I'm currently sampling the two newest fragrances from Santa Maria Novella — Ottone and Porcellana. The Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella has sent me some of their literature. It's got an amazing history, which is fascinating, so I thought I'd share some of the details here.
The creation of medicinal herb gardens within the walls of monasteries goes back hundreds of years, but it was in the Renaissance, when botany was flourishing both as a scince and an art, that these gardens were properly developed. In this context, between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica de Santa Maria Novella gained prestige.
It was founded in 1221 with the intention of preparing medicines to safeguared the health of the monks, using the properties of plants grown by the monks themselves. In 1612 the monks decided to open to the public and the medicines were sold in the antica speziera, where tha Santa Maria Novella herbalist shop is housed today. The various pharmaceutical specialties of the time are mentioned in details in a 1774 inventory written by the founding monks. Depending on the preparation, the ingredients used and the consistency, these were defined as oils, juleps, elixirs, waters spirits, salts.
Each Officina Profumo Farmaceutica de Santa Maria Novella product tells a story. For example, the precious Acqua della Regina perfume was originally created for Caterina de'Medici, the Queen of France, who made it popular throughout France, while the perfume produced by Giovanni Paolo Feminis, who moved to Cologne in Germany in 1725, was named Eau de Cologne in honour of the city in which its producer lived... Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella's perfumes include a whole series of Eau de Colognes, essences and triple extracts ranging from the sweetest iris, rose and gardenia scents to the more astringent verbena and vetiver oils or the delightful Acqua di Sicilia. The essences are also used in the production of soaps which are lerft to mature in specially ventilated storage facilities as well as a range of face and body creams which include an Almond paste hand moisturizing cream, Polvere per bianchire le carni (an exfoliating powder), a cleansing milk and a tonic.
An impressive history. There are Santa Maria Novella stores all over the world, in Europe, Asia and the US. I'm curious to try some of their skin and beauty products as well as more of their fragrances.