FASHION / OFFICINA PROFUMO-FARMACEUTICA DI SANTA MARIA NOVELLA
How to best explain Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella?
It is in all ways a unique experience, more than a merely brand and infinitely more than the sum of the products they sell.
It is a Florentine institution, a perfumery and herbalist shop, dating back to 1612.
Many have described it as “the oldest pharmacy in the world” (though obviously not a pharmacy in the strictest sense of the word).
For centuries, its scents have inspired the fashion world.
The shop was first established in Via Reginaldo Giuliani, on the initiative of Fra Angiolo Marchissi, as a way for the monks of the nearby Dominican monastery Santa Maria Novella to sell their mediaeval medicines to the citizens of Florence.
The garden, in which all ingredients for the first products were cultivated, was the heart of the business.
Each element of the garden had its own meaning; the fountain symbolised the source of life, and several components were planted with the specific intent to stimulate the five senses.
The monks’ reputation for creating products of excellent quality, including perfumes, toiletries, pot pourri, liqueurs, and food, grew over the centuries.
In the 1330s, the merchant Dardano Acciaioli was treated for a serious illness by the friars.
When he had recovered, he showed his gratitude by financing the construction of the Chapel of San Niccolò, still present in the main hall of the store.
The business was so successful that in 1866, the Kingdom of Italy confiscated it from the church and sold it to a private owner.
One of their most famous products is the rose water.
In 1381, Italy suffered from the pandemic of the plague. In response, the monks began experimenting with herbs and flowers grown in the monastic garden, creating medicaments that could prevent or even cure the disease.
One of the products was a distilled rose water, still in production.
Another iconic product is the perfume Acqua della Regina, a fragrance specially designed for Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, and the pharmacy’s most distinguished patron.
This is the pharmacy’s oldest perfume, and continuous to be one of their best-sellers.
The close relationship between the queen and the monastery is reflected in the story of Catherina de Medici leaving Florence to marry the future king of France.
She asked for a perfumer to travel with her. His Italian name was Renato Bianco, but in Paris he became known as René le Florentin.
Based in his ancient wisdom, acquired as essence-maker in Florence, the art of making perfume according to Florentine traditions became popularised around the world.
And so, the pharmacy became part of the international history of perfume.
Today, the pharmacy balances the preservation of its heritage and ancient traditions with a careful development and renewal of the product range.
Ingrdients are still locally sourced and produced in an artisanal and authentic manner.
The premises on Via della Scala 16 in Florence house several historic sales rooms, but also a tearoom, and a small museum dedicated to the pharmacy’s history.
