The remains of Santa Reparata provide important information about the art, history and topography of the town. This was the old cathedral of Florence until 1412, the year in which it was replaced with the building of “Santa Maria del Fiore”.

Its oldest remains probably the same level as the Roman city, that is at the same level of the Baptistery. The excavations inside the cathedral were started in 1965 with the aim of recovering as far as possible the remains of the original church. The works have highlighted the existence of a very complex network of structures and the presence of two previous churches, built before “Santa Reparata”.

The first building dates back to about 780. The beautiful parapet with wooden figures corresponds to this nucleus. The second transformation occurred during the Romanes period, while the third and final transformation occurred in the 13th century. Its floor level is only 90 cm below the present day one. The excavations have brought to light several pietra serena tombstones dating back to the 15th century that are still visible today.

Still visible are also the mosaics belonging to the first floor of the 8th century decorated with polychrome geometric patterns. The walls show fragments of frescoes carried out during the many building phase. One of the most important finding was the tomb of Brunelleschi that dates back to 1446, the year of the artist´s death.