Church Convent and Garden Santi Cosma e Damiano

When Pope Leone X visited Incisa in 1516, the Franciscan friars took the opportunity to request and receive permission to build a new monastery and church. The Castellani family donated the land, and the building was financed by the Cambini family. Both family crests are engraved on the facade. The church was dedicated to two saints, Cosma and Damiano, the patron saints of the powerful ruling Medici family. It was built where a chapel had been. Officially called "Chiesa di Santi Cosma e Damiano al Vivaio," it is theorized that the name "Vivaio" indicated that the monastery had a garden of plants used for medicinal uses or to plant on agricultural estates.

The portico was added in 1592, and in the early 1600s, the grand organ was built by known master organ craftsman Lorenzo Testa. Restorations added stuccoes and other baroque embellishments, though the facade retains its Renaissance appearance.

The interior cloister is always open, a quiet and lovely spot.

Photo: Di Mongolo1984 - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0