“This restoration has made it possible to rediscover the beauty and legibility of a fresco that has accompanied the spirituality of generations of the faithful and visitors for many centuries. We are grateful to the Soprintendenza for its supervision, to the Dominican friars for their amenability, and to the restorers who have made this important conservation project possible. Our most heartfelt thanks go to the donors, William and Jeanne Bice, for their support and their enthusiastic interest in the art of Florence.”
A fourteenth-century fresco that became the focus of one of medieval Florence’s best-known devotional traditions has returned to public view following a major conservation project in the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.
Known as the Madonna della Pura, the early fourteenth-century fresco is once again on display in the chapel that bears its name after an extensive restoration carried out under the supervision of the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the Metropolitan City of Florence and the provinces of Pistoia and Prato. The work was undertaken by restorers Andrea Vigna, Paola Viviani and Stefania Franceschini, with funding from the Friends of Florence.
Madonna della Pura, 14th century. Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. Before restoration. Photo by Ottaviano Caruso
The fresco is closely associated with the spread of devotion to the Virgin Mary promoted by the Dominican Order at the turn of the fourteenth century. Originally painted on the back wall of the Della Luna family tomb in the cemetery adjoining Santa Maria Novella, it depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, accompanied by Saint Catherine of Alexandria and the patron who commissioned the work.
According to medieval tradition, the image became the focus of popular devotion after a group of children claimed to witness an apparition of the Virgin while playing near the tomb. They said Mary had asked them to dust the neglected painting. The story quickly spread throughout Florence, and the image soon attracted growing numbers of worshippers.
Less than a year after the reputed miracle, an altar had been erected before the fresco. Devotion surrounding the so-called “children of purity” continued to grow over the following decades, prompting the Dominican friars to allow the Ricasoli family to build a dedicated chapel in 1476. The new chapel placed the fresco in a more prominent setting, where it has remained for more than five centuries.
Details after restoration. Post 2024-26 restoration with support from Friends of Florence. Photo by Ottaviano Caruso
The recent restoration sought to recover the fresco’s legibility while improving its overall condition using techniques that respected both the original materials and its long conservation history. Restorers removed twentieth-century overpainting that had altered the appearance of the figures, revealing more balanced flesh tones while bringing back painted details and colours that had been obscured by surface deposits and earlier restoration campaigns.
The work also provided conservators with a better understanding of the techniques used by the anonymous medieval artist while reinforcing the fresco’s historical importance and continuing devotional role within the basilica.
“We are particularly happy to have supported the restoration of the Madonna della Pura, an image deeply rooted both in the devotional history of Santa Maria Novella and in the memory of the city of Florence,” said Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, President of the Friends of Florence. “This restoration has made it possible to rediscover the beauty and legibility of a fresco that has accompanied the spirituality of generations of the faithful and visitors for many centuries.”
Details after restoration. Post 2024-26 restoration with support from Friends of Florence. Photo by Ottaviano Caruso
Founded in 1998, the Friends of Florence Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the artistic and cultural heritage of Florence and Tuscany. Supported by donors from around the world, the foundation identifies important restoration projects, secures funding, and works with local authorities and conservation specialists to preserve works of art, churches, monuments, and museums. Since its creation, the organisation has raised and donated more than $12 million for conservation work throughout the region, supporting projects at sites including the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia, the Baptistry of Florence, Piazza della Signoria, the Museum of San Marco, and dozens of other churches, museums, and public monuments.
Brandolini d’Adda adds, “We are grateful to the Soprintendenza for its supervision, to the Dominican friars for their amenability, and to the restorers who have made this important conservation project possible. Our most heartfelt thanks go to the donors, William and Jeanne Bice, for their support and their enthusiastic interest in the art of Florence.”
Top Image: Madonna della Pura, 14th century. Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy. Fresco painting depicting Virgin Mary and the Christ Child with St. Catherine of Alessandria and the Della Luna Family patron. After 2024-26 restoration with support from Friends of Florence. Photo by Ottaviano Caruso
A fourteenth-century fresco that became the focus of one of medieval Florence’s best-known devotional traditions has returned to public view following a major conservation project in the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.
Known as the Madonna della Pura, the early fourteenth-century fresco is once again on display in the chapel that bears its name after an extensive restoration carried out under the supervision of the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the Metropolitan City of Florence and the provinces of Pistoia and Prato. The work was undertaken by restorers Andrea Vigna, Paola Viviani and Stefania Franceschini, with funding from the Friends of Florence.
The fresco is closely associated with the spread of devotion to the Virgin Mary promoted by the Dominican Order at the turn of the fourteenth century. Originally painted on the back wall of the Della Luna family tomb in the cemetery adjoining Santa Maria Novella, it depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, accompanied by Saint Catherine of Alexandria and the patron who commissioned the work.
According to medieval tradition, the image became the focus of popular devotion after a group of children claimed to witness an apparition of the Virgin while playing near the tomb. They said Mary had asked them to dust the neglected painting. The story quickly spread throughout Florence, and the image soon attracted growing numbers of worshippers.
Less than a year after the reputed miracle, an altar had been erected before the fresco. Devotion surrounding the so-called “children of purity” continued to grow over the following decades, prompting the Dominican friars to allow the Ricasoli family to build a dedicated chapel in 1476. The new chapel placed the fresco in a more prominent setting, where it has remained for more than five centuries.
The recent restoration sought to recover the fresco’s legibility while improving its overall condition using techniques that respected both the original materials and its long conservation history. Restorers removed twentieth-century overpainting that had altered the appearance of the figures, revealing more balanced flesh tones while bringing back painted details and colours that had been obscured by surface deposits and earlier restoration campaigns.
The work also provided conservators with a better understanding of the techniques used by the anonymous medieval artist while reinforcing the fresco’s historical importance and continuing devotional role within the basilica.
“We are particularly happy to have supported the restoration of the Madonna della Pura, an image deeply rooted both in the devotional history of Santa Maria Novella and in the memory of the city of Florence,” said Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, President of the Friends of Florence. “This restoration has made it possible to rediscover the beauty and legibility of a fresco that has accompanied the spirituality of generations of the faithful and visitors for many centuries.”
Founded in 1998, the Friends of Florence Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the artistic and cultural heritage of Florence and Tuscany. Supported by donors from around the world, the foundation identifies important restoration projects, secures funding, and works with local authorities and conservation specialists to preserve works of art, churches, monuments, and museums. Since its creation, the organisation has raised and donated more than $12 million for conservation work throughout the region, supporting projects at sites including the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia, the Baptistry of Florence, Piazza della Signoria, the Museum of San Marco, and dozens of other churches, museums, and public monuments.
Brandolini d’Adda adds, “We are grateful to the Soprintendenza for its supervision, to the Dominican friars for their amenability, and to the restorers who have made this important conservation project possible. Our most heartfelt thanks go to the donors, William and Jeanne Bice, for their support and their enthusiastic interest in the art of Florence.”
Click here to visit website for the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.
Top Image: Madonna della Pura, 14th century. Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy. Fresco painting depicting Virgin Mary and the Christ Child with St. Catherine of Alessandria and the Della Luna Family patron. After 2024-26 restoration with support from Friends of Florence. Photo by Ottaviano Caruso
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