Shrine of Saint Zenobius

During the years that Ghiberti worked on the Gates of Paradise, he made the shrine of Saint Zenobius, commissioned by the Arte della Lana (wool guild) in Florence. Saint Zenobius was the bishop of Florence in the fourth century and was revered as one of the city’s patron saints. The bronze shrine is reminiscent of antique sarcophagi, with its four sides adorned with reliefs, three depicting scenes from the life of Saint Zenobius and the fourth showing angels holding wreaths. The longitudinal front panel of the tomb, placed under the altar in the Saint Zenobius Chapel in Florence Cathedral, depicts the Miracle of the Strozzi Boy, while the panels on the two short sides feature the Miracle of the Oxcart and the Miracle of the Servant. The inscription in the wreath held by angels on the longitudinal panel at the back records the fact that the sarcophagus was dedicated to Saint Zenobius. a szarkofág