San Miniato al Monte~ Overlooking Florence

 Last weekend I finally made the climb up to San Miniato al Monte, a little Romanesque gem overlooking Florence.

From this point you have a scrumptious vista of Florence, looking so very elegant.  

San Miniato is actually a basilica, originally run by Benedictines, then Cluniacs, and now the wonderfully named Olivetans, whom I have never heard of.  But apparently they follow the Rule of St. Benedict and are quite handy in the kitchen, making herbal remedies and jams and jellies that they sell in the little shop next to the basilica.  I find monk products irresistible and am the first to try whatever 'eye of newt' kind of tea or 'pickled bee antennae' ointment they've got on the shelf.  Thinking that monks might know a thing or two about varicose veins, I bought a jar of their varicose vein treatment, which strangely enough is also good for coughs and epilepsy.  I will see what it does and report back.

Originally an Armenian prince serving in the Roman army, St. Miniato converted to Christianity.  This was sometime in the 3rd century AD and around Florence.  When he was brought before Emperor Decius and told to renounce his faith.... well, you know the story:

• Torture; check
• Beating; check
• Thrown to the wild beasts; check
• Screaming, agony, horror; check
• Beheaded; check
• Picks up head and walks into Florence; check

You know, martyrs always seem to be picking up their decapitated heads and wandering around with them.  Look at Saint Denis, for goodness sake.  So Minato walks up the hill with his head and it's such a fabulous story that a shrine is built there, followed by a church and then the glorious Romanesque beauty we see today.  

Inside is a marvel of stunning beauty.  Old, fascinating, so my thing:

One of my favorite frescoes is this one of Mary Magdalene:

According to the legend, when Christ ascended into heaven, Mary Magdalene renounced her worldly goods and became an ascetic.  Naked, she wandered into the desert to pray and suffer.  It is believed that her hair grew to cover her nakedness.  This is captured in many works of art.  In fact, I just saw one at the Palazzo Pitti:

 

All around San Miniato are small cemetery spaces.  Many notable families are buried up here, including the Zeffirelli's.  Many of the tombstones have photos.  It goes without saying that there are some sad stories up here:

A short walk down the hill brings you to the Piazza Michelangelo.  A copy of the David, overlooks the city that so loved him as a symbol of Florentine pride and strength.  Viva lo 'underdog'!!!