Santa Reparata, Florence

Santa Reparata is the early Christian cathedral of Florence whose archaeological remains lie beneath the present-day Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore; it served as the city’s cathedral until construction of the Duomo began in 1296.

The excavated site displays the foundations, mosaic floors and funerary monuments of the former church and can be viewed through the archaeological area connected to the Opera del Duomo museum. The visible remains illustrate successive building phases and the liturgical layout that predated the Gothic cathedral above.

The church developed in Late Antiquity and the medieval period and remained in use until the late 13th century when plans for the current cathedral replaced it. Systematic excavations and restorations in the 19th and 20th centuries uncovered the stratified archaeological layers now on display.

The site sits directly beneath Florence’s Cathedral in the historic centre of Florence, Tuscany, adjacent to Piazza del Duomo and the Baptistery.

• Access: Accessible from the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo complex; the archaeological area is reached via the museum route beneath the cathedral.
• Remains: Remains include mosaic pavement, foundations and funerary deposits dating to the Early Christian and medieval periods.