Santa Croce, Florence facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Basilica of the Holy Cross
Basilica di Santa Croce  (Italian)
Façade of Santa Croce, October 2023
Basilica of the Holy Cross Location in Florence
43°46′6.3″N 11°15′45.8″E / 43.768417°N 11.262722°E / 43.768417; 11.262722
Location	Florence, Tuscany
Country	Italy
Denomination	Catholic Church
History
Status	Minor basilica
Consecrated	1443
Architecture
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic, Renaissance, Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1294–1295
Completed	1385
Administration
Archdiocese	Archdiocese of Florence

The Basilica of the Holy Cross (which is Basilica di Santa Croce in Italian) is a very important Catholic church in Florence, Italy. It's the main church for the Franciscan religious group in Florence. You can find it in the Piazza di Santa Croce, not too far from the famous Duomo.

This basilica is also known as the Temple of the Italian Glories. This is because many of Italy's most famous people are buried or honored here. Imagine visiting the resting places of great artists like Michelangelo, scientists like Galileo, and thinkers like Machiavelli!

Building the Basilica: A Look Inside

The original brick front of the church, before it was decorated in the 1860s.

The long main hall (nave) of the church, looking towards the front.

The Basilica of Santa Croce is the biggest Franciscan church in the entire world! It has sixteen chapels, which are like small rooms for prayer. Many of these chapels are decorated with amazing frescoes (wall paintings) by the famous artist Giotto and his students. The church also holds many tombs and memorials.

Legend says that Saint Francis himself founded Santa Croce. The building you see today replaced an older church. Construction started on May 12, 1294. It was likely designed by Arnolfo di Cambio and paid for by Florence's richest families. The church was officially blessed in 1442 by Pope Eugene IV.

The church's design shows the simple style of the Franciscans. Its floor plan looks like a "Tau cross," which is a symbol of Saint Francis. The church is 115 meters long and has a main hall (called a nave) with two side aisles. These areas are separated by rows of eight-sided columns. There was also a convent next to the church, and some of those buildings are still there.

The main cloister (a covered walkway around a courtyard) is called the Primo Chiostro. Here you'll find the Cappella dei Pazzi. This chapel was built in the 1470s and was used as a meeting hall. Filippo Brunelleschi, who designed the famous dome of the Duomo, helped design this chapel. It has a very simple and clean look.

Around 1560, some changes were made inside the church. The screen that separated the choir was removed. This caused damage to some of the church's decorations. Later, in the 19th century, some of Giotto's frescoes in the Bardi Chapel were uncovered. They had been hidden under plaster for a long time!

The church's bell tower was built in 1842. It replaced an older one that was damaged by lightning. The beautiful marble front (façade) of the church was added between 1857 and 1863. A Jewish architect named Niccolò Matas designed it. He even included a Star of David in the design.

In 1866, the church and its buildings became public property. This happened after Italy's wars for independence.

The Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce, which is a museum, is mostly located in the refectory (dining hall) of the old convent. You can also find a monument to Florence Nightingale in the cloister. She was born in Florence and named after the city!

During World War II, many artworks were hidden to keep them safe. In 1966, the Arno River flooded Florence, and Santa Croce was badly damaged by mud and water. It took many years to repair the buildings and the art treasures.

Today, the old dormitory of the Franciscan friars is home to the Scuola del Cuoio, which is a Leather School. Visitors can watch skilled artisans make purses, wallets, and other leather items. These are then sold in the nearby shop.

Restoration Efforts

The Basilica has been undergoing a long-term restoration project. On October 20, 2017, the church was temporarily closed to visitors. This happened after a piece of masonry fell, sadly causing the death of a tourist. An investigation is underway to understand what happened and ensure the church's safety.

Art in Santa Croce

The front of the church (apse) with frescoes by Agnolo Gaddi, the main altar, and a crucifix.

Many famous artists have their work displayed in the church. Here are some of them:

• Benedetto da Maiano: He created the pulpit and, with his brother Giuliano, the doors to the Cappella dei Pazzi.
• Cimabue: His Crucifix was badly damaged in the 1966 flood and is now in the refectory.
• Andrea della Robbia: He made an altarpiece for the Cappella Medici.
• Luca della Robbia: You can see his glazed terracotta decorations in the Cappella dei Pazzi.
• Donatello: Look for his Cavalcanti Annunciation on the south wall and a crucifix in the Cappella Bardi di Vernio.
• Agnolo Gaddi: He painted a series of frescoes called The Legend of the True Cross in the apse (the rounded end of the church). He also designed the stained glass windows there.
• Taddeo Gaddi: He painted frescoes in the Baroncelli Chapel and a Crucifixion in the sacristy. His Arbor vitae with the Last Supper in the refectory is considered one of his best works.
• Giotto: He painted frescoes in the Cappella Peruzzi and the righthand Cappella Bardi.
• Giorgio Vasari: His painting Way to Calvary is also in the church.

Some artworks that were once in the church are now in other museums. For example, a polyptych (a painting with many panels) by Lorenzo di Niccolò and an altarpiece by Filippo Lippi were originally here.

Famous People Buried Here

Santa Croce became a very popular place for important Florentine families to worship and support. Over time, it became a tradition for highly respected Italians to be buried or remembered here. For 500 years, monuments have been placed in the church to honor these individuals. Some were buried in chapels owned by wealthy families like the Bardi and Peruzzi.

Here are some of the famous people honored or buried in Santa Croce:

• Leon Battista Alberti (a 15th-century architect and art thinker)
• Vittorio Alfieri (an 18th-century poet and playwright)
• Eugenio Barsanti (who helped invent the internal combustion engine)
• Leonardo Bruni (a 15th-century leader and historian of Florence)
• Dante (the famous poet, though he is buried in Ravenna, there is a memorial here)
• Ugo Foscolo (a 19th-century poet)
• Galileo Galilei (the famous scientist)
• Giovanni Gentile (a 20th-century philosopher)
• Lorenzo Ghiberti (a famous artist and bronze worker)
• Niccolò Machiavelli (a well-known writer and politician)
• Michelangelo Buonarroti (the legendary artist, sculptor, and painter)
• Gioachino Rossini (a famous composer)
• Guglielmo Marconi (the inventor, though he is buried elsewhere, there is a memorial)
• Enrico Fermi (a nuclear physicist, there is a memorial for him)

Monuments in the Cloister

You can also find monuments in the cloister area, including one for:

• Florence Nightingale (the famous nurse, who was born in Florence)

In Literature

The Basilica of Santa Croce has appeared in several books:

• Romola (1863) by George Eliot
• A Room with a View (1908) by E.M. Forster
• Hannibal (1999) by Thomas Harris

See also

In Spanish: Basílica de la Santa Cruz (Florencia) para niños

• History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes
• History of Italian Renaissance domes
• History of early modern period domes

Images for kids

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  First Cloister with the Cappella dei Pazzi (1440s-70s)

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  The Greater Cloister

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  A gate in the gardens with the letters "OPA" for ora pro animis ("pray for souls")

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  Giotto's Death of St. Francis (early 1320s) with overpainting removed

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  Taddeo Gaddi, Stories of the Virgin (c. 1330), Baroncelli chapel, north wall

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  Taddeo Gaddi, Arbor vitae (c. 1330–40 or –60), refectory

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  Agnolo Gaddi, Legend of the True Cross (1385–1387), north wall of the apse

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  Agnolo Gaddi, Legend of the True Cross (1385–1387), south wall of the apse

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  High altar with a Madonna by Niccolò Gerini, and the Doctors of the Church by Giovanni del Biondo and an unknown hand (14th ct.)

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  Donatello, Cavalcanti Annunciation (c. 1433–35)

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  Giorgio Vasari, Way to Calvary and Christ Meeting with Veronica, 1568–72, Buonarroti altar

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  Bernardo Rossellino, Monumental tomb for Leonardo Bruni, 1445–50

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  Desiderio da Settignano, Memorial Tomb for Carlo Marsuppini, 1453–55

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  Galileo's tomb

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  Michelangelo's tomb

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  Innocenzo Spinazzi, Monumental tomb of Niccolò Machiavelli, 1787

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  Cenotaph for Dante, 1829