Four Florentine Churches Rich in Art and History
As museums remain closed in Italy, four churches in Florence offer accessible art and history. The Basilica of Santa Croce, designed by Arnolfo di Cambio in the 13th century, houses frescoes by Giotto and Agnolo Gaddi, and tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and others. Its facade was redesigned by Niccolò Matas in the 19th century. Santa Maria Novella features Masaccio's Trinity, a Giotto crucifix, and Ghirlandaio frescoes; its facade by Leon Battista Alberti includes an astronomical quadrant used to calculate the Gregorian calendar. San Miniato al Monte, a Romanesque masterpiece, contains a 13th-century zodiac sundial and works by the Pollaiolo brothers and Luca della Robbia. Ognissanti holds Giotto's Crucifix, Botticelli's tomb, and the Vespucci family tombs, including Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, Botticelli's muse. These churches remain open during the pandemic.
Key facts
- Basilica of Santa Croce designed by Arnolfo di Cambio in the 13th century.
- Santa Croce facade redesigned by Niccolò Matas in the 19th century.
- Santa Croce contains tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Alfieri, Rossini, Foscolo.
- Santa Maria Novella facade by Leon Battista Alberti includes an astronomical quadrant.
- Santa Maria Novella houses Masaccio's Trinity (1425-1426) and Giotto's Crucifix (c. 1290).
- San Miniato al Monte has a 1207 zodiac sundial and works by Pollaiolo brothers and Luca della Robbia.
- Ognissanti holds Giotto's Crucifix, Botticelli's tomb, and Vespucci family tombs.
- Churches are open during pandemic as museums remain closed.
Entities
Artists
- Arnolfo di Cambio
- Giotto
- Agnolo Gaddi
- Giorgio Vasari
- Michelangelo
- Antonio Canova
- Masaccio
- Filippino Lippi
- Domenico Ghirlandaio
- Leon Battista Alberti
- Ignazio Danti
- Pietro del Pollaiolo
- Antonio del Pollaiolo
- Luca della Robbia
- Donatello
- Sandro Botticelli
- Taddeo Gaddi
- Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci
- Niccolò Matas
- Dante Alighieri
- San Francesco d'Assisi
- San Miniato
- Amerigo Vespucci
- Carolina Bonaparte
- Gioacchino Murat
- Carlo Collodi
- Vasco Pratolini
- Giovanni Spadolini
- Boccaccio
- Galileo Galilei
- Nicolò Machiavelli
- Vittorio Alfieri
- Gioacchino Rossini
- Ugo Foscolo
- Antonio Meucci
Institutions
- Basilica di Santa Croce
- Basilica di Santa Maria Novella
- Basilica di San Miniato al Monte
- Chiesa di San Salvatore in Ognissanti
- Museo nazionale di San Matteo a Pisa
- Artribune
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Piazza Santa Croce 1
- Piazza Santa Maria Novella 18
- Via delle Porte Sante 34
- Borgo Ognissanti 42
- Ravenna
- Rome
- Siena
- Orvieto
- Terracina
- Latina
- Pisa
- Rapolano