The history of Santa Maria Novella in buildings In 1332, a rich merchant, Dardano Acciaioli, fell ill and was treated by the Dominican friars of Santa Maria Novella. Once he was cured, as a sign of gratitude for the care he received from the friars, he decided to finance the construction of the chapel of San Niccolò. Originally built for the sick, it is now the main room of the pharmacy. The restoration of the chapel into a sales room was started by Damiano Beni in 1847. The Gothic vault is painted by Paolino Sarti and represents the four continents. The wooden furniture dates back to the 14th century as does the long counter. Two wooden statues represent the healthy life, an explicit reference to the effectiveness of Santa Maria Novella's care. The sacristy of the chapel was transformed into a cellar in 1612, where the watery products of the distillation of herbs and roses, called "waters", were kept. For this reason, the sacristy was called the water room. Finally, in 2014, the Officina inaugurated its garden. In the past, the friars protected their crops by keeping them within the high walls of the convent, following the Hortus Conclusus method. Each element referred to something in particular, with the goal of awakening all the senses.