Florence: Santa Croce and The Pazzi Chapel

Aside from The Duomo, the two most important churches in Florence are Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce. Both have marvelous artworks but the frescos in Santa Croce are most interesting. See the work of Giotto redefining painting and Brunelleschi redefine architecture with The Pazzi Chapel.

The Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world. Legend has it that Santa Croce was founded by St Francis himself. The neo-Gothic façade was constructed in the mid 1850’s. The architect Niccolo Mata, was Jewish, and included a Star of David at the top. Matas had wanted to be buried inside the church but because he was Jewish, he was buried under the threshold and honored with an inscription.

Artworks include:

Cimabue (Crucifixion, badly damaged by the 1966 flood and now in the refectory)

Andrea della Robbia (altarpiece in Cappella Medici)

Luca della Robbia (decoration of Cappella dei Pazzi)

Donatello (relief of the Annunciation on the south wall)

Agnolo Gaddi (frescoes in Castellani Chapel and chancel; stained glass in chancel)

Taddeo Gaddi (frescoes in the Baroncelli Chapel; Last Supper in the refectory, considered his best work)

Giotto (frescoes in Cappella Peruzzi and right hand Cappella Bardi; possibly Coronation of the Virgin, altarpiece in the Baroncelli Chapel, also attributed to Taddeo Gaddi)

Maso di Banco (frescoes in Cappella Bardi di Vernio) depicting Scenes from the life of St.Sylvester (1335–1338)

Andrea Orcagna (frescoes largely disappeared during Vasari's re-modelling, but some fragments remain in the refectory)

Bernardo Rossellino (Bruni's tomb)

Giorgio Vasari (Michelangelo's tomb) with sculpture by Valerio Cioli, Iovanni Bandini, and Battista Lorenzi.