Saint Mark's: Cloister of Saint Antoninus: View of the arcade surrounding the courtyard of the cloister

San Marco was founded in the 13th century by Silvestrine monks, consecrated in 1443. In 1436 Cosimo il Vecchio (de' Medici) invited the Dominican monks of Fiesole to move into the convent and had it rebuilt by Michelozzo, including an elegant cloister and a library. The Chiostro di Sant' Antonino is decorated with frescoes by Fra Angelico and other Florentine artists. In the Ospizio dei Pellegrini, where pilgrims were cared for, there is a superb collection of panel paintings by Fra Angelico and his followers. At the top of the staircase on the way to the dormitories is Fra Angelico's Annunciation (1440). The convent is now a museum (Museo Nazionale di San Marco). The cells where Girolamo Savonarola lived can also be visited.