Piazza Santa Maria Novella, one of the most impressive squares of the city, has been the home of the Dominican comunity since the early XIII c. The arrival of the mendicant orders was a very important moment for the developement of the city: the domincans settled here, on the western part of the city, slightly outside the city walls in this area which was known as “Saint Mary of the Vines”, and also gave the name to the small church that stood facing east, the Fanciscans on the eastern side in S. Croce and, on the other side of the river Arno, the Augustinians along with the Carmelites in S. Spirito and Santa Maria del Carmine respectively.
