Santo Spirito

The reason why you find here in the Santo Spirito Church Michelangelo's Crucifix is quite peculiar. When he was seventeen years old, Michelangelo was allowed to make anatomical studies on the corpses coming from the convent's hospital; in exchange, he sculpted a wooden crucifix which was placed over the high altar. The priest Nicholaio Bichellini, risking excommunication, allowed Michelangelo his dissections at night. Today the crucifix is in the octagonal sacristy that can be reached from the west aisle of the church. Eric Weiner puts a very interesting light on this fact and the genius Michelangelo in his book "Geography of Genius": "...it reminds us that genius is messy. You have to be willing to get your hands dirty. There is no substitute for direct observation of nature, and this holds true not only for the beautiful bits but also the squishy ones."

Dromos