The Medici Renovation of the Florentine Arcivescovado

Abstract

During 1581-83 the archbishop of Florence, Alessandro di Ottaviano de' Medici, hired architect Giovanni Antonio Dosio to renovate the facade of the episcopal palace on Piazza San Giovanni in Florence. Dosio's design proposed to unify the existing old and medieval buildings through the construction of a new north-facing facade and entryway and by detaching the existing palace from several connected buildings on the south side. Although this was the most logical solution to achieving coherence among a compound of medieval buildings, the project would have significantly altered the orientation of the palace in the city. Whereas the traditional entryway opened onto Piazza San Giovanni and the cathedral, the new entryway would have faced Borgo San Lorenzo, a neighborhood associated with the Medici family. Symbolically, this would have resulted in a strong visual reminder of the Medici family's control of both church and state offices in the city. The project was ultimately abandoned in 1583 after Grand Duke Francesco I denied the archbishop's requests for several concessions necessary to its completion, most notably permission to demolish the attached buildings to the south.