Cathedral of Santa Maria all'Impruneta

The basilica of Santa Maria all'Impruneta is famous for the worship of the Virgin Mary, which is linked to the discovery of her picture. It has XVI-century characteristics even if its construction dates to the XI century. It is set in Piazza Buondelmonti and its origins blend with the myth.

According to the legend, the inhabitants of Impruneta wanted to raise a temple in honour of the Virgin Mary. Nevertheless, each time the walls were finished, they disintegrated the day after, so the inhabitants had to start them again. Since they thought that the Virgin Mary did not like the place, they decided to load all the material on a cart pulled by two oxen. The place they had stopped in, guided by the Saint, would have been chosen to raise the church.
The oxen moved and kneeled on a precise spot. Therefore, the inhabitants of the Impruneta started the excavations for the footing of the new parish, when a painted board appeared. They recognized the image of the Virgin Mary depicted by Saint Luke the Evangelist on it. Romolo, the bishop of Fiesole who had hidden the picture from the incursions against the Christians, had brought it to Italy.
The Cardinal Umberto di Selva Candida consecrated the "plebs Sancte Mariae in Pineta" in 1060. He immediately became famous for his role as guardian of the sacred picture of the "Signora delle Acque" that used to be carried to the Basilica and in procession in the nearby cities, too, allowing people to ask for miracles. The icon of the Virgin Mary was begged for help when heavy rains occurred in 1368 and in 1392, when Florence was hit by drought in 1534 or during the Spanish siege in the years 1529-30.
Originally, the building had been conceived in a Romanesque style, but it was renovated several times during the years. It keeps numerous works of art on its one-nave inside, such as the earthenware by Della Robbia, the XVII-century paintings by Jacopo Chimenti, Matteo rosselli, Luca della Robbia, Domenico Cresti and Cristofano Allori.
Moreover, it is possible to get to the Museo del Tesoro of Santa Maria all'Impruneta near the Sala Silvani of the Basilica. The museum keeps several works, some of which are the gifts offered to the Virgin Mary during the processions. Then, there is a group of tributes made by the Medicean Grand Duchesses. The section of the illuminated codes is very rich, too, with seven XIV-century manuscripts and four dating to the XVI century.