Cloister of the Dead

The Cloister of the Dead at Santa Maria Novella in Florence is the oldest of the convent’s cloisters, dating back to the late thirteenth century when it was built for the Dominican friars. Its name comes from its long use as the community’s burial ground.

For centuries, the walls were lined with tombstones, coats of arms, and inscriptions, turning the space into a lapidary cemetery that preserves the memory of Dominican friars as well as prominent Florentine families. Architecturally, the cloister reflects simple Gothic lines, arched walkways, vaulted corridors, serving as both a place of meditation and a resting place for the dead.

It’s the kind of place where you can lose track of time wandering the shadowed corridors, reading epitaphs and tracing the names and dates of its long-gone inhabitants.

Today, it forms part of the Santa Maria Novella museum complex, a quiet witness to the religious and civic life of medieval Florence.