The monks have since sold out and today Santa Maria Novella ... that those old monks could only have dreamt of creating. The iris, or giglio, has been the symbol of Florence since the 11th century.

Among Florence's churches, Santa Maria Novella is often overlooked ... flower water rests inside wooden cabinets, flanked by old containers used for lotions and potions, lists of ingredients ...

By the 15th century, the popularity of Santa Maria Novella began to extend beyond Florence, thanks to Catherine de’ Medici, who chose Renato Bianco, raised by Santa Maria Novella’s Dominican friars, ...