FLOREAL

(fl6-ra-4l; month of flowers), the eighth month in the calendar of the French Revolution. It began 20th April, and ended 19th May FLORENCE (It. Firenze; in O.It. and in poetry, Fiorenza: ancient Florentia Tuscorum), a celebrated city of Ttaly, capital of a province of the same name, 143 miles N.w. of Rome, and 50 miles E.N.E. of Leghorn. The city is surrounded by hilis, and is beautifully situated on both banks of the Arno, the greater part, however, lying on the right bank. The river is spanned by four stone and two iron bridges: the Ponte alle Grazie, constructed 1235, restored 1835; the Ponte Vecchio (the ‘Old’ Bridge), said to date from the Roman period, reconstructed in 1362, and still retaining its old form, with its three arches supporting a roadway with goldsmiths’ shops on either side, and above, a covered pa age connecting the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi; the Ponte Santa Trinita, erected soon after 1567, adorned with statues, and remarkable for the symmetry of its arches; the Ponte all a Carraja, 1218, restored 1337, and again in 1559; and two iron suspension bridges at either Flora, after Titian end of the city. On either side of the Arno is a spacious quay called the Lung’ Arno, a favourite promenade. Buildings. The private dwellings are mostly handsome, and the palaces, of which there are many, are noble and impre ive structures. The city contains numerous piazzas or squares, the most important being the Piazza dell a Signoria, surrounded by important buildings, and adorned with a marble fountain, and a bronze equestrian statue of Cosmo I. In this piazza is situated the Palazzo Vecchio, originally the seat of the Government of the Baptistery at Florence by Giotto republic, and subsequently the residence of Cosmo I; also the Loggia dei Lanzi, a fine open arcade containing numerous well-known groups of statuary. The most remarkable building in Florence is the Duomo, or cathedral of Sta Maria del Fiore, erected between 1298 and 1474, but its facade not completed till 1887, and the porches, which are adorned with statues and reliefs, only in 1903. One great feature is Brunelleschi’s magnificent dome which served Michael Angelo as a model for St. Peter’s at Rome. The cathedral is situated in a spacious square, nearly in the centre of the city. Close by are the Campanile or bell-tower designed by Giotto, and the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the latter having three bronze gates with figures in relief, one of them by Andrea Pisano, and the other two | by Ghiberti, celebrated as among the most beautiful works of the kind extant. The church of 8. Croce contains the tombs of many eminent Tuscans, among them Michael Angelo. Galileo, Machi a vell i, and Alfieri, besides much fine sculpture and fresco work; while in the Piazza outside stands the Dante memorial by Pazzi. Art Col les tions. The chief art collection is the Galleria degli Uffizi, which contains specimens of painting and statuary by the greatest masters. In statuary, among numerous antiques may be specified the Venus de’ Medici, the <Apoilino, the Knife-grinaer, the Dancing Faun, the Wrestlers, and the group of Niobe and her Children | 481 FLORENCE while in painting there are works by Leonardo da Vinci, Bott i cell i, Ghirlandajo, Michael Angelo, Raphael, Titian, Fra Angelico, Fra Bartolomeo, Andrea del Sarto, Correggio, Guido, . Other important art collections are preserved in the churches and palaces, one of the principal being the paintings in the Pitti Palace. The building formerly known as the Bargello, erected about 1250 for the chief magistrate of the republic (the Podesta), and subsequontly used as a prison, bas been restored, and is now a national museum, illustrative of the history of italian culture and art in medizyal and modern times. The Lauren tian or Medicean Library contains upwards of 9,000 ancient MSS. The Magliabecchian Library, now united with that from the Pitti Palace to form the National Library, is the great repository of printed books. The charitable institutions are numerous and important. Schools and kindred institutions are also numerous. The manufactures embrace woollens, silks, straw-hats, porcelain, mosaics, and numerous objects in the fine arts. History. _Florence was probably founded by the Romans in the second century B.C., and early attained considerable prosperity. During the Dark Ages it was frequently devastated, but it revived about the beginning of the eleventh century, at which time the Florentines became extensive Huropean traders. Their silk and woollen fabrics excelled, and their skill as workers in gold and jewels was unsurpa ed. About this time Florence teok an active part in the feud which broke out between the Guelphs and Ghi bel lines, the town generally supporting the former against the Imperial party. In 1283 a species of republic was constituted; but about the year 1300 the party struggles again burst forth between the same rival families under the new names of the Whites and the Blacks, in which the Blacks (the Guelphs) were eventually victorious, and the Whites, among whom was the poet Dante, banished. In the course of these troubles a family of merchants named the Medicis rose to great influence in Florentine politics. One of them, Cosmo, born 1389, was the founder of the political greatne of his house. His grandson, Lorenzo, surnamed Il Magnifico, as a statesman, scholar, and patron of art and literature, attained the highest celebrity. Under him Florence, which, though calling itself a republic, was in reality ruled by him, rose to a great pitch of opulence and power, and notwithstanding the hostility of the Pope he exercised a great influence throughout Italy. On the fall of the republic in the sixteenth century a member of a lateral branch of the Medici, the line of Cosmo having become extinct, was created Duke of Florence by Charles V. The ducal dynasty of Medici continued to rule till the year 1737, when, becoming extinct, they were succeeded by Francis of Lorraine, afterwards Emperor of Germany. From this period the history of Florence merges into that of Tuscany until its amalgamation with the Kingdom of Italy. From 1865 till 1871 it held the dignity of capital of the new Kingdom of Italy, the seat of the Government being transferred to it from Turin. Amongst the illustrious men it hag produced are Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Guicciardini, Lorenzo de’ Medici, Galileo, Michael Angelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Benvenuto Cell in i, Andrea del Sarto, Amerigo Vespucci, Macchia vell i, and others. Pop. (including suburbs), (1931), 316,286. The province has an area of 1,497 English sq. miles. The surface is diversified by mountains, valleys, and plains. The climate is generally mild and healthy, and the soil very fertile. Pop (1931), 840,287.—BIBLIOGRAPHT C. Yriarte, Florence; Ruskin, Mornings in Florence; B. Hutton, Literary Landmarks of Florence; ¥. T. Perrens, His to ire de florence (9 vols.); H. V. Lucas, 4 Wanderer in Florence; J. W. Brown, Florence, Past and Present.