Florence – Museo della Misericordia
This museum opened in 2016 and it tells the story of the Misericordia of Florence, a charity established in the thirteenth century. It has provided charity, social care and treatment to the people of the city since its creation, with the members of the organisation always helping anonymously, so they would usually wear a mask covering their heads. The museum is located by Florence Cathedral, so it’s easy enough to find.
I’ve already posted separately about:
Tribute to the Misericordia by Cesare Riesch
Misericordia Brothers Collecting the Wounded
Misericordia Brothers Offering Charity
Saint John the Baptist by Giovanni Martini
When we went to the museum the staff member was on the ground floor as there were no other visitors, so she guided us in the lift up to the fourth floor. There is a sheet of paper with English translations on, although the text around the museum is nearly all translated into English as well. The museum is clearly laid out, not too in-depth with the information and there are plenty of exhibits. The photographs are particularly interesting, although the head covering does make some of them look a little sinister. The museum is also fully disabled accessible because of various lifts located around, which isn’t always the case with historical locations in Florence.
There’s a video at the start of the museum which gives some background to the charity, as well as featuring some of the work that they still do. The above photo shows that they still provide medical services at football games across the country. A visit to the museum isn’t likely to take much longer than 45 minutes, but it’s a fascinating look at how the charity has developed over the centuries and the good which it has done.
