Where Dante Met Beatrice: La Chiesa di Santa Margherita dei Cerchi
Hidden in the voluptuous history of Florence lies a humble church that arguably inspired one of the most influential works of Western literature: the Commedia (later called the Divina Commedia — “The Divine Comedy” in English).
This church is modest in size, especially when compared to Brunelleschi’s nearby masterpiece, the Duomo of Florence. It is small, stone-walled, and unassuming. Outside, a stone slab bears the inscription Chiesa di Dante (“Dante’s Church”).
According to tradition, it was in this very church that Dante first encountered his muse, Beatrice.
Who were Dante and Beatrice?
Dante Alighieri was a Tuscan poet and statesman, once politically active among the rival Florentine factions of the Guelphs and Ghibellines—two parties that fought bitterly for control of the city. In 1302, Dante was exiled, never to return.
Although he lived the rest of his life away from Florence, he remains one of the city’s most enduring cultural figures, and certainly one of the most celebrated writers of his age. Along with Petrarch, he played a pivotal role in spreading the Tuscan vernacular. At that time, Italy was far from a unified nation; it was a patchwork of states and regions with distinct languages and dialects—Latin, Sicilian, Venetian, Lombard, Tuscan, and many more. It was through works like Dante’s Commedia and Boccaccio’s Decameron that the Tuscan dialect evolved into what we now recognise as modern Italian.
Beatrice was the woman Dante idealised as his spiritual guide in Paradiso, the final cantica of his epic. The poem, which Dante himself titled simply Commedia, was later dubbed Divina Commedia by Boccaccio. It unfolds in three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
Dante and the Renaissance
Dante was writing on the cusp of the Rinascimento (the Renaissance), the “rebirth” of classical thought. This period witnessed the revival of ancient philosophy, art, and literature.
In the Commedia, Dante weaves together his deeply Catholic worldview with the wisdom of antiquity, populating his journey with figures such as Virgil, Homer, and Ovid. His poem stands as a dialogue between medieval theology and the legacy of the classical world.
A personal encounter
I studied the Commedia at University as part of my degree in Italian, and a family member encouraged me to visit this small church. Florence is full of hidden corners and treasures, and stumbling across this site felt like a reward—not only because of its historical and cultural significance, but also because it is surprisingly difficult to access during its limited opening hours.
The church itself is no longer active and was officially closed by the Catholic Church. The last priest, Roberto Tassi, still resides in the adjacent quarters. He considers himself the caretaker of its memory, selling guidebooks to visitors and sharing his own philosophical reflections on Christianity. If you wish to know more, you will need to brush up on your Italian and pay him a visit in person.