Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

Common card · No. 434501

The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, also known as the Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella or the Ancient Apothecary of Santa Maria Novella, is an Italian company active in perfumery, cosmetics, and herbal products, based at Via della Scala 16 in Florence, within the historic premises of the convent complex of the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. The company's origins are traced to 1221, when the Dominican Order settled in Florence. Over the following centuries, the convent apothecary developed into an organised activity, with a documented pharmacy in 1508 and an autonomous administrative organisation recorded in 1542. The year 1612 is traditionally considered the date when the Officina opened to the public. The establishment is described as the oldest pharmacy in the world, a distinction associated with its claimed continuity of site, activity, and apothecary tradition dating to the Dominican settlement in Florence. Over time, the apothecary's activities developed into...

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