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| The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross),Florence |
The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross) is truly unique, not only for the purity of the
Gothic style, but also for the famous works of art it contains and its historical importance.
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| Interior - The Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence |
Santa Croce, rebuilt for the
Franciscan order in
1294 by
Arnolfo di Cambio, is the burial place for the great and good in Florence.
Michelangelo is buried in Santa Croce, as are
Rossini,
Machiavelli, and the Pisan-born
Galileo Galilei, who was tried by the Inquisition and was not allowed a
Christian burial until 1737, 95 years after his death. There is also a
memorial to Dante, but his sarcophagus is empty.
The present basilica, traditionally attributed to
Arnolfo di Cambio, was built from 1295, on the site where, around 1210, the first
Franciscan Friars to arrive in
Florence had a small oratory.
Santa Croce is planned as an
Egyptian cross (in the shape of a T), with an open timber roof; there are many tomb slabs set into the pavement. The
nave is wide and well-lit, with massive widely-spaced
piers supporting pointed arches.
The facade with its
three gables dates to the 19th century and the campanile in
Gothic style also dates to this period. A portico of airy arches runs along the left flank and shelters the 14th-century
tomb of Francesco Pazzi. The
imposing interior has a
nave and
two side aisles separated by
slender octagonal piers from which spring spacious
pointed arches with a double molding.
The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross), Florence, Italy also contains numerous examples of
typically Renaissance sculpture. The most famous of these is the
Crucifix by Donatello (1425, Bardi Chapel in the left transept) and his
aristocratic Annunciation in grey stone with gilded highlights (1430-35), recently restored by the
Opificio delle Pietre Dure.
The Pulpit by Benedetto da Maiano (1472-80) or
the Madonna of Milk by Antonio Rossellino (1478), placed above
the tomb of Francesco Nori, prior of the Republic, who died saving
Lorenzo the Magnificent life at the time of the
" Pazzi Conspiracy", the two funeral monuments by
Bernardo Rossellino (1444-1451) and Desiderio da Settignano (1455-64). The former, dedicated to
Leonardo Bruni (1369-1444), humanist and
Chancellor of the Republic, is considered a prototype among
Renaissance tomb monuments.
- Top Stops in Florence (foxnews.com)
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