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The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is one of the world's oldest pharmacies, originating with the 13th-century Dominican friars who provided medical care to their brothers. In about 1381, they began producing such medicinal preparations as rose water, at the time considered to be an efficacious disinfectant (especially for plague sites) and a bland tonic to be taken diluted in wine or used as a liquid for swallowing pills. Officially, however, the Officina was founded in 1612, year in which the friars turned their efforts primarily to study of medicinal preparations. The director that year was Fra' Angiolo Marchissi, a gifted chemical researcher and well-known alchemist (an "art" held in high esteem at the time), whose invention of new, efficacious products stimulated the Officina's activity and was determinant in establishing the renown of the pharmacy, which by order of the Grand Duke of Tuscany was appointed "Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale." Many of the essences and scents are still produced according to the formulas developed in the Renaissance for Caterina de' Medici. One curious story regards the scent called "Acqua della Regina" exported to Paris by Caterina. In the late 17th century, it became the famous "Eau de Cologne" when Giovanni Paolo Feminis began to produce it in that German city. Other renowned preparations include the aromatic vinegar also known as "Sette Ladri" (17th cent.), a restorative to relieve faintness, and the "Acqua di Santa Maria Novella" (known as "antihysteric water" due to its sedative, antispasmodic properties) formulated in 1614 by Fra' Angiolo Marchissi. The celebrated liqueurs include alkermes, "Liquore Mediceo," and "Elisir di Edimburgo" (prized as a digestive). Also famous are the herbal preparations: study of the ancient formulas developed by the Dominican friars has yielded exclusive products based on medicinal herbs and other plants cultivated by natural methods, all pesticide-free. The ancient Officina has always invented new, exclusive products of worldwide renown. One famous product was the perfume created exclusively for Queen Elisabeth II of England for her 50th birthday. Today, the Via della Scala complex is only a sales point, while production has long since been transferred to a plant in Via Reginaldo Giuliani that is open for visits and a venue for Florence University School of Pharmacy courses.   The Via della Scala premises are stunning: the ceiling frescoes were painted in the first half of the 1800s; likewise, the marble floors date to 1840. Forty original 17th-century apothecary jars adorn the rooms, which were redecorated in the period 1700-1840. The beautiful vestry of the Chapel of San Niccolò was used from the 1600s onward to store the "stillate" waters, and for this reason is known as the Stanza delle Acque. The walls are frescoed with scenes of the Passion of Christ, probably by Mariotto di Nardi, a painter whose activity spanned the years 1394 to 1424.

The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is one of the world's oldest pharmacies, originating with the 13th-century Dominican friars who provided medical care to their brothers. In about 1381, they began producing such medicinal preparations as rose water, at the time considered to be an efficacious disinfectant (especially for plague sites) and a bland tonic to be taken diluted in wine or used as a liquid for swallowing pills. Officially, however, the Officina was founded in 1612, year in which the friars turned their efforts primarily to study of medicinal preparations. The director that year was Fra' Angiolo Marchissi, a gifted chemical researcher and well-known alchemist (an "art" held in high esteem at the time), whose invention of new, efficacious products stimulated the Officina's activity and was determinant in establishing the renown of the pharmacy, which by order of the Grand Duke of Tuscany was appointed "Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale." Many of the essences and scents are still produced according to the formulas developed in the Renaissance for Caterina de' Medici. One curious story regards the scent called "Acqua della Regina" exported to Paris by Caterina. In the late 17th century, it became the famous "Eau de Cologne" when Giovanni Paolo Feminis began to produce it in that German city. Other renowned preparations include the aromatic vinegar also known as "Sette Ladri" (17th cent.), a restorative to relieve faintness, and the "Acqua di Santa Maria Novella" (known as "antihysteric water" due to its sedative, antispasmodic properties) formulated in 1614 by Fra' Angiolo Marchissi. The celebrated liqueurs include alkermes, "Liquore Mediceo," and "Elisir di Edimburgo" (prized as a digestive). Also famous are the herbal preparations: study of the ancient formulas developed by the Dominican friars has yielded exclusive products based on medicinal herbs and other plants cultivated by natural methods, all pesticide-free. The ancient Officina has always invented new, exclusive products of worldwide renown. One famous product was the perfume created exclusively for Queen Elisabeth II of England for her 50th birthday. Today, the Via della Scala complex is only a sales point, while production has long since been transferred to a plant in Via Reginaldo Giuliani that is open for visits and a venue for Florence University School of Pharmacy courses.   The Via della Scala premises are stunning: the ceiling frescoes were painted in the first half of the 1800s; likewise, the marble floors date to 1840. Forty original 17th-century apothecary jars adorn the rooms, which were redecorated in the period 1700-1840. The beautiful vestry of the Chapel of San Niccolò was used from the 1600s onward to store the "stillate" waters, and for this reason is known as the Stanza delle Acque. The walls are frescoed with scenes of the Passion of Christ, probably by Mariotto di Nardi, a painter whose activity spanned the years 1394 to 1424.