Florence - San Lorenzo

Florentina was established in Roman times as a settlement for veteran soldiers. The name had changed already when young Charlemagne conquered the town in 774. It became part of the Duchy of Tuscany, with Lucca as the capital. Around 1000 Margrave Hugo chose Florence as residency instead of Lucca. After the death of Matilda of Tuscany (1115), the Florentines formed a republic ruled by a council. The town prospered, despite a constant fight between the different factions and noble families.

In the 15th century, Florence was among the largest and wealthiest cities in Europe. This was when the Medici family entered the political scene. As a dynasty of art-loving, power-hungry bankers, they made Florence the birthplace of the Renaissance.
The Basilica di San Lorenzo is at the center of the market district of the city. It may be the oldest church in Florence, having been consecrated in 393 AD. For three centuries it was the city's cathedral.

San Lorenzo was the parish church of the Medici family. In 1419, Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici offered to finance a new church to replace an eleventh-century Romanesque rebuilding. Filippo Brunelleschi was commissioned to design it. The lack of funds slowed the construction and forced changes to the original design. By the early 1440s, only its sacristy had been worked on because that was being paid for by the Medici. In 1442, the Medici stepped in to take over the financial responsibility of the church as well. After Brunelleschi died in 1446, the work continued.

By the time the building was completed, aspects of its layout and detailing no longer corresponded to the original plan.

The Medici Pope Leo X gave Michelangelo the commission to design an outer façade of the basilica in white Carrara marble in 1518. Michelangelo made a large wooden model but the outer facade of the basilica remained unbuilt.