San Gaetano, Florence
San Gaetano, also known as Santi Michele e Gaetano, is a Baroque church in Florence, Italy, located on the Piazza Antinori, entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. History A Romanesque church, dedicated solely to Saint Michael the Archangel, had been located at the site for centuries prior to its Baroque reconstruction. Patronized by the Theatine order, the new church was dedicated to Saint Cajetan, one of the founders of the order, though the church could not formally be named after him until his canonisation in 1671. Funding for this reconstruction was obtained from the noble families in Florence, including the Medicis. Cardinal Carlo de' Medici was particularly concerned with the work, and his name is inscribed on the façade. Building took place between 1604 and 1648. The original designs were by Bernardo Buontalenti but a number of architects had a hand in building it, each of whom changed the design. The most important architects were Matteo Nigetti and Gherardo Silvani. In 2008, the church was entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a traditional institute of clerical life which exclusively offers Mass in Latin according to the pre-Vatican II Roman Rite, and has been the site of ordinations for the order since. Exterior The façade, with its sculptural decorations, is atypical for Florentine churches, which had a predilection for geometrically ornamented façades. It has three portals: the center portal has a triangular tympanum surmounted by reclining marble statues representing Faith and Charity, sculpted by the Flemish Baldassarre Delmosel. In the center above the door is the heraldic shield of the Theatine order; higher above is the shield of Cardinal Giovanni Carlo de Medici, a prominent patron. Above the side doors are a statue of St Cajetan (right, by the same Delmosel) and St Andrew Avellino (left, by Francesco Andreozzi). Interior The interior is richly decorated as is customary in Baroque churches. The counterfacade has an organ by Benedetto Tronci of Pistoia. The entrance marble holy water fonts were sculpted in the form of shells supported by angels by Domenico Pieratti. Along the cornice are 14 statues depicting apostles and evangelist, sculpted by Novelli, Caccini, Baratta, Foggini, Piamontini, Pettirossi, Fortini, and Cateni. With each of these statues is a bas-relief depicting an event in the life of each saints. The first chapel on the right houses a Martyrdom of St Andrew by Antonio Ruggeri; the ceiling was decorated by Ottavio Vannini, who painted in the spandrels aa Ecce Homo and the Calling of Peter. The second chapel on the right houses a St Michael frees the Souls in Purgatory by Vignali, who also painted the canvases on the wall depicting the life of St Peter. The ceiling was frescoed by Michele Colonna and Agostino Metello. The third chapel on the right has an altarpiece depicting St Cajetan and St Andrea Avellino with the Trinity and St Francis of Assisi by Matteo Rosselli. A bust of St Francis on the altar was sculpted by Malatesti.