tabernacolo pratolini-san francesco

VIALE VASCO PRATOLINI
corner VIA S. FRANCESCO DI PAOLA

the tabernacle of florence

THE TABERNACLE

Natività con l'Eterno Padre

From the heaven of the imbotte God the Father, seated amidst clouds and angelic heads that transcend the boundaries of the faux architectural frames, leans down to look at the all-worldly dimension acquired by the newborn Son in the dug-out hut. Unfortunately, time has taken away much of the pictorial film that formed this Nativity. Two angels remain, emerging above from vaporous clouds and holding a scroll with the joyful announcement of the birth ("GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO"), and the dilapidated hut, of which the beams of the roof carefully covered with thatch, the ruined wooden boards and the masonry door can be seen.

Tabernacle

On the tabernacle we find an inscription - taken from the Magnificat, from the words that, according to the evangelist Luca, Mary addressed to Elizabeth in the house of Zechariah - referring to the conception of Christ, for which the young mother-to-be gives praise to God who "looked upon the humility of his handmaid." One element that clarifies the importance of the sacred aedicule is the large coat of arms painted in the broken tympanum: the six Medici balls stand out in the center, on the right the Austrian colors white and red in reference to Maria Maddalena of Austria, while the coat of arms on the left, much degraded and therefore difficult to read, may have depicted that of Cristina of Lorena.

THE STREET

VIALE VASCO PRATOLINI

The avenue was named after Vasco Pratolini, a leading figure in the literature of the second half of the 20th century, whose novels represent the best moment of the realist and, in part, neorealist tradition. The tabernacle is located on the corner of Via San Francesco di Paola, named after the Minim fathers of San Francesco di Paola. The latter arrived in Florence in 1583 at the invitation of Bianca Cappello, but the religious company was suppressed in 1782.

AUTHOR

Florentine Painter

(17th century)

Tibdit

An area of respect had coagulated around the small place of devotion, evidenced and in the past guaranteed by an epigraph with a peremptory tone, affixed on the right side of the tabernacle: "A DI XVI 8BRE 1618 / LI SS(IGNORI) OTTO HAN(N)O / PROHIBITO CHE INTORNO / A QUESTO) TABERNACOLO NON SI / FACINO SPORCITIE NE / SI GIOCHI A GIOCO NESS(UNO) / SOTTO PENA DI DUA / SCUDI O DUA / TRATTI DI FUNE / AD ARBITRIO DEL MAGIST(RATO) I GIOSEPPE FORNACE C(ANCELLIERE)." The proclamation of October 16, 1618 prohibits all improper acts in the vicinity of the tabernacle so that the decorum and sacredness of the place are not harmed; a fine or corporal punishment is provided for its violation.