The first cloister, one of the most picturesque in all of Florence and called “dei Canonici”, is formed by a spectacular two-story open gallery following a square ground plan surrounding a garden. From the north side we can see the exterior side wall of the Basilica, from the west that of the Laurentian library, and from the south we can see Brunelleschi’s dome and Giotto’s bell tower. Although they are all beautiful, most of the Florentine cloisters are in bad shape, with serious damage to their existing artwork due to public use.

Here, very close to the church, was with all probability the first Bishop’s residence in Florence. Construction began quite soon after its establishment. In fact, in the year 393, there were already lodgings for the religious. The characteristic that distinguishes this cloister from the others is that it was never part of a convent, hospital, or confraternity. It was simply a “loggiato” around which the canons and Prior opened their homes, almost like a private internal route. Each of the canons had their own living quarters (the doors are distinguished by letters of the alphabet), and those in the center had the added plus of a small vegetable garden. For many centuries they also had a community kitchen, a set schedule to follow throughout the day, and joint duties which were enforced with severe strictness.

With the regulations of the College of Medieval canons, the cloister of San Lorenzo had a setup which was substantially respected, even during the reconstruction done by Antonio Manetti Ciaccheri, student of Brunelleschi. This was the last phase of the 15th century reconstruction that involved the entire Laurentian Complex (1457-1462 for the reconstruction of the cloister). Some elements of the previous 14th century building are still recognizable, even if no traces remain of the buildings that should have stood beside the antique church.

The harmony and proportion between the arches and arcade (loggiato) reveal a certain affinity to the entire layout of the monument, thanks to the genius of Brunelleschi (although this possible attribution to him has always been denied by documents). If we examine the Ionic capitals and other architectural elements, we find instead some similarities to Michelozzo’s cloister of San Marco. We know that he took over as supervisor of work in the yard of San Lorenzo immediately after Brunelleschi’s death in 1446. It is therefore presumable that the construction of the cloister, work of Manetti Ciaccheri, was based on a design project by Michelozzo, even if the original project was certainly interpreted through another language. This is significant in the sense that they would have had to face up to the requirement of leaving certain preexisting structures unchanged.

Instead, it is certain that with the assigning of the first houses for the canons in 1461-62, constuction of the cloister was basically terminated, even if it sustained some important interventions until the time of Michelangelo and the construction of the Laurentian library (two doors on the upper floor, based on a design by Michelangelo, are perhaps the most significant 16th century “additions” to the first cloister). Other revived projects were necessary after the siege of Florence in 1529, when the cloisters were transformed into lodgings for the papal and imperial troops. Moreover, that the yard was still active during those years is documented by preparatory drawings that can be observed along the perimeter of the cloister, especially next to the “porticina del materassaio”. Here we see, on the plaster, a study of a triangular pediment brought to light during the restorations of 1992.

The second cloister, much smaller, is certainly the most antique nucleus. This can be seen in the more private structure of the living quarters as well as by the medieval characteristics or the architectural elements, which include Gothic capitals. Nevertheless, we don’t have precise information regarding the construction of this second cloister, even if it seems that it could lead back to the end of the 14th century and to the activites of Canon Matteo Dolfini. He was quite an expert in architecture, so much so that he even had a role in the successive expansion of the Basilica.

Located between the two cloisters is the entrance to the antique Refectory, which is now the home of the Prior. It still conserves some works of interest, including a splendid Renaissance washbasin.

The buildings surrounding the two cloisters develop even on the first floor. Regarding the parochial portion, they were extensively transformed into living quarters or granted a location in the Laurentian library for offices, storage, and warehouses. From the first floor of the large cloister we enter the Vestibule of the Laurentian library, and from there we gain access to the monumental Reading Room of the library itself.