The Church in Florence welcomes you in sincere friendship, eager to communicate the historic, artistic and spiritual significance of its extraordinary cultural heritage.
As interpreted by great artists, Florentine history and religious faith have generated masterpieces of architecture, sculpture and painting. Yet visitors cannot fully grasp the beauty of these works without some awareness of the civic and religious context for which they were made, their liturgical, devotional and educational function, their language and theological message.
Above all, visitors to our churches should open their hearts to a human yearning towards the infinite, to the search for an individual and communal path towards encounter with God, and to the mystery of love, transcending history but also revealed and moving within it. To all who listen closely, our sacred buildings and artworks speak a language that in fact touches sensitivity, imagination, intelligence and feelings; that reawakens memories and kindles hope, revealing the splendour of truth and goodness and reflecting God's own presence on earth.
This website has been designed to help you understand that language and let it resound in your heart, providing information, suggestions and details that will be useful to you in your visit. In crossing the threshold of these holy buildings, remember however that you entering a house of prayer, not a museum or city square. Try to adopt an attitude of respect and reflective composure, and the pure joy of beauty will blossom within you.

Cardinal Ennio Antonelli
Archbishop of Florence