The Basilica of Saint Mark Evangelist (also known as San Marco Church) was founded in 1267 by the Silverstrine monks. Over the course of the next 150 years the local people became unhappy with the monks’ activities and asked the Pope to remove the monks from both church and the convent.

In the process of the monks being evicted they stripped the church of all its fixtures and fittings and left it in a terrible condition (this was also partly due to a previous fire that destroyed sections of the structure which the monks had subsequently failed to restore).

In 1437 the Dominican monks of Fiesole took charge of the church and started to restore the structure and add their own touches including numerous side chapels, frescoes and the carved grandstand.

One of the most impressive things about the basilica is that it houses the remains of St. Antoninus, who as I mentioned in my description of the Museum of San Marco, had to be forced by the Pope, against his wishes, to become Archbishop of Florence in 1446 and even when he accepted, he still lived like a monk harbouring very few personal possessions.

His mummified remains are now over 550 years old but can still be found in the Salviati Chapel within a glass coffin beneath the altar. Antoninus died in 1459 and was buried within the basilica. Although it wasn’t until 1523 when he was proclaimed a Saint by Pope Adrian VI and his body was then moved to the Salviati Chapel, which was designed by Giambologna and decorated by Alessandro Allori.

As is the case with the convent next door there are many paintings within the church by the Dominican monk and acclaimed painter Fra’ Angelico.