Introduction
In this article titled Forgotten Women Stories, we rediscover a hidden corner of Florence where history survives only through a faint mark carved in stone. This story of silence, resilience, and identity reveals a world of women who have been forgotten for centuries—yet whose presence still echoes along the walls of Santa Croce.
Forgotten Women Stories
The Silent Stone on Via San Giuseppe
Anyone walking along the left side of the Basilica of Santa Croce, on Via San Giuseppe, may easily miss a small inscription carved into the stone at number 18: “Monastero di S. Elisabetta di Capitolo di Firenze n.17.” At first glance it looks like an ordinary doorway. However, the truth is far deeper, for this stone marks the entrance to a forgotten world of women, silence, and ashes.
Here, the title Forgotten Women Stories returns as a reminder of the invisible tales hidden behind Florence’s stones.
A Hidden Convent and Its Unusual Inhabitants
Women Between Worlds
In the 14th century, a small convent stood in this very spot, complete with a church that has since disappeared. This was the Monastery of Saint Elizabeth, known also as the Capitolo di Firenze, and it was run by laywomen of the Franciscan Third Order: the pinzochere.
Moreover, their name may have come from their grey robe—between black and white—reflecting their own in-between existence:
- neither nuns nor fully secular
- neither wives nor widows
- neither accepted nor entirely excluded
These women came from every social fracture of medieval life:
- former prostitutes
- widows
- women trapped in unhappy marriages
- unmarried women with no prospects
And yet, they all found refuge, dignity, and purpose within these walls. Though they did not take vows, they lived like monastic sisters, dedicating themselves to one mission:
caring for and maintaining the Basilica of Santa Croce.
This moment brings back our title for the third time: Forgotten Women Stories, a tribute to the strength of these overlooked figures.
A Secret Passage Between City and Sanctuary
The pinzochere once had a private entrance into Santa Croce—now sealed shut and hidden behind the monument to the fallen of the World Wars in Largo Piero Bargellini. That small door was their bridge between the sacred and the ordinary, between Florence’s bustling streets and the quiet of the cloister.
Destruction, Survival, and Oblivion
Furthermore, the convent suffered heavily during the flood of 1557. Later, in 1810, during the French occupation, it was officially suppressed. Yet the community resisted for 56 more years, surviving until it was finally closed by the newly unified Italian state.
Today all that remains is a small, worn stone bearing the number 17 and the symbol of the Torre, emblem of the ancient Ufficiali di Torre, the custodians of public buildings.
The Last Trace of an Invisible Monastery
A Scar in the Stone
Now surrounded by wires and plaster, that carved sign looks like a wound—an almost invisible scar left on Florence’s skin. It is a clue for those who know how to look, a whisper from an otherwise erased past.
It reminds us, once again, of our title Forgotten Women Stories, marking the fourth appearance inside the article.
Ultimately, this tiny stone preserves the memory of:
- an invisible monastery
- women whose stories were never told
- a door that will never open again
These are the Forgotten Women Stories etched quietly into the walls of Florence.
Useful External Links
To deepen your exploration of Florence’s hidden history, here are four valuable resources:
- Santa Croce Official Website – https://www.santacroceopera.it
- Franciscan Third Order Background – https://www.ofs.org
- Florence Flood of 1966 History – https://www.britannica.com/event/Florence-flood-of-1966
- Cultural Heritage of Florence – https://www.musefirenze.it
