Santa Maria Novella (pharmacy)
Perfume and Pharmaceutical Officine of Santa Maria Novella (), is a luxury apothecary in Florence, Italy, credited with being the oldest pharmacy in the world. The origins of the shop's pharmaceutical products can be traced back to a monastery of the Dominican Order connected to the adjacent Church of Santa Maria Novella, where monks began experimenting with garden plants to create herbal concoctions beginning in 1221. A retail operation was established in Via Reginaldo Giuliani in 1612 by Fra Angiolo Marchissi, becoming famous over the coming centuries for the quality and salubrious benefits of its products , ranging from perfumes, pot pourri and toiletries, to liqueurs, medicinal balms, and foods. It remained in the ownership of the Church of Santa Maria Novella until 1866, when the property was confiscated by the Kingdom of Italy and sold to a private owner. Since the 1990s Santa Maria Novella's retail operations have expanded rapidly to include locations in every major Italian city, and 75 shops throughout the world, in countries including the United States, Panama, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and South Africa. History. The Church of Santa Maria Novella and its monastery were established in 1221 outside the city  gates of Florence. The monks began experimenting with herbs and flowers grown in the monastic garden, creating soothing balms, elixirs, and other medicaments. By 1381 an on-site infirmary was in operation, where the monks' products were used for treating themselves and Florentine patients. One of the products developed about this time was a distilled rose water intended to treat the plague, at the height of the Black Death. Another medicament produced by the monks, called Vinegar of the Seven Thieves ("Aceto dei Sette Ladri"), gained its name and reputation during the Black Death because of a rumor that a  band of 7 corpse robbers would douse themselves in it to protect against disease. Powerful scented waters were developed in medieval times including "Santa Maria Novella Water" and digestive aids like lozenges ("Pasticche di Santa Maria Novella"). Santa Maria Novella Water and the lozenges both employed the healing herb "Tanacetum balsamita", known as Balsamite or Costmary, as a key ingredient. In the 16th century a special type of incense was invented: Armenian Paper ("Carta D'Armenia"), which was infused with spices and resin to perfume the room while the paper burned without flame. By the mid 16th century the pharmacy's  widespread fame induced the monks to offer their products for sale to the public for the first time. The shop expanded its product range, developing curative tonics and perfumes including "Acqua della Regina", a fragrance specially designed for Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, the pharmacy's most important patron. "Acqua della Regina" was given to Catherine before her departure for France in 1533, and was the first perfume to use an alcohol base, rather than the traditional vinegar or olive oil. Through Queen Catherine's patronage of Santa Maria Novella, their products were introduced to the French court, where  perfume hadn't previously been used. Although successful, anxieties over the commercialization of the monastery's remedies caused the closure of the business during the first decade of the 17th century. By 1612, the business had resumed operations and a shop was opened to the public on Via della Scala. In 1659, the Officine received the title of His Royal Highness' Foundry ("Fonderia Granducale") from Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, placing it under the protection of the Medici family. In 1749, one of the Officine's apothecaries, Fra' Cosimo Bucelli, codified Santa Maria Novella's extensive recipes  in a book, ""I segreti della Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale"" ("The Secrets of the Foundry of His Royal Highness"). It was Bucelli who developed the foundry's famous alcoholic liqueur, Alchermes, made from sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves (its deep scarlet color is obtained through dried and crushed ladybugs). In 2012 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Officina a celebratory Stamp has been issued by Poste Italiane, part of the Made in Italy series. The Pharmacy celebrated the event producing two Limited Edition perfumes. Modern Pharmacy. Santa Maria Novella continues to inhabit its historic premises on Via della  Scala in Florence, around the corner from the Church of Santa Maria Novella, but since 2000 the production facilities have been housed in a factory two miles north. Since the 1990s, the focus has been placed on expanding output and markets for Santa Maria Novella products, while at the same time preserving the traditional, artisanal methods of production and high-quality ingredients. Objects such as soaps are cooled, wrapped, and ventilated for 30 days on wooden racks before they are chiseled and molded by hand for sale. Over 500 bars of soap are produced in this way each day, with  25 separate varieties available. The premises on the Via della Scala in Florence houses several historic sales rooms, a tea room, and a museum and library dedicated to the history of the pharmacy. An average of 2,000 visitors per day visit the shop. The main sales room occupies a former chapel, with allegorical frescoes of the four continents painted by Paolino Sarti decorating the vaulted ceilings. The old sacristy is decorated with frescoes by the early-Renaissance artist Mariotto di Nardo, painted in 1380. The Green Room houses displays of wax products, room fragrances, accessories, and men's grooming products . The Old Pharmacy ("Antica Spezieria") displays the full range of medicaments and elixirs, foods including biscuits, chocolate, tea, and honey, and the pharmacy's famous liqueurs like "Alchermes" and "Liquore Mediceo". The museum and its exhibits are housed in the Old Laboratories of the Via della Scala premises, containing ceramic and earthenware jars from the 16th and 17th centuries, historic soap machines, and traditional tools. The library is housed in the old sacristy of the church, and includes medieval recipe and reference books. A wide range of toiletries, cosmetics, and medicinal products are currently sold by Santa Maria Novella. There  are more than 40 eaux de cologne available, made from high-quality floral and herbal essences including gardenia, freesia, iris, tuberose, and pomegranate. Traditional remedies are also reproduced using original or slightly altered recipes, including "Acqua di Santa Maria Novella", and a variation of Catherine de Medici's perfume called "Acqua di Colonia Classica". The pharmacy is also famous for its highly fragrant pot pourris, sold in burgundy silk sachets, which are made with locally sourced herbs and flowers and some exotic ingredients like sandalwood and patchouli. In popular culture. Santa Maria Novella products and its main premises in Florence  have been featured in a number of films, including "Hannibal" (2001), "The Portrait of a Lady" (1996), and "Casino Royale" (2006). In "Casino Royale", James Bond finds a bottle of Santa Maria Novella's pomegranate perfume among other items in Vesper Lynd's handbag.