Basilica di Santa Maria delle Carceri

The Basilica of Santa Maria delle Carceri in Prato was built around a Marian image associated with a vision in 1484. Giuliano da Sangallo's centrally planned design makes it an important early Renaissance church.

Why it matters

The sanctuary was commissioned by Lorenzo il Magnifico after the reported vision of Jacopo della Povera. Sangallo's Greek-cross plan brought Renaissance ideas of geometry and proportion to a popular place of devotion, opposite the medieval Castello dell'Imperatore.

What to notice

The exterior combines pale alberese with green serpentino marble, though the upper cladding remains unfinished. A dome and lantern rise above the Greek-cross plan. Inside, a frieze of white and blue glazed terracotta, attributed to Andrea della Robbia, runs around the walls. Stained-glass windows made in 1491 follow designs by Domenico Ghirlandaio. The altar frames a fourteenth-century Madonna and Child between Saints Leonard and Stephen.

Context and history

According to local tradition, the Marian image was associated with a vision in July 1484. Lorenzo il Magnifico entrusted the design to Giuliano da Sangallo, and construction began at the end of the fifteenth century. The church became a significant model for centrally planned Renaissance architecture in Tuscany.