Basilica Santa Croce of Florence

The church Santa Croce is an Italian basilica located at Florence (in Italy). Its construction began the May 3rd 1294 on the foundations of a small church set up in 1252 with Franciscains shortly after the death of Saint François.

History of the basilica

The construction of the basilica of Santa Croce in Florence began in 1294 within Arnolfo di Cambio; it is about the largest church franciscaine in the world. Built with the expenses of the people and the Republic florentine, it rose on the foundations of a small church built in 1252 by the brothers little time after the death of Francois, Saint out of the walls of the city. The remainders of the old building could be localized only in 1966 when, following the floods which invaded and devastated the city, part of the pavement of the current church crumbled. As of its origin, the history of Santa Croce is very closely related to the history even of Florence. During seven centuries which were passed since its foundation, it constantly was the subject of rehandlings and new projects of modernization, acquiring thus progressively new connotations symbolic systems: of its primary nature of church franciscaine until acquiring the role of municipe religious for the big families and the corporations of the Florence médicéenne, of laboratory and artistic workshop - humanistic first of all then Rebirth - until theological center, of the Pantheon of Italian glories until moulting in a place of reference, with the 19th century, political history of pre and post-unit Italy.

A symbol of art Florentin

From time immemorial, Santa Croce was a symbol prestigious of the town of Florence and a meeting place for the largest artists, theologists, monk, men of letters, humanistic and politicians. But it was it also for the powerful families which, in happiness as in the adversity, took part in the creation of the identity of the Florence of the end of the Middle Ages and the Rebirth. Its convent offered hospitality to famous characters of the history of the Church, holy Bonaventure, holy Antoine de Padoue, holy Bernardin of His, holy Louis of Anjou, bishop of Toulouse. It was also a place of rest and reception for several popes, Sixte IV, Eugene IV, Leon X, Clément XIV. With its imposing Gothic architecture, its marvellous frescos, its retables of furnace bridge, its invaluable stained glasses, its many sculptures, this church represents one of the most important pages of the history of art Florentin as of the 13th century.

One will discover there works of Cimabue, Giotto, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Vasari, Ghiberti, Orcagna, Gaddi, Della Robbia, Giovanni da Milano, Bronzino, Michelozzo, Veneziano, Maso di Banco, Giuliano da Sangallo, Benedetto da Maiano, Canova and well of others still.

The presence, in particular, of Giotto and all its school in fact a very complete work, invaluable testimony of art Florentin of the 14th century.

Modifications of the basilica

The historical vicissitudes and policies which accompanied the life by Santa Croce until our days always left a precise trace, which it is on the level of the artistic and architectural interventions (for example radical transformations carried out by Vasari with half of the 16th century, or efforts made at the 19th century to transform the complex of Santa Croce into a large mausoleum of the Italian history) or in the testimonys preciously preserved in its files recalling the stages of daily construction at the wire of the centuries of a great project, with its craftsmen, its resources, its objectives and its difficulties.

The principal body of the basilica

The frontage

It is initially defined by the drawings of Simone del Pollaiolo, but work is stopped in reasons of different between the giver, Castello Quaratesi, and the workmen of the building site. Work takes again only on August 22nd, 1857, in the presence of the pope Pie IX and the frontage is inaugurated on May 3rd, 1863, drawn by Niccolò Matas in style Néogothique. It presents three points aligned out of the three gates, four pillars culminating out of arrow. It is covered with white marble and green marble of Prato.

In the central tympanum, it is Giovanni Dupre which carves of it the triumph of the Cross , supported by a star of David decorated with the monogram of Christ. The artist also carries out the statue of Notre Dame of the Seven Pains , under the rosette. The tympanum of left represents the Découverte Cross , by Tito Sarrocchi, and that of right-hand side the Vision of Constantine , by Emilio Zocchi.

The sacristy

The nave

Santa Croce was defined as the the Pantheon of Italian glories because the church accommodates the burials of characters as famous as Nicolas Machiavel, Galileo, Michel-Angel, Gioacchino Rossini, Vasari, Ghiberti, Vittorio Alfieri and Niccolò Ugo Foscolo.

Apse or major Vault

The Bardi vault

  • Frescos of life of saint François by Giotto (1318), covered with lime to the 18th century, redécouvertes in 1852 but badly restored.
  • Retable of Scenes of the life of saint François by Maestro del San Francesco Bardi

The Peruzzi vault

  • Frescos of Scenes of the life of saint Jean-Baptiste by Giotto
  • Frescos of Scenes of the life of saint Jean by Giotto

The vault Bardi di Vernio

  • Life of the Sylvestre pope and the emperor Constantin of Maso di Banco (1340)

The Baroncelli vault

  • Scenes of the History of the life of Marie of Taddeo Gaddi
  • the Crowning of the Virgin , school of Giotto

Outside

The Pazzi vault

First cloister

Second cloister

Museum of the Work of Santa Croce
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