Santa Croce Church
Santa Croce Church
art site
Piazza di Santa Croce, 50122 Firenze, Italia
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This is the world’s largest Franciscan church and home of countless masterpieces. It was Arnolfo di Cambio who designed this church (1296) that would become famous over the centuries because it contains the tombs of so many great men (Michelangelo, Ghiberti, Galileo, Machiavelli, Alfieri, Rossini and Foscolo) that it is known as the “Pantheon of Italian Glory.” Inside, beyond the neo-gothic polychrome marble façade that was added in the nineteenth century we can admire the superb three-nave interior, with a series of Gothic arches and trussed central ceiling. There are over two hundred tombs with markers on the floors, while the most famous ones are aligned along the lateral naves, spaced by sixteenth century altars designed by Vasari. The Renaissance masterpieces are the tombs of Leonardo Bruni (by B. Rossellino), Carlo Marsuppini (by Desiderio da Settignano) and the pulpit by Benedetto da Maiano. In addition the church conserves two splendid sculptures by Donatello: the Annunciation in pietra serena and the wooden Crucifix – the subject of Vasari’s famous anecdote, which is the companion piece to the one by Brunelleschi in Santa Maria Novella. In the transept are the Bardi (frescoed with scenes from the Life of St. Francis) and Peruzzi (Scenes from the Lives of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist) family chapels. They were decorated by the father of Italian painting, Giotto, when he had already reached his artistic maturity. The other chapels were frescoed by his pupils and followers (Taddeo Gaddi, Maso di Banco and Bernardo Daddi). The Main Chapel illustrated with scenes from The Legend of the True Cross was decorated by Agnolo Gaddi. The Rinuccini Chapel, frescoed by Giovanni da Milano is located in the beautiful sacristy that is furnished with fifteenth inlaid century cabinets
art site
Piazza di Santa Croce, 50122 Firenze, Italia
Show on map
This is the world’s largest Franciscan church and home of countless masterpieces. It was Arnolfo di Cambio who designed this church (1296) that would become famous over the centuries because it contains the tombs of so many great men (Michelangelo, Ghiberti, Galileo, Machiavelli, Alfieri, Rossini and Foscolo) that it is known as the “Pantheon of Italian Glory.” Inside, beyond the neo-gothic polychrome marble façade that was added in the nineteenth century we can admire the superb three-nave interior, with a series of Gothic arches and trussed central ceiling. There are over two hundred tombs with markers on the floors, while the most famous ones are aligned along the lateral naves, spaced by sixteenth century altars designed by Vasari. The Renaissance masterpieces are the tombs of Leonardo Bruni (by B. Rossellino), Carlo Marsuppini (by Desiderio da Settignano) and the pulpit by Benedetto da Maiano. In addition the church conserves two splendid sculptures by Donatello: the Annunciation in pietra serena and the wooden Crucifix – the subject of Vasari’s famous anecdote, which is the companion piece to the one by Brunelleschi in Santa Maria Novella. In the transept are the Bardi (frescoed with scenes from the Life of St. Francis) and Peruzzi (Scenes from the Lives of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist) family chapels. They were decorated by the father of Italian painting, Giotto, when he had already reached his artistic maturity. The other chapels were frescoed by his pupils and followers (Taddeo Gaddi, Maso di Banco and Bernardo Daddi). The Main Chapel illustrated with scenes from The Legend of the True Cross was decorated by Agnolo Gaddi. The Rinuccini Chapel, frescoed by Giovanni da Milano is located in the beautiful sacristy that is furnished with fifteenth inlaid century cabinets