Scavi di Santa Reparata

The remains of Santa Reparata lie beneath Florence's Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Mosaics, walls and burials preserve the earlier cathedral within the foundations of its much larger medieval successor.

Why it matters

The site connects the early Christian city with Carolingian and Romanesque rebuilding. These successive phases reveal that Florence's cathedral history began long before the dome and facade now associated with the square.

What to notice

The early basilica had three aisles and a mosaic pavement with geometric patterns, Solomon's knots and a peacock symbolising resurrection and eternity. An inscription records benefactors. Later chapels, crypts and burial monuments show how the building changed rather than remaining a single early Christian structure.

Context and history

Santa Reparata originated in the early fifth century. Carolingian alterations added chapels, a crypt and a stone floor; Romanesque work brought a raised choir and another crypt. The old basilica remained within the new cathedral until its demolition in 1379. Twentieth-century excavations recovered the remains, with a major campaign in 1965–1973 revealing the layered site beneath the later church.