Jordan Ellis
The Ospedale degli Innocenti, also known as the Florentine Foundling Hospital, was a historic building in Florence, Italy. It was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and is considered to be the first orphanage in history. The hospital was commissioned by Brunelleschi's guild, the Guild of Silk Merchants and Goldsmiths, and was responsible for the welfare of abandoned children. The building featured a nine-bay loggia and was constructed in several phases, with only the first phase (1419-1427) under Brunelleschi's direct supervision. The hospital provided comprehensive care for the children, including education and the opportunity to learn valuable skills for adulthood. Detailed records exist for many of the foundlings, offering glimpses into their pasts and the reasons for their abandonment. Today, the building houses a small museum of Renaissance art.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Ospedale degli Innocenti (Italian), Spedale degli Innocenti (Old Tuscan), Hospital of the Innocents, Foundling Hospital |
| Location | Piazza Santissima Annunziata, Florence, Italy |
| Architect | Filippo Brunelleschi |
| Commissioned By | Arte della Seta (Silk Guild of Florence) |
| Year of Commission | 1419 |
| Construction Supervision | Brunelleschi supervised the initial phase from 1419-1426/1427. Francesco della Luna completed the project in the 1440s. |
| Architectural Style | Renaissance, with influences from Romanesque and late Gothic architecture |
| Notable Features | Loggia, arcades, columns, terracotta plaques, pietra serena columns and trims, stucco walls |
| Function | Shelter for unwanted children, orphanage |
| Care Provided | Wet nursing, weaning, education, teaching of skills, provision of dowries for girls |
| Record-Keeping | Detailed records of foundlings, including age, name, objects found with them, and sometimes reasons for abandonment |
| Average Annual Admissions | 200 foundlings in the first few years, increasing to almost 1,000 by 1540 |
| Closure | 1875 |
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What You'll Learn
The Ospedale degli Innocenti
The building has a nine-bay loggia facing the Piazza SS. Annunziata, with graceful arcades and windows with Classical pediments. The loggia was designed by Brunelleschi and is considered the most architecturally innovative part of the hospital. The hospital was constructed in several phases, with only the first phase (1419-1427) under Brunelleschi's direct supervision. Later modifications were made, including the addition of an attic story and the expansion of the building to the south.
Today, the building houses a small museum of Renaissance art, displaying works by renowned artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Luca della Robbia, and Piero di Cosimo.
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Filippo Brunelleschi's design
The Ospedale degli Innocenti, also known as the Florentine Foundling Hospital, was commissioned by Filippo Brunelleschi's guild, the Guild of Silk Merchants and Goldsmiths, in 1419. The hospital was designed as a shelter for unwanted children and is considered the first orphanage in history. The building is regarded as a notable example of early Italian Renaissance architecture, with its graceful arcade, composite columns, and windows with classical pediments.
Brunelleschi's design for the hospital was revolutionary in its use of simple classical forms, marking a departure from the Gothic style that preceded it. The arcades, for example, were very slender and widely spaced, carrying an arcade instead of an entablature. This design was more similar to Tuscan-Romanesque models than to those of ancient Rome. The hospital's portico, while morphologically related to Italian Romanesque and late Gothic architecture, also incorporated novel features.
The most innovative part of the hospital's design is the loggia along the entrance façade. Street-side loggias were common in public buildings at the time, but Brunelleschi's modular approach to design set his apart. The intercolumnation, or distance from column centre to column centre, was equal to the distance from the columns to the wall. Brunelleschi supervised the construction during the initial phase, managing the laying of foundations, raising of main walls, and completion of the basement and the lower part of the front-facing loggia.
Several features of Brunelleschi's original design were omitted or changed during construction and in later modifications. For example, pilasters that were envisioned for the upper story were not included. Roundels were intended to decorate the frieze, but these were also left out. Instead, circular plaques of terracotta were added in 1486. An extra bay was added to the right side of the building in 1427 and another to the left side in 1843 to balance it.
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The Silk Guild of Florence
The Ospedale degli Innocenti, or the Hospital of the Innocents, was commissioned by the Guild of Silk Merchants and Goldsmiths, also known as the "Arte della Seta" or the Silk Guild of Florence. The guild was one of the wealthiest in the city and was known for its philanthropic duties.
The hospital, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, is considered a notable example of early Italian Renaissance architecture. The building features a nine-bay loggia facing the Piazza SS. Annunziata and was constructed in several phases. The first phase, from 1419 to 1426 (or 1427), was under Brunelleschi's direct supervision, during which the foundations were laid, and the main walls and basement were completed. The lower part of the front-facing loggia was also constructed during this period.
The hospital's record books reveal many secrets and hidden identities, with parents often leaving tokens, notes, or codes to hint at their identities. The high demand for wet nurses among the middle and upper classes sometimes forced poorer women to give up their babies to the hospital to sell their milk. The hospital also experienced increased admissions during times of hardship and famine.
The Ospedale degli Innocenti remains a significant place, representing the social and humanistic views of Florence during the early Renaissance. It is now a historic building in Florence, Italy, housing a small museum of Renaissance art.
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Records of secrets and identities
The Ospedale degli Innocenti, also known as the Florentine Foundling Hospital, was a charitable institution responsible for the welfare of abandoned children. The hospital was commissioned by Filippo Brunelleschi's guild, the Guild of Silk Merchants and Goldsmiths, and is considered a notable example of early Italian Renaissance architecture.
The archives of the Florentine Foundling Hospital, l’Ospedale degli Innocenti, reveal many secrets kept by the institution over the centuries. The records often concealed the identities of parents who were forced to give up their children due to poverty, famine, or illness during the Renaissance. While some records are silent regarding parentage, others hint at the identity of the abandoning parent through coded language, retaining and concealing the secret of a foundling's origins.
Detailed records exist for many of the foundlings, describing when the child was discovered, their age, name, and any objects or clothing left with them. In some cases, parents left notes or tokens, such as coins, magic charms, or devotional items, explaining who the child was and the reasons for their abandonment. These reasons included widowhood, ill health, or the inability to feed multiple children.
The physical design of the building also allowed parents to remain anonymous, with a special rotating horizontal wheel installed in 1660 that brought babies into the building without the parent being seen. This system of anonymous drop-offs operated until the hospital's closure in 1875.
The hospital's records reflect the social and humanistic views of Florence during the early Renaissance, with the institution serving as a statement of compassion and care for abandoned children.
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Renaissance architecture
The Renaissance period saw the construction of some of the world's most treasured monuments, including St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, which is considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. Other notable examples include the Marciana research library in Venice, built in the Palladian style, and the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, completed in 1484 by architect Michelozzo di Bartolomeo for the head of the Medici family.
The Renaissance can be divided into three main periods: the Early Renaissance, the High Renaissance, and the Late Renaissance or Mannerist period. During the Early Renaissance, architects explored concepts of architectural order and formulated rules, reintroducing classical Roman and Greek elements. The High Renaissance, ushered in by Donato Bramante's move to Rome, saw the confident use and development of classical forms. The Late Renaissance or Mannerist period was characterised by experimentation, with architects using architectural forms to emphasise solid and spatial relationships.
Brunelleschi's Foundling Hospital in Florence is an example of Renaissance architecture in the city.
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Frequently asked questions
The Florentine Foundling Hospital, also known as the Ospedale degli Innocenti (Hospital of the Innocents) or Spedale degli Innocenti in old Tuscan dialect, was a hospital and orphanage for abandoned children.
The Florentine Foundling Hospital was commissioned in 1419 and the first phase of construction took place between 1419 and 1427 under the supervision of Filippo Brunelleschi.
The Florentine Foundling Hospital was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, who received the commission from the Arte della Seta (the Guild of Silk Merchants and Goldsmiths).
The hospital is considered a notable example of early Italian Renaissance architecture, breaking away from the Gothic style that preceded it. It features a nine-bay loggia facing the Piazza SS. Annunziata and is regarded as the first pure Early Renaissance structure.
The hospital provided comprehensive care for abandoned children. Babies were wet-nursed and weaned, and boys and girls were taught skills according to their gender. The hospital also provided dowries for girls, and they had the option of getting married or becoming nuns.
