Known
to all in town simply as the ‘Duomo,’ the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore,
with its neo-gothic façade in white, green and red marble, Brunelleschi’s
amazing dome and Giotto’s imposing bell tower, is probably the first place
visitors to Florence go. Just in front is the octagonal Baptistery of St. John,
with its three unique sets of bronze doors, including those on its eastern
side, which Michelangelo called the ‘Gates of Paradise.’ Inevitably, in
circling the Baptistery, visitors will walk past a white marble column on a
base of three stairs. It has a cross on top, with an unusual bronze relief
underneath it. Overwhelmed by the magnificence of the other monuments in the
square, few give the column more than a passing glance.
The
column marks the spot where a miracle is reputed to have taken place. It is
also a miracle whose anniversary the Florentines celebrate every year on
January 27 by decorating the base of the column with flowers and greenery.
Legend has it that in 429 CE (although some scholars say it was much later,
probably in the ninth century), the relics of the much loved and venerated
Saint Zenobius (‘San Zanobi’ in Italian, 337-417 CE), the city’s first bishop,
were transferred from the Church of San Lorenzo, the old cathedral where he had
been buried, to the new cathedral, the Church of Santa Reparata (the remains of
which can still be seen today under the Duomo). As the procession moved from
borgo San Lorenzo into what was then the open field of piazza San Giovanni, the
bier brushed against the leafless winter branches of an elm tree. At that mere
touch, the tree is said to have burst into bloom. Hence, the bronze relief on
the column represents a tree in full leaf. Above it, the now fairly
indecipherable Gothic script recounts the wondrous story.
Born
in Florence of noble stock, Zenobius was the first in his family to become a
Christian. Once ordained as a priest, his fame as a preacher soon spread. Pope
Damasus I (366-86 CE) called him to Rome and, among other missions, sent him to
Constantinople. After the pope died, he returned to Florence and was made a
bishop. He evangelised the city and surroundings, including Scandicci (he was
named its patron saint in 1983). Renowned for his great humility and charity,
he was known as the Apostle of Florence. He is also said to have performed many
miracles, including one in which he resurrected the dead child of a French
woman, a pilgrim. This event is recorded on a plaque in Latin on the wall of
Palazzo Valori-Altoviti in borgo degli Albizi, where the miracle occurred. The
saint’s relics now repose inside the Duomo in an urn inside a silver shrine, a
masterpiece made by Lorenzo Ghiberti, the sculptor responsible for the ‘Gates.’
It is
uncertain whether the trunk of the famous reblooming tree was used to make the
cross currently found in the Church of San Giovannino dei Cavalieri in
via San Gallo or whether the Maestro del Bigallo used it for his painting of
Saint Zenobius with saints Eugene and Crescentius, today housed at the Museo
dell’Opera del Duomo. Not surprisingly, many other artists depicted episodes
from the life of the saint, including Sandro Botticelli, whose paintings about
him grace the walls of the National Gallery in London and the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York.
The
original marble column was destroyed by the flood in 1333 and replaced in 1334,
whilst the inscription was added in 1375. In 1501, the cross fell to the ground
and shattered. Much more recently, the column benefited from public policy: the
area surrounding the Duomo was pedestrianised in October 2009.
In May
2012, the landmark was restored through the Florence I Care (FLIC) project, a
public-private partnership to preserve not only the cultural heritage of
Florence but also some of its important buildings. The restoration, paid for by
a private company, took three months and cost 20,000 euro. It required a series
of delicate operations to remove the effects of centuries of exposure to soot
and smog.
After
you find the column, look up above the central doorway of the Duomo. You will
see a statue of a rather sad-looking elderly man with a beard, dressed in
bishop’s vestments and mitre and holding a crook. That is San Zanobi, seemingly
keeping an eye on his column.
The
FLIC project has helped restore other monuments in the city but more
landmarks need to be ‘saved.’ Read more about the initiative at http://tinyurl.com/8mmwkls and watch this
video at http://tinyurl.com/8qnq96n
