Botticelli's Altarpiece

The construction of the church was intially promoted by Simone di Guido, a friar and later prior of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria Novella. The chruch became a priory in 1789 and it has since been dedicated to San Giovanni Evangelisa (Saint John the Evangelist), the patron of Montelupo. The building we can see and visit nowadays is the result of modifications made by the architect Giuseppe Silvestri in 1796, which gave it the architectural lightness that is typical of the late 18th century. It was the parish priest Giuseppe Boschi who equipped it with the monumental marble high altar. Inside the church, the most notable artwork is the Madonna col Bambino tra santi Sebastiano, Lorenzo, Giovanni Evangelista e Rocco (Madonna and Child with Saint Sebastian, Saint Lawrence, Saint John the Evangelist, and Saint Roch), which was initially attributed to Ghirlandaio, but it’s now believed to be by Botticelli’s school. There are two small altars at the ends of the aisles, dedicated to the Holy Crucifix from the Priory of San Lorenzo and to Our Lady of the Rosary, and also, above the door leading to the northern rooms, a beautiful panel depicting the Visitation, attributed to Francesco Curradi.