Orsanmichele Exterior

The day after we toured Orsanmichele, I went back to take a look at the outside of the building. (I had been eager to get inside and hadn't paid much attention.) All four sides have niches for the statues. It is unusual in Florence to have a building that is accessible all the way around; most buildings are touching on two or three sides. 

There is not a big front door, just two rather humble ones. This is where we entered. The statue here is a bronze of St. Stephen by Ghiberti, commissioned by the wool merchants.

Here are the four Crowned Martyrs by Nanni di Banco, put up by the wood and stone workers.

The Madonna della Rosa is attributed to Tedesco, commissioned by the doctors and apothecaries.

The side opposite to the entry has a small door which houses the ticket office. The statue here is Christ and Saint Thomas by Verocchio, from the merchants' guild. I took this picture as a panorama going to the top of the building, hoping to show how tall it is. But it looks pretty squat in the photo!

Across the street from the ticket office, I noticed another small church with its doors open. I stepped inside to see that a daily mass was being held. There were three or four people in the pews. I snapped this photo and quietly left.