Originally outside the city walls, the “Chiesa and Badía Santa Trinita” (Holy Trinity) was founded by the Vallombrosian monks at the end of the 11th century, in Firenze, Italy. Currently, it is located on Via de’Tornabuoni and in front of a small piazza that bears its name. The Vallombrosianos order was founded by the Benedictine Saint John Gualbert in the early eleventh century, in the town of Vallumbrosia located in the northern part of Italy.
This basilica and its extensions were financed by the powerful Florentine families of the time. Some of these families built their palaces around the “piazza”. During the fourteenth century, the “Chiesa and Badía Santa Trinita” was restructured in the Gothic style and subsequently rebuilt in the Florentine Baroque style in the sixteenth century.
In the center of the piazza rises the “Colonna della Giustizia” or Column of Justice. It is a victory column in the Roman Doric style. This work was a gift from Pope Pius IV to Cosimo de’Medici in 1563. The column is crowned with a statue of the Lady of Justice, a fifth-century version of Pope Leo the Great. At the top of the column, it can be seen that the Lady of Justice has her eyes uncovered, contrary to the more modern adaptation in which she has her eyes blinded.
A few steps away is the oldest elliptical arch bridge in the world. It is named after “Santa Trinita” in honor of this nearby church. This bridge was built in the 16th century and replaces wooden bridges that occupied the spot since the 13th century. From this bridge you can take many photos of the “Ponte Vecchio” since it is relatively close, approximately, less than 300 meters.
The square acquires the name of “Santa Trinita” in the twentieth century.
