This church, like the Baptistery, is a fine example of Romanesque architecture and is one of the oldest in Florence, dating from the 11th century. The lively green-and-white marble facade has a 12th-century mosaic topped by a gilt bronze eagle, emblem of San Miniato's sponsors, the Calimala (cloth merchants' guild). Inside are a 13th-century inlaid-marble floor and apse mosaic. Artist Spinello Aretino (1350-1410) covered the walls of the Sagrestia with frescoes depicting scenes from the life of St. Benedict. The nearby Cappella del Cardinale del Portogallo (Chapel of the Portuguese Cardinal) is one of the richest 15th-century Renaissance works in Florence. Built to hold the tomb of a Portuguese cardinal, Prince James of Lusitania, who died young in Florence in 1459, it has a glorious ceiling by Luca della Robbia, a sculptured tomb by Antonio Rossellino (1427-79), and inlaid pavement in multicolor marble.
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