; the male saint
carries a book, the
female saint a vase. The wide overhanging roof of the
Loggia is supported
by handsome corbels or brackets, once painted, but time and
weather have
destroyed all trace of colour. The arches of the
Loggia lean on spiral
columns, which have a greater appearance of strength than is
usual with
this form of column, owing to the rich foliage twined around
them.
At
the apex of each arch, ornamented shields contain
half-length figures of
our Saviour, and of the Evangelists. The fathers of
the Church and
angels are on either side, whilst in the angels above are
allegorical figures,
two of which represent Justice and Fortitude. Over
each arch are
double windows in the old Florentine style, the upper
portion of which
takes the form of a pointed trefoil. Within the arches
are small
medallions of dark marble, inlaid with the Cross of the
Misericordia in
red; the letters F. M., Frate Misericordia, and abbreviated
signs above,
are inserted in metal. As this is the old seal of the
Fraternity,
it establishes their prior claim to the Loggia. The
cellar, entered
by a low door immediately to the right of the present
entrance to the offices
of the Bigallo, is believed to be the same in which Pietro
Borsi and his
companions met, and it is said that the image of the Virgin,
before which
they worshipped, is still preserved on one of the arches
within.
The union of the Misericordia and
the Bigallo was not of long continuance. The captains of
the Bigallo
refused to assist in carrying the sick, and confined their
charities to
offering a shelter for the homeless. The Brothers of
Mercy, finding
that their funds were entirely at the disposal of men who
refused to share
in their labours, gradually lost their zeal, till at last no
one could
be found to perform the work. In 1475 the body of a man
was discovered
lying in the Via de' Macci, near Sant Ambrogio, with none to
bury it; at
last one bolder than the rest took it up on his shoulders,
and, carrying
it to the Palazzo della Signoria, laid it at the feet of the
Gonfalonier.
This incident led to the restoration of the Misericordia,
under the title
of Misericordia Nuova, to which society was granted the same
right over
the Oratory formerly enjoyed by the Misericordia
Vecchia. New statutes
were compiled and approved by the Archbishop of Florence, and
the city
found the Misericordia so useful that the republican, and
subsequently
the grand-ducal government, confirmed their privileges.
They continued
to use their ancient Oratory, with its beautiful Loggia, until
1524 when
they resigned it wholly to the company of the Bigallo, and
obtained instead
the Church of San Cristofano, no longer now existing, but
which stood in
the Corso degli Adimari; in 1576, by a decree of the
Grand-Duke Francis
I., the fraternity removed to their present residence in the
Piazza del
Duomo, on the opposite corner of the Via Calzaioli from the
residence of
the Bigallo, where, in 1781, they built their church.
Meantime the Society of the Bigallo
had likewise experienced reverses. In 1541 the
Grand-Duke Cosimo
I. had dismissed the twelve captains, and placed the
Institution under
a board of directors, composed of one ecclesiastic and twelve
lay citizens,
with full power over the children committed to their
charge. The
Hospital for the reception of children was established at San
Bonifazio,
but was afterwards transferred to the Convent of Sta.
Caterina, in the
Via delle Ruote. The boys were put out to trades, the
girls maintained
until they married: but so many children were thrust
upon public
charity by the cruelty or neglect of their parents, and their
numbers increased
so rapidly, that the directors were at last obliged to send
them out as
agricultural labourers.
In 1777 the board was abolished,
and the administration was confided to a commissary; the
Hospital was at
the same time removed to a house adjoining the Oratory of the
Bigallo.
The number of abandoned children is now small, and of these,
the majority
who receive the benefits of the Institution are orphans whose
parentage
is known. After them come the children of widows, they
are limited
in number, and must be recommended by the municipality;
lastly, the children
of widows who have married a second time, and who have neither
uncles,
aunts, nor other relations to support them. A certain
number of the
children receive their education within the walls of the
Bigallo, but as
there are nearly a thousand in the Institution, most of them
are boarded
out in private families until they reach the age of eighteen;
and those
to whom they are confided are paid a monthly salary for their
food, but
the Bigallo clothes them and superintends their
treatment. When the
girls marry they are given a dowry, whilst the boys are
educated to some
trade, and from the age of eighteen to twenty they continue to
receive
clothing and assistance from the Institution, although placed
under the
tutelage of the civil Prętor, a magistrate of the city.
Certain
poor nobles and citizens have a right to receive dowries for
their daughters
from the funds of the Bigallo.
Within the building are several
interesting works of art. The office-room of the
Cashier, to the
left of the entrance, contains a large fresco which was
transferred hither
from the external walls in 1777. The subject is lost
children restored
to their weeping and joyful mothers, among whom the Brothers
of mercy can
be distinguished by their costume. This fresco was
painted in 1380,
and the artists' names are recorded in the books of the
captains of the
Bigallo, as Piero Gerini and Ambrogio di Baldese, by whom it
was executed
when the building still belonged to the Misericordia.53
There are other frescos in this room, which represent the
various works
of mercy. To the right of the door is a painting with
the date 1342,
in which the mother of the Saviour is seen as the Patroness of
Florence,
St. Mary of Mercy; a variety of persons kneel before her, and
Florence,
surrounded by her third circuit of walls, is at her
feet. The Virgin
has a mitre on her head, a cope or sacerdotal cloak is on her
shoulders,
and her stola or robe reaches to the ground, and is adorned
with eleven
ovates, five on either side and one at the throat, each
containing mottos
alluding to the good works which belong to the Brothers of
mercy; in one
they carry a bier, and are represented in their red hoods, a
proof that
the picture was executed at a very early period. Richa
ascribes it
to Giottino. To the left of this painting the Ten
Commandments and
the seven sacraments of the Church are inscribed in Gothic
characters.
In an upper room, appropriated to
the use of the commissary of the Bigallo, there is a singular
little picture
by a pupil of Giotto, and another, with a quaint
representation of the
Saviour leaning against the cross with his feet in the
sepulchre.
At the back of this picture is a Madonna and Child, with St.
Peter Martyr
kneeling on her right, and holding a lily; St. Francis, with a
book, on
her left. Below is seen the banner of the Bigallo
carried by a monk,
who stands beside a second representation of peter Martyr, who
is bestowing
another banner on a captain of the Bigallo; the other captains
with their
banners in their hands are standing round. Near this
early specimen
of art is a triptych, or picture in three panels, also of the
school of
Giotto, which has higher claims of merit: it was given
to the Society
by one of the captains. St. Christopher, St. Nicholas of
Bari, St.
Catharine, and St. Margaret are painted outside, and the
Saviour is represented
in the lunette above. Though born at Myra, the remains
of St. Nicholas
were conveyed to Bari, as those of St. Mark to Venice.
The picture
relates to one of the miracles performed by St. Nicholas after
his death.
The centre compartment represents the Madonna and Child
enthroned; the
twelve Apostles, with St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas,
are round
this group; they are painted with truth of expression and
delicacy of finish.
The donator and his wife kneel at the feet of the Virgin.54
Within the left panel is an Adoration of the Shepherds, and
above it, is
represented part of the story of the miracle attributed to St.
Nicholas.
A Turk is seated at dinner, with a child who is acting as his
cup-bearer,
but whom St. Nicholas in a vision is preparing to carry
away. Within
the right panel is the Crucifixion, and above the cross the
pelican.
The expression of the Virgin and saints below the cross is
earnest and
touching. In the upper compartment a married couple are
at dinner,
and the saint is restoring to them their lost
child. The picture
is on a gold ground, and the miniatures are carefully
executed; although
much repainted, it has great merit both in feeling and
graceful composition.
The image of the Virgin, by Arnoldo
Arnoldi, within the Oratory, was executed between 1359 and
1364.
The vaulting of the chapel was painted in fresco by Nardo and
Bartolommeo;
the first is supposed to have been a pupil of the architect,
Andrea Orcagna;
the second was a Siennese painter. Giunti and Rosselli,
two other
artists, continued the work in 1425, and the walls were
painted by Giovanni
di Donnino in 1426. The Oratory was whitewashed in 1760,
and their
labour concealed until the restoration of both the Oratory and
Loggia in
1862. The predella or gradino below the statue of the
Virgin is one
of the finest works of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, and succeeded an
earlier predella
of Ambrogio Lorenzetti or Baldesi. The first of the five
panels represents
the martyrdom of Piero of Verona - Peter Martyr. The
saint is writing
Credo on the ground with his finger dipped in his own
blood. The
three crowns of glory are suspended over his head: the
red crown
of martyrdom, the silver crown, and the golden crown which is
nearest heaven.
The landscape background is exquisitely painted, and the
floating drapery
of the friar who is making his escape gives admirably the idea
of speed;
the arm of the assassin raised to strike is full of vigour; in
his left
he bears a shield on which is the device of the scorpion, the
emblem of
the Gentiles. The central panel represents the Virgin of
Mercy with
outspread mantle, supported by two exceedingly beautiful
angels.
On her right is an Adoration, in which the Madonna is very
graceful, and
the playful attitude of the Child lying on the ground
extremely beautiful.
To the left of the Virgin of mercy is the Flight into Egypt,
an equally
lovely composition. On the last panel are the Brothers
of Mercy,
burying a dead body in one of the square vaults in front of
the Baptistery.
Nothing that Ridolfo Ghirlandaio ever painted can excel this
predella,
which is rich and harmonious in colour, and has all the charm
of life movement,
and beauty of composition. Vasari justly calls them
"superb miniatures."
They were placed here in 1512, at the same time with group
above the altar,
which is by Antonio Caroto, a celebrated artist of that
period.55
On the opposite side of the Via
Calzaioli, in the Piazza del Duomo, over the door of the
Misericordia,
is an inscription in gold letters, recording the name of the
Society, and
the date when the brethren took possession of this
building. Before
it had attained its present proportions, the faēade, or front,
was
several feet farther back; and in 1561 it was decorated with
paintings
by Bernardo Pocetti, representing the Seven Works of
mercy. These
were destroyed in 1780, when the building underwent
alterations; but small
copies were made of them by Antonio Fedi, which are preserved
in a room
of the Bigallo. There is nothing of importance in the
chapel attached
to the official rooms of the Misericordia. The ceiling
is modern;
but the terra-cotta Madonna and Child above the altar is a
good specimen
of Luca della Robbia; the bust of St. Sebastian, and a head
intended to
represent mercy, are by the modern sculptor Santarelli.
The history
of Tobias, typical of the Christian Pilgrim, is represented in
a series
of feeble pictures round the chapel; but, on either side of
the door, Tobias
and St. Sebastian, by Santi di Tito, are more worthy of
notice. The
adjoining room, where the brethren meet, preparatory to
starting on their
mission, always has the litter ready for use; and around are
wardrobes,
containing the peculiar costume of the misericordia. A
large picture
by Ludovico Cigoli represents the plague of 1348, described by
Boccaccio,
in which the Brothers of Mercy were pre-eminently
useful. The marble
image of the Madonna and Child over the altar is by Benedetto
da Majano;
the boy-angels beneath, in fresco, are sweet in colour, form,
and action,
and are by Santi di Tito. Over the door leading to a
smaller room
is another statue by Benedetto da Majano. A third room
to the back
contains the only real art treasure belonging to this
Institution; it is
a picture of the Madonna and Child by Franciabigio, which so
closely resembles
the manner of his master, Andrea del Sarto, as to have been
often mistaken
for a genuine work of the Great Florentine colourist. It
was presented
to the Misericordia by the Grand-Duke Leopold I., and was
formerly in his
villa of Petraia, in the vicinity of Florence. The
pictures on either
side are portraits of Clement XII. and of one of the Corsini
family.
In a room beyond is an ideal portrait of Pietro Borsi, the
founder of the
Institution. The rest of the pictures are portraits of
various Grand-Dukes,
or representations by Santi di Tito of good deeds performed by
the Brothers
of Mercy, the chief interest of which consists in the
peculiarity of the
costumes worn on different occasions. The old ballot-box
stands here;
it is a singular machine, and still used when, on the death of
one of the
brethren, a vote by ballot decides who is to pay for wax
candles for the
obsequies. The name of each brother is written on a
small slip of
parchment, and inserted into a hollow piece of wood called the
ghianda,
because in the shape of an acorn. These are dropped into
this gourd-like
receptacle, which is turned round by a handle until the
ghiande are well
mixed, when the lot is drawn.
The Misericordia continues faithful
to its work of six centuries. At a sound from the
Campanile of the
Cathedral, the Giornante, or day worker, hastens to the
residence in the
Piazza to learn his duties from the captains, or Capo di
Guardia:
a half-hour glass is turned to mark the interval between the
summons and
his arrival. Every Giornante is provided with his long
black dress,
and the hood which covers his face, only leaving holes for the
eyes, so
that he may not be recognised when upon his labour of
mercy. The
captain repeats the words, "Fratelli, prepariamoci a fare
quest' opera
di misericordia" - "Brothers, let us prepare to perform this
work of mercy;"
and, kneeling down, he adds, "Mitte nobis Domine charitates
humilitates
et fortitudinis;" to which the rest reply, "Ut in hoc opera te
sequemur."
After a prayer the captain exhorts the brethren to repeat a
Pater Noster
and Ave Maria for the benefit of the sick and afflicted; then
four of the
number take the litter on their shoulders, and, preceded by
their captain,
the rest follow, bearing the burden in turns, and repeating
every time
when another set take it up, "Iddio le ne rende il merito," to
which those
who are relieved answer, "Vadano in pace" - "Go in
peace." When sent
for by a sick person, the Brothers assist in dressing the
patient, and
carry him down to the litter, where he is gently and carefully
laid.
The brethren sometimes act as sick nurses, to which office
they are trained;
but they may never receive any remuneration, nor taste
anything except
a cup of cold water. As the Brothers of the Misericordia
passed along
the streets of Florence, all persons formerly raised their
hats reverentially;
but this custom has not been generally observed during the
last few years.
The Society is composed of seventy-two
captains or Capi di Guardia. Every day fifty Giornanti,
or members
of the Society who are pledged to be in attendance each on a
given day
of the week, are in readiness to carry the sick to the
hospital and perform
the other duties of the Misericordia. They are all
equally bound
to lend their services night or day, but a certain number of
the brotherhood,
called Nottanti, are especially devoted to nurse the sick at
night in their
houses; others, called Mutanti, are instructed in a method
peculiar to
the institution, by which to carry the sick from one bed to
another, without
causing the slightest movement or disturbance, or even
uncovering the patient;
likewise to change the clothes and linen. Besides these,
there are
the Stracciafoglie, or Novices, and the Buona Voglie, or
Volunteers, who
have already served as Giornanti, but who prefer having the
time for their
services left to their own choice. The members of the
Society enjoy
certain privileges, such as the remainder of the wax candles
burnt during
their religious ceremonies; a small sum is also assigned in
dowries for
their daughters; and when those who are restricted in their
means fall
sick, a physician and medicine are supplied free from
charge. Men
of every class in Florence belong to the Misericordia, all
willing to assist
their fellow-creatures in distress. Among these are rich
and poor,
the noble, and the philosopher whose valuable time is
willingly given for
the sick and suffering. The venerable Marchese Gino
Capponi, the
Conte della Gherardesca, the antiquary Conte Luigi Passerini,
the wealthy
banker Fenzi, the patriot and philanthropist professor
Ferdinando Zanetti,
all give or have given their active co-operation to the
Institution.
But no name among the Brethren is remembered with greater love
and reverence
than that of the late Marchese Carlo Torrigiani, whose wise
and benevolent
efforts in the cause of all that could serve his
fellow-citizens, procured
for him at his death the title of the "Federigo Borromeo of
Florence."56
_______________
Chronology
Albigenses, their tenets condemned
1176
Benedetto da Majano
1442-1498
Bigallo, Society of,
founded 1352
Bigallo, Loggia, belonging
first
to the Misericordia, built 1358
Bigallo, Frescos of,
painted 1445
Bigallo, Frescos of,
restored 1864
Bigallo, Captains of,
dismissed
1541
Bigallo, the Board of
Directors
abolished 1777
Dominick, St. 1160-1221
Frederick II, Emperor,
reigned
1199-1250
Ghirlandaio, Ridolfo
1483-1561
Misericordia Vecchia
founded 1240
Misericordia, Union of,
with Bigallo
1425
Misericordia Nuova founded
1475
Misericordia, the church
built
1781
Plague 1348
Robbia, Luca della
1400-1482
Notes
51
One of these banners is still preserved in the Sacristy of
Sta. Maria Novella.
52
See "Curiositą Storico Artistiche Fiorentine," by Luigi
Passerini.
53
This fresco, besides those which still remain outside the
building, is
generally attributed to Pietro Chellini; this belief arose
from a passage
in the "Archives of the Commissary," lib. X. p. 8. But
Count Luigi
Passerini considers this an error, and that the only
paintings which can
in reality be attributed to Chellini are the decorations
round the elegant
windows above the Loggia and Oratory. (See "Curisoitą
Storico
Artistiche Fiorentine.")
54
See Mrs. Jameson, "Sacred and Legendary Art."
55
During a period of bad taste, the arches of the Loggia were
filled in with
brick and mortar; and it was due to the praiseworthy
exertions of the late
Marchese Paolo Feroni, Director of the Uffizi Gallery, and
president of
the Fine Arts in Florence, that this building was restored
to its original
condition, and that many other improvements, or rather
restorations, were
effected.
56
The Marchese Carlo Torrigiani died on the 11th of April,
1865, at the age
of fifty-four, after a short illness, contracted while
fulfilling his duty
as a Giornante of the Misericordia.
Chapter
VI:
Piazza del Duomo - Piazza del Battistero
FLORENCE IN SEPIA CD
GENERAL INDEX:
ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING: Embroidering
of Pomegranates: Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Courtship
||
Casa
Guidi italiano/English
|| Elizabeth
Barrett Browning and Aurora Leigh ||
Elizabeth
Barrett Browning's Florence: || Preface
italiano/English || Poetry
italiano/English || Laurel
Garland: Women of the Risorgimento ||
Death
and the Emperor in the Poetry of Dante, Browning, Dickinson
and Stevens||
Enrico
Nencioni on Elizabeth Barrett Browning italiano ||
THE ENGLISH CEMETERY IN FLORENCE:
Tuoni
di silenzio bianco/ Thunders of White Silence
italiano/English ||
The
English Cemetery, Piazzale Donatello, Florence: ||
Il
Cimitero degli Inglesi italiano
||
Cemetery
I Tombs A-E || Cemetery
II Tombs D-L || Cemetery
III Tombs M-Z ||
FLORENCE IN SEPIA: Florence
I. Santa Trinita to Santa Croce ||
Florence
I Appendix. The Uffizi ||
Florence
II. North-Eastern Quarter || Florence
III. Oltr'Arno || Other
Tuscan Cities in Sepia ||
Italy
in Sepia || Elizabeth
Barrett Browning's Florence || Susan
and Joanna Horner, Walks in Florence|| Sophia
Peabody Hawthorne, Notes in Florence||
Francesca
Alexander || Augustus
J.C. Hare, Florence
||
Augustus
Hare, Edwardian Travel Writer || Florence's
Libraries and Museums || Museums
Thoughts||
AGNES MASON, C.H.F.: Agnes
Mason, C.H.F., Anglican Mother Foundress ||
Agnes
Mason's Patron Saints || Saints
Cecilia and Agnes || Augustus
Hare, Edwardian Travel Writer || Holmhurst
St Mary || I
fratelli Alinari: Florentine Photographers] ||
Portfolio||
Florin: Non-Profit Guide to Commerce in
Florence
||
Maps
of Florence
Chapter
VI:
Piazza del Duomo - Piazza del Battistero
