Marble statue of Saint Reparata, one of the saints with the closest links to the Cathedral and spiritual life in medieval Florence. Andrea Pisano, second quarter of the 14th century. An elegant, harmonious portrait of the saint, who holds the symbol of her martyrdom, a palm, in her right hand, while clasping her robe to her chest with her left. She also wears an elaborate headdress or crown. Reparata, a Palestinian saint who was martyred at Caesarea during the persecutions of the Emperor Decius, enjoyed a particular cult in Florence from the 5th century onwards and the original Church was named after her, only to be replaced by the Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore. According to tradition, the building was dedicated to Saint Reparata by the bishop Saint Zenobius, after obtaining her intercession on August 23, 406 AD to help defeat the Ostrogoth army which was besieging Florence, threatening to assert the Arian heresy.