The Santa Felicita column, located in the piazza of the same name between the Ponte Vecchio and piazza Pitti, will be restored.
Santa Felicita column, between the Ponte Vecchio and the Pitti Palace
The monument dates to approximately 1380. Made from granite with a Corinthian capital, it is dedicated to Saint Peter of Verona’s endeavours against the Cathar heretics in the spot where one of the bloodiest clashes occurred between the two factions, a turning point for the Catholics in 1244. Later, the Rossi d’Oltrarno family decided to finance the construction of a commemorative monument. Initially it was erected with a cross on top, as a symbol of the martyr. In 1484, the column was topped with a Della Robbia-style glazed terracotta statue, depicting the Dominican monk Peter of Verona the Inquisitor, who was sent to Florence by the Pope to defeat heresy, sparking controversy among Florentines with his passionate oratory.
The original statue was shattered in 1723 when it fell to the ground. It was replaced by a marble work by Antonio Mormorai, which was stolen in the mid 19th century. The column was destroyed by retreating German troops in August 1944, but it was reconstructed on its original site.
Restoration of the column will begin in spring 2017 and is expected to take three months. The operation will consist of general cleaning as well as checking cracks and the sturdiness of the metal support rings added in the 1960s. Costing 25,000 euro, the work will be funded in its entirety by the most recent edition of Celebrity Fight Night held in Florence in September 2016.
