This church was renovated and enlarged by annexing the adjoining monastery around the middle of the 15th century. The work was paid for by Cosimo Medici il Vecchio, who donated 40,000 golden florins, money which he himself emphasised had not been honestly gained.

The church and monastery of San Marco are a kind of shrine to the Dominican order, because the monastery houses many paintings by the great Dominican, Giovanni da Fiesole, better known as Fra Angelico, and also because it was here that another great Dominican, Girolamo Savonarola, carried out his various activities, preaching, moral reform and politics.
The actual church was renovated at the end of the 16th century, and again in the 18th century when the façade was constructed. However, this work left untouched the sumptuous Chapel of Sant'Antonio, the Dominican archbishop of Florence, which was designed by Giambologna. You will find the chapel on the left, just before the high altar.