Certosa del Galluzzo in Florence: Unmissable frescoes, timetables and practical information

The Certosa di Galluzzo is located about 10 km from Florence, south of the city, on Monte Acuto.

It is a Carthusian monastery of approximately 16,000 sqm, made up of several buildings designed to accommodate 12 monks.

Its construction began during 1341, at the behest of the great seneschal of the Kingdom of Naples Niccolò Acciauioli, and was concluded during the 17th century.

As with all other charterhouses, this structure is located in a remote and isolated position.

Its name and building characteristics derive from the Grande Chartreuse built in 1084 by San Bruno near Grenoble.

Expansion and renovation works continued over the centuries.

However, at the beginning of the 19th century, the charterhouse was deprived of 500 works of art: furnishings, paintings and sculptures were lost.

In 1958, the Carthusians were replaced by the Cistercian Benedictines.

Since 2017, however, the Certosa has been inhabited by the Community of San Leolino.

Certosa del Galluzzo: Pontormo

The Certosa underwent works, modifications and embellishments until the 18th century. Among the personalities who worked within it we find Pontormo, i.e. Jacopo Carucci.

The bond that united the artist to this Certosa was decidedly strong.

The structure became his refuge in the aftermath of the Florentine plague in 1523.

Precisely during this period, Pontormo painted the frescoes dedicated to the Passion of Christ in the Great Cloister.

The work is today kept in the art gallery of Palazzo Acciaiuoli, at the entrance to the Certosa.

Even after the end of the plague, Pontormo remained tied to the Certosa, where he returned to find quiet and peace.

Pontormo: his frescoes at the Certosa del Galluzzo

The group of frescoes by Pontormo “The Stories of the Passion” was painted between 1523 and 1525 and is consists in:

Prayer in the garden – 300 x 290 cm;
Christ before Pilate – 300 x 290 cm;
The Deposition – 300 x 290 cm;
The Resurrection – 232 x 291 cm.

Also very valuable is the oil painting on canvas “Supper at Emmaus”, created in 1525.

This work was designed for the guesthouse or for the pantry of the Certosa and depicts the resurrected Christ appearing to the disciples and being invited to dine with them.

The work represents the moment of the blessing of the bread, with the table set, Jesus and the two disciples placed on either side of him.

It is the moment in which the disciples recognise Jesus.

At the top, the Trinity is depicted through a luminous circle with a triangle and an eye.

On the sides, we observe five Carthusian monks from the contemporary era, dedicated to looking at the scene or the spectator.

Today “Supper at Emmaus” is kept in the Uffizi Gallery.

Certosa del Galluzzo: tour

The guided tour lasts approximately 1 hour and starts from the entrance with shop/ticket office and “women’s” chapel.

The route allows you to admire the different environments of the Certosa:

Palazzo Acciauioli and Art Gallery: designed by Jacopo Passavanti and Jacopo Talenti, it has two levels and has four rooms on the ground floor and the Art Gallery on the first floor. The first room of the art gallery features Pontormo’s frescoes “The Scenes of the Passion”. We can also admire works by Ludovico Ciardi known as Cigoli, Jacopo Ligozzi, Giovan Battista Naldini, Empoli, Perugino, Mariotto di Nardo, Paolo Schiavo, Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Gamberucci, Bernardino Mei, Orazio Fidani, Giovanni Bilivert;

Guesthouse: it is the environment designed to welcome external guests. It is a large square that connects Palazzo Acciaiuoli with the Church of San Lorenzo, completed by a hall, a study and a bedroom;

Church of San Lorenzo: built in the fourteenth century, it has a single nave and is divided into two distinct parts. One is dedicated to cloistered monks and one to laybrothers. Its appearance was redefined during the mid-1500s with the construction of the pietra serena façade by Giovanni Fancelli. Inside we find works by Felice Ficherelli, Tommaso Garelli, Rutilio Manetti, Simone Bassi, Angelo Feltrini, Giuliano di Baccio d’Agnolo, Domenico Atticciati, as well as the frescoes by Bernardino Poccetti and Orazio Fidani. On the sides of the altar, there are two chapels. The Relics chapel has a ceiling decorated by Poccetti and frescoes on the walls painted by Lucio Massari.
The most beautiful works of the entire church are the Blessing Christ and the Annunciation. These are frescoes present in a basement which we access through the sacristy;

Corridor of the chapels: located in the eastern part of the church, this is the area overlooked by several chapels uner the patronage of local families. Among the chapels, that of San Bruno, founder of the order, stands out. Inside, we find an altarpiece by Antonio Randa and frescoes by Giovanni Martinelli;

Crypt: here too there are several chapels, including that of Tobia with frescoes by Bernardo Poccetti and the chapel of Sant’Andrea with the tomb of Angelo Acciaioli, with a bas-relief attributed to Donatello;

Corridoio del Colloquio: it was the place where the monks gathered once a week. It is small and decorated with terracotta from Andrea della Robbia’s workshop;

Cloister of the monks: small and elegant, it boasts a fourteenth-century structure and a round loggia with a washbasin from 1560;

Sala del Capitolo: a small room used for the daily read of a chapter of the rule. Among the prominent elements, we find a finely inlaid wooden door and a fresco by Mariotto Albertinelli depicting the Crucifixion;

Refectory: the large rectangular room is embellished with a pulpit in pietra serena by Piero di Giovanni della Bella and Matteo di Cecco and a lunette with “San Lorenzo tra due angeli” by Benedetto da Maiano;

Great Cloister: with sides with round arches with medallions with terracotta busts made by Giovanni della Robbia and lunettes by Pietro di Matteo and Tommaso Redi;

Monks’ cells: eighteen rooms, each with antechamber, dining room with fireplace, bedroom, service room, study, cellar with garden or well;

Cloister of the Laybrothers: a two-level cloister with an elongated shape. It is overlooked by the laybrothers’ cells and it is surrounded by round arches. There is a well at the centre. It is connected to the large cloister via the Corridoio delle Obbedienze.