Hospital of the Innocents - Florence, Italy - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

Established in 1419, the Ospedale degli Innocenti was an orphanage for abandoned children which, apparently, was a big problem in Florence at that time. When it finally opened in 1445, it only took ten days before the first child was dropped off at the facility. The hospital was involved with the care of children for over four centuries. It was named for the innocent children killed by Herod at the time of the birth of Christ. Today, among other things, it houses the UNICEF International Child Development Centre, which was renamed to the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti.

The building itself is architecturally significant in that it was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, the same guy who would go on to design the famous dome of Florence’s cathedral. It is considered to be one of the first truly Renaissance buildings with its reliance on geometric shapes and order. Also, typical of Florence at that time, it was adorned with high quality artwork. Above each column is a glazed terracotta tondo created by Florentine master Andrea della Robbia showing various swaddled babies. Known as the bambini, only a few are original as most were replaced by copies in the 19th century. One of these is shown as an inset on the stamp.

The hospital was officially shut down in 1875. Today, besides the architecture of Brunelleschi, there’s a museum on the premises that features works from such notable Florentine Renaissance artists as Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Luca della Robbia, among others. The stamp honored the 600th anniversary of the establishment of the hospital in 1419.

Stamp Issuing Country: Italy Date of Issue: 22-Oct-2019 Denomination: (€1,10) Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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