124A Plan for the Church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini

In 1559 Michelangelo was asked to design a church for the Florentine community in Rome, to be dedicated to the patron saint of Florence, John, and the patron saints of the Medici family, Cosmas and Damian. This drawing represents the last stage in the design, with an altar at the center surrounded by eight pairs of columns and with chapels at the four corners. Michelangelo’s project was never carried out. The construction of the church was begun in 1582 by Giacomo della Porta, who gave it a Latin-cross plan.