The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore was founded in 1296 by the Florentine Republic, with the participation of the city’s church authorities, to supervise the construction of the new cathedral and its belfry.

After the consecration of the church (25 March 1436) and the completion of the architectural structure, the main task of the Opera became to preserve and beautify the monument, to which were added, in 1777, the Baptistery of San Giovanni and, in 1891 the museum, set up to house the works of art over the centuries had been removed from the Duomo and the Baptistry.