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Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

culture / culture-officina-santa-maria-novella

サンタ・マリア・ノヴェッラ薬局

Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is a pharmaceutical and perfumery business described as originating in a Dominican pharmacy attached to the Santa Maria Novella convent in Florence. It is recorded as having opened to the public in 1612 and as having made elixirs and other preparations.

On this page (5 sections)
  1. Overview
  2. Sources for this overview (1)
  3. Topic hubs
  4. Related entries (10)
  5. Culture (3)
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Reading the bitterness

The SIUSA record of the government archival institution links the origin of the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy to Dominican friars in 1221. It also records that in 1612 it was opened to the public and gained the title "Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale" (in translation: "Foundry of His Royal Highness"). The pharmacy's origin and its public opening are treated as separate points in time.

The same SIUSA record lists, side by side, the pharmacy's transfer to the state after the dissolution of the religious order, the start of management by Cesare Augusto Stefani in 1867, the transfer to the City of Florence in 1871, and the purchase of the assets in 1879. Early products include Elisir di China, but the level of chronological detail is not uniform across items, and this record does not explain whether that product is bitter.

Sources for this overview

  1. Officina profumo farmaceutica di S. Maria Novella

    Ministero della Cultura — SIUSA (Sistema Informativo Unificato per le Soprintendenze Archivistiche) / / government document / full text checked

    Checked for this overview: Matched the 1221 and 1612 history of the pharmacy and its title with the SIUSA record of the government archival institution. / Matched the changes in management and ownership in 1867, 1871, and 1879 with the SIUSA record. / Matched the point that Elisir di China is included among the early products. / Matched the caveat that the record contains no description of bitterness or of individual products' flavor.

Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits

Culture (3)

Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella — history: It began in 1221 as a Dominican pharmacy attached to the Santa Maria Novella convent in Florence, opened to the public in 1612, and received from the Grand Duke the title 『Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale』 (in translation: "Foundry of His Royal Highness"). After dissolution of the religious order it became state (Demanio) property. From 1867, Cesare Augusto Stefani ran it under a lease; it was transferred to the City of Florence in 1871, and Stefani purchased the assets in 1879 and established a commercial business.supported

Scope: Based on a record in SIUSA (the Italian Ministry of Culture’s unified information system for archival records).

The record gives an origin in a pharmacy of Dominican friars in 1221, public opening and the title 『Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale』 (in translation: "Foundry of His Royal Highness") in 1612, transfer to the state (Demanio) after dissolution of the order, transfer to the City of Florence (comune di Firenze) in 1871, management by Cesare Augusto Stefani starting in 1867, and his purchase of the assets in 1879.
Limitations: This record does not directly mention 『amaro』 (in translation: "a bitter liqueur").
Source: Officina profumo farmaceutica di S. Maria Novella (Ministero della Cultura — SIUSA (Sistema Informativo Unificato per le Soprintendenze Archivistiche)) · full text checked
Show dataculture-officina-santa-maria-novella —has_history→ "It began in 1221 as a Dominican pharmacy attached to the Santa Maria Novella convent in Florence, opened to the public in 1612, and received from the Grand Duke the title 『Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale』 (in translation: "Foundry of His Royal Highness"). After dissolution of the religious order it became state (Demanio) property. From 1867, Cesare Augusto Stefani ran it under a lease; it was transferred to the City of Florence in 1871, and Stefani purchased the assets in 1879 and established a commercial business."
claim: claim-w58h4b-officina-smn-history / type: cultural / updated: 2026-09-03
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella includes The recorded product list includes 『Elisir di China』 (in translation: "Cinchona Elixir").supported

Scope: From the product list in the SIUSA record. It also lists Aceto Aromatico, Acqua di Rose, Alkermes, and others.

Among early products, the record lists 『Aceto Aromatico o dei Sette Ladri』 (in translation: "Aromatic Vinegar or Vinegar of the Seven Thieves"), 『Acqua di Santa Maria Novella』 (in translation: "Water of Santa Maria Novella"), 『Acqua di Rose』 (in translation: "Rose Water"), 『Alkermes』 (in translation: "Alkermes"), and 『Elisir di China』 (in translation: "Cinchona Elixir").
Limitations: The dating of individual products is not recorded at a uniform level of detail.
Source: Officina profumo farmaceutica di S. Maria Novella (Ministero della Cultura — SIUSA (Sistema Informativo Unificato per le Soprintendenze Archivistiche)) · full text checked
Context: The record text does not mention 『amaro』 (in translation: "a bitter liqueur"). Nor does it state whether 『Elisir di China』 (in translation: "Cinchona Elixir") is bitter.
Limitations: Any support concerning bitterness would need to rely on the CHINA entry in the Farmacopea instead.
Source: Officina profumo farmaceutica di S. Maria Novella (Ministero della Cultura — SIUSA (Sistema Informativo Unificato per le Soprintendenze Archivistiche)) · full text checked
Show dataculture-officina-santa-maria-novella —includes→ "The recorded product list includes 『Elisir di China』 (in translation: "Cinchona Elixir")."
claim: claim-w58h4b-officina-smn-includes-elisir-di-china / type: cultural / updated: 2026-09-03
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella — history: The official site (us.smnovella.com) says its historical page records recipes for 『Pot Pourri、Alkermesおよび一連の薬剤調合』 (in translation: "Pot Pourri, Alkermes, and a series of medicinal preparations") in a 1743 manuscript by Fra Cosimo Buccelli, and says that they are still made today.contextual

Scope: The official site (us.smnovella.com), as of 2026.

Note: Neither "amaro" nor "bitter" appears in the page text (a negative finding). This is consistent with the Elisir di China entry in the SIUSA record, but the page itself does not mention Elisir di China individually.

The historical page says a 1743 manuscript by Fra Cosimo Buccelli contains recipes for Pot Pourri, Alkermes, and a series of medicinal preparations, and that they are still produced today (summary; the verbatim wording is in the English page’s Our Story section).
Limitations: This is the company’s own history page, not third-party verification.
Source: Our Story (Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella) · full text checked
Context: The page text does not mention 『amaro』 (in translation: "a bitter liqueur") or 『bitter』. The navigation of the company’s international e-commerce site (eu.smnovella.com) showed only perfume, skincare, body and hair, home, and gift categories; no product page for liqueurs or elixirs was found. Sales restricted to the Florence physical store are possible but unverified.
Limitations: Only the international e-commerce site was checked; the Florence flagship store and Italian-language site were not checked on site.
Source: Our Story (Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella) · full text checked
Show dataculture-officina-santa-maria-novella —has_history→ "The official site (us.smnovella.com) says its historical page records recipes for 『Pot Pourri、Alkermesおよび一連の薬剤調合』 (in translation: "Pot Pourri, Alkermes, and a series of medicinal preparations") in a 1743 manuscript by Fra Cosimo Buccelli, and says that they are still made today."
claim: clm-w58d-smn-alkermes-continuity / type: cultural / updated: 2026-09-04

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