The Fresco Cycle of Saint Maria Maddalena De’ Pazzi (1566–1607)

Abstract Saint Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi, a Florentine Carmelite nun and mystic, was recognized as a saint in 1669. After her canonization, a church in Florence was renovated and renamed Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi, and new artworks were commissioned for it. This article will explore in detail a series of ten frescoes on the top section of the walls in the church, part of the renovation. Although these works are part of the saint’s public iconography and depict major narratives of her cult, they have not been studied in depth to date. Though the scenes have meaning to a general Catholic audience, they appeal to different audiences—the Carmelite nuns, the local Florentine population, and the post-Counter Reformation believer—to differing degrees, the scenes with Jesuit undertones aimed particular at the latter group.