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The huge basilica is
probably work of Arnolfo di Cambio, than it would have worked to you
to leave from 1294-1295 even if we do not have written documents that
they confirm it. Fiorentina was built up to expenses of the
population of the Republic and rose on a previous small chiesetta that
the friars had constructed as a result of their arrival in city in
1252, in a place still outside from wall, to little years from the
dead women of Saint Francisco. The rests of the ancient
building have been localize to you in 1966, to continuation of the
yielding of the pavement of the basilica after the alluvium.
The church came finished approximately 90 years after, but more
late only in 1444 was consecrated.
The basilica has continued to being enriched and
modified in the seven centuries from its foundation, acquiring always
new it connotes to you symbolic: from Franciscan church to
"religious town hall" for the great families and the corporations,
from artistic laboratory and bottega to theological center, from
Pantheon of the Italian glories to place of reference of the political
history of Italy pre and post-unitarian. Some transformations
in fact were consequence of precise historical and political
vicissitudini, like the transformations completed from the Vasari to
the half of XVI the century (caused also from the restorations after a
disastrous alluvium) or the profuse engagement in the 1800's in order
to transform Croce Saint in the great mausoleo of the Italian history.
In 1966 the Alluvium of Florence inflicted most serious
damages to the complex of the basilica and of the convent, it situates
to you in the part lower than Florence, as well as to become sadly
famous above all as symbol of the artistic losses endured from the
city (with the destruction of the Crocifisso di Cimabue), but also of
its rebirth from the mud, through the capillary conservation and
restoration work.
The History
Originally the basilica had one facade
incompiuta, one characteristic typical of many basilicas flourishing
some. The wall of pietraforte R-a.vista was similar what very
still it is looked at to Saint Lorenzo. In the 1400's the
Quaratesi family had proposed itself in order to finance the new
facade entrusting it to Simone of the said Pollaiolo the Report.
The condition but that the Quaratesi coat of arms appeared well
in sight to the center of the main forehead discouraged the Franciscan
friars accepting the proposal, and the rich decidese family therefore
for dedicating itself to the embellishment of an other Franciscan
church, Saint Salvatore to the Mount.
Beyond to the coat of arms of Christ over rosone (the place in
1437 during a serious pestilenza), to the center of the simple portale
they in a niche centers, was placed therefore like only decoration the
gilded bronze statue of Saint Ludovico of Tolosa di Donatello, already
in a niche of Orsanmichele (where she was replaced in the ' 500 from a
work of Giambologna), than today she can herself be admired in the
refectory of the convent.
The facade in neogotico style was created between 1853 and
1863, criticized work a lot of Hebrew architect Niccolò Matas for its
skillful neogotico style. Adding of one of the little modern
yards was dealt all that did not provoke to losses of manufatti
antichi or important testimonies, and that it crowned the public
square huge, feeding the myth of Croce Saint in Italy and to the
foreign country. The yard was financed from a facoltoso English
protestant of Sloane name. the star of David inserted in the
eardrum of the facade, also not disowned like Christian symbol,
generally comes understanding like a reference to the religious faith
of the architect.
The bell tower
The esile bell tower laughed them only to 1847,
work of Gaetano Dins; also here, like for the facade, the
quattrocentesco plan, entrusted to Baccio Bandinelli had been resolved
in a nothing of fact. The nineteenth-century realization comes
judged generally like enough graceful for its defiladed semplicità,
even if the decoration with the metal ring on the cuspid reveals the
modern eclectic inspiration.
The statue of Dante
On the left of the sagrato one the pomposo
monument to Dante to conclusion of the celebrations was placed Dante
chairs of 1865 for YOU centanario of the birth of the great poet.
To the presence of King Vittorio Emanuele II it was inaugurated
to the center of the Public square, but it came later on moved, also
in order to allow of new the games of soccer in custom.
Inner architecture
The huge one navata centers them, ritmata from the
colossal spans it marks a fundamental stage in the artistic and
ingegnieristico distance that will lead to navata of Saint Maria of
the Flower. The thinnest walls, supported from arch to sixth
acute one on octagonal pillars, recall the paleocristiane basilicas of
Rome where Arnolfo worked to along, but the scale is infinitely larger
and the structural problems constituted one true and own challenge to
the technical abilities of the time. The resolution of these
problems constituted previous an important one for the great challenge
of the construction of the basilican body of the city cathedral.
In particular the balcony that crown the arched ones and
encircles the navata one centers them is not only a stilistico
espediente in order to emphasize the horizontal course of the
construction and to refrain the goticismo then little appreciate to
Florence, but it constitutes a structural legamento in order to hold
the exiles together membrature and it goes murari mirrors to you.
Only from far away, as an example from the Michelangelo Large
square, the external flanks with the knots triangular eardrums and the
apse crowned from cuspids can be appreciated fully.
The ceiling to capriate, "deceptively Franciscan", demanded a
complicated structural device given to the enormous free light and the
weight that risked to soverchiare thin masonries.
The inside, extremely wide and solemn, has a cross shape that
is egizia, to "T", typical of other great conventuali churches, with a
transetto particularly extended that it cuts the church to the height
of the poligonale apse.
Arnolfo, respecting in some way the Franciscan spirit, designed
a church with an intentionally empty plant, with wide destined
openings to the lighting system of the walls on which, like already in
other Franciscan churches before between all that one of Assisi, had
to be frescoes great cycles to you figured assigns to you to you to
narrate to the illiterate people the Sacred writings (the so-called
Bible of the Poor ones). But the great church, constructed with
the contributions of the main families flourishing some, does not have
customary the three nails head to the capocroce, but it aligns very
eleven, plus dislocated others five to the extremities of the
transetto. These nails head were destined to the interments of
the donors and will receive richest decorations wall them at the hands
of the greater masters of the age.
The nails head
Greater Nail head
The Greater Nail head is inspired to the gotica
architecture purer than matrix transalpina, also mediated from the
sobrietà to the Italian, with a strong vertical overhong, emphasized
from the ribbings to umbrella in the time and from the grips extremely
long double lancet windows. It frescoes that they decorate it
are the History of the invention of the true cross, I pay to the name
of the church, realizes to you from Agnolo Gaddi around 1380.
Nails head of right
 But very more important are fresco to it in the
two successive nails head to right, the Peruzzi Nail head and the Nail
head Bards, both decorated from Giotto between 1320 and 1325.
In before the History of Saint Giovanni are represented Batiste
and those of Saint Giovanni Evangelista, while in those Bards the
History of saint Francisco. Both the afferschi were are
executed in late age from the rinnovatore master of the western art
and represent summa of a its pittorica work and artistic testament,
than a lot it will influence the successive generation of painters
fiorentini (as an example Domenico Ghirlandaio 150 years after rifared
still the outlines of the Nail head Bards in order to create the
Franciscan scenes of the Sassetti Nail head in Trinita Saint).
The particular that they reveal the hand of the master are the
extraordinary spazialità, yield with great mastery of the disposition
of the figures in the scene and the dramatic yield of the narration
emphasized from the espressività of the personages. As an
example in the scene of the Dead women of Saint Francisco the
confratelli of the Saint they are deprived of hope in front of the
extended emains, with incredibly realistic gestures and expressions.
Always to right, in top to the transetto, the Baroncelli nail
head is found, frescoed from Taddeo Gaddi with History of Vergine
(1332-1338), where the great disciple of Giotto lead its studies on
the light (with the first raffigurazione reached us of one scene
nottura in the western art) and author also of the designs for the
vetrata one, the four prophets to the outside and perhaps also of the
altar shovel, from some attributed also to Giotto. The
Castellani Nail head instead was frescoed from its son Agnolo Gaddi
with aids, while the tabernacolo it is work of Mino from Fiesole.
Nails head of left
As far as the nails head of left, they enunciate
to the term of transetto the Pulci-Berardi Nail head with frescoes of
Bernardo Daddi (XIV century) and one terracotta policroma invetriata
of Giovanni of the Robbia on alatare. The last one on this side
of the transetto is the Nail head Bards of Vernio, frescoed from Maso
di Banco with History of Saint Silvestro, while to the head of the
transetto an other nail head with the same name is found, where is
conserved the Crocifisso di Donatello that gave place to a dispute,
according to the Vasari, between he and Filippo Brunelleschi, that it
judged the Christ of this work too much rozzo and peasant and realized
like term of comparison only the its lignea sculpture to we reached to
us, the Crocifisso that hour finds in the Gondi Nail head of the
basilica of Saint Maria Novel.
Nail head Medical
Exiting from the navata one from the head of the
transetto skillful, through the portale designed from Michelozzo,
architect Medical predelight of the family, it is reached the Nail
head Medical, always designed from he, with one simple decoration much
and essential one, crowned from the elegant shovel of altar in
terracotta enameled of Andrea of the Robbia, going back around 1480.
Sacrestia
From it is approached also the great Sacrestia
here, also this entire frescoed. Over the geometric decoration
of the inferior part, south is arranged on the wall a series of scenes
of the life of Christ executed from some of the more important
painters of the giottesca school: Niccolò Gerini, Taddeo Gaddi
(the Crocefissione) and Aretino Spinel.
On the east side, in correspondence of vetrate that dannno
light to the room, opens the great Rinuccini Nail head, with frescoes
to it is executed between 1363 and 1366 from Giovanni from Milan (some
they attribute them to Aretino Spinel).
Tombe and works in the navate ones
Croce saint like Pantheon of the artists
The basilica guards innumerevoli tombe (only
those terragne conserved is hundred and others son passings or has
been moved in chiostri) the many di.le which conserves the interments
of illustrious men.
Although the basilica had been used like place of interment of
many illustrious personages, to the par of many other churches, are
alone in the 1800's that became a true one and just pantheon of
personages it celebrates legacies to the art, music and the
literature. In 1871 in fact it came here buried with one
affollatissima public ceremony Ugo Foscolo, died in 1827 in England,
according to the its same desire of being buried next to other great
personages fiorentini like Michelangelo and Galileo. After this
episode many years began to arrive other emains of deceased
celebrities before also, like Gioacchino Rossini in 1887, Leon Alberti
Batiste, Vittorio Flagmen, etc, for which the best scultori of the age
realized the monuments that still are aligned in the navata one.
Also for Dante a large one was prepared sepolcro, but the city
of Ravenna courageous refused to deliver the empty ones of the poet
died in exile.
Between antichi monuments, that one of the first personage of
relief to here being buried is of Leonardo Tawny, for which Bernardo
Rossellino devised a tomba to arcosolio rinascimentale (1444-45), that
is with sepolcro the place within a recess formed from a gradone and
an arc to all sixth that closes it up. Analogous the tomba was
created of Carl Marsuppini, at the hands of Desire from Settignano.
Skillful Navata
Most famous instead it is that one of
Michelangelo Buonarroti, to the beginning of the skillful navata one,
planned from the Vasari after that the empty ones of the great artist
arrived to Florence from Rome (1564). Over to sepolcro the
three sculptures they represent the personificazioni of the Painting,
of the Sculpture and of the Architecture, rattristate for the passing
of the great master, but all with of the sepolcro commistione of
painting, sculpture is one and architecture.
In front of Michelangelo, on the pillar, the sculpture of the
Madonna of the Latte is placed di Antonio Rossellino (1478) placed
over the tomba of Francisco Nori, died in order to save the life of
Lorenzo the Magnificent one during the so-called conspiracy of the
Crazy ones. Continuing in the skillful navata one the monument
of 1829 is met before cenotafio of Dante, overed-measure. On
the successive pillar it rests the pregevole pulpit of Benedict from
Maiano, mirabilmente decorated from bassorilievi with scenes strongly
depth effect thanks to the use sage of the perspective. To
flank of the following altar, the third party, the monument to
Vittorio Flagmen of Antonio Canova (1810), and then that one of
Niccolò Machiavelli (of Innocenzo Spinazzi, 1787). The
newspaper stand with the Annunciation, in serana stone with gildings,
is one famous work of Donatello, realized with one technical unusual.
Beyond the door for the chiostri one already finds cited
monument to Leonardo the Tawny ones, beside which Gioacchino Rossini
and Ugo Foscolo are buried.
Left Navata
Galileo Galilei is buried to the beginning of
the left navata one and its sepolcro is contornato from a series of
frescoes riscoperti trecenteschi as a result of restorations in the
past century. Mail symmetricalally to that one of Michelangelo,
of it remembers po' shapes although it is later than a century and
means. They are instead nineteenth-century works, in the left
navata one, the monuments to Luigi Cherubs and Leon Batiste Alberti,
this last work of Lorenzo Bartolini, also he honored here from a plate
in the entrance hall close to the sagrestia (is buried instead in the
Nail head of Saint Luca in the Announced Basilica of the Saintest
one). Between the pregevoli shovels of the lateral altars, it
detaches a Mercy operates of Agnolo Bronzino.
The Cloisters and the Museum
http://www.santacroce.firenze.it
The convent and the history of the museum
To the basilica one of the greatest city
convents corresponded. As to Saint Maria Novel the atmospheres
came gradually secolarizzati to leave from the end of the 1700's and
it assigns you to other uses. As an example the National
Library Centers them of Florence rises on a land that before made part
of the convent and today, between the several activities that are kept
in the formerones number an elementary school and a school for
craftsmen of the leather, that its show-room to the sagrestia has one
close.
The more monumental part of the complex, constituted from the
former refectory with the Cenacolo was prepared like museum already
from 2 November of 1900, under the direction of Guides Carocci, where
already essiteva a warehouse of works of art, in part coming from from
the demolitions of the historical center of the period of the
Reorganization. The museum came gradualemnte widened and
inaugurated with a new 26 preparation March 1959 like Museum of the
Work of Croce Saint, with the two chiostri, the main refectory and
some other atmosphere, but the disaster of the alluvium of Florence,
with the water arrived to 4,88 meters in Croce Saint, yields necessary
along period of closing in order to prepare the necessary
restorations. It came only reopened in 1975 and a year after,
in occasion of the decennial one of the alluvium, the martoriato
Crocifisso di Cimabue came brought back in the museum.
From 2000 approximately all the basilican complex it was
converted in an only great museum with an only ticket to payment, than
from a part it has reduced the impact of the mass tourism on the
treasures of the basilica, from the other has primed the typical
controversies of when a building of consecrated cult to museale use is
assigned, impoverendo the spiritual role of these atmospheres.
To forehead of these changes today it does not have more much
sense than to speak less about Museum of the Work of Croce Saint, than
it is not wanted to be only indicated the places "that they made part
of the former museum".
In November 2006, hardly after the celebration for the
quarantennale of the alluvium, nineteen pitoriche works of large
pregio are returned to their place after a meticulous and complex
restoration. Between the trecenteschi paintings it returns to
you are a Madonna with child and knows you of Nardo di Cione, the
Incoronazione of the Vergine di Lorenzo di Niccolò, the Polittico di
San Giovanni Gualberto di Giovanni of the Blond man, a Saint Jacopo di
Lorenzo Monaco, a Saint Bernardino from Siena di Rossello di Jacopo
and a Saint Bonaventura di Domenico di Michelino. Between the
rinascimentali shovels the Deposition from the Cross of Francisco
Salviati is numbered (that it has endured a nearly miraculous
recovery, after that was found again torn to pieces to pieces) and the
reduction of Christ to the Limbo di Agnolo Bronzino (as a result of
the restoration has been discoveries of the rough details of demons,
censured in ancient).
To the appeal the huge burlap lacks only the Last Supper of
George Vasari, to the age uniform in great segments and warehouse from
forty years. The director of the Factory of Hard Stones,
Cristina Acidini, has revealed as now the efforts of the restorers
will be dedicated to the complicated recovery of this work.
Chiostri and the Nail head de' Crazy
The chiostro trecentesco that it introduces to
the Nail head de' Crazy, it is found on the skillful side of the
facade of the Basilica. Originally it was composed from two
chiostri distinguished, rectangular and one square, than they are
found again clearly in the plant puts into effect them. On the
skillful side of the facade a recess is found where a series of
cypresses encircles the statues of God seated Father of Baccio
Bandinelli and that one of the bronzeo Guerriero of Henry Moore.
The Nail head of the Crazy ones is a capolavoro of Filippo
Brunelleschi and of all the rinascimentale architecture, mirabile
example of harmony spaces caught up them in all its elements
structural and decorated to you.
The refectory
The espositivo distance continues with the visit
of the premises of the trecentesco Refectory where important examples
of sacred art are placed between which it detaches the splendid
Crocefisso di Cimabue, one of the works of art more important than all
times, key in the passage from the pitttura bizantina to that modern
one, unfortunately become sadly famous like symbol of the destruction
caused from the alluvium of 1966; although the restoration the
pittorica surface has gone in great lost part and for being able to
admire it fully us the photographies previous to the disaster remain
only.
The wall the west of the refectory is dominated from the great
series of frescoes of Taddeo Gaddi, than it they cover (1333 entire).
The outline of the decorations will become typical for the
conventuali cenacoli, with a Crocefissione, represented here like Tree
of the Life, contornata from some scenes between which it detaches the
Last supper low, first prototype of the cenacoli fiorentini that
andrannno to decorate the refectories of the most prestigious convents
and monasteri of the city.
To the walls then six fragments are exposed of fresco of a
Triumph of the Dead women of Andrea Orcagna, find again to you under
intonaco it cinquecentesco. Probably they had been seriously
damages to you from the alluvium of 1557, much to force the Vasari
(than sure it did not cover the ancient work in order only spirirto of
stilistico renewal, being an extreme admirer of the antichi masters
fiorentini) to realize new altars in serene stone on a wall to
intonaco white man. The fragments find again to you are however
remarkable for vivida the narration of the scenes and the colouring
pittorico language.
The statue of Saint Ludovico of Tolosa is one poderosa work of
Donatello, one of least in bronze the golden of great scultore
fiorentino (1423-1424), initially realized for a niche of
Orsanmichele, then was spodestata from an other work of Giambologna
and mail for approximately three centuries (from the Five to the
1800's) in one niche to the center of the facade incompiuta of Croce
Saint.
In the refectory I always fresco detached of Knows it to you
Giovanni Battista and Francisco is a fragment of a wider work, in the
typical luminous style of Domenico Veneziano. Here moreover
they have been exposed the nineteen shovels (painted on table or
burlap) damaged during the alluvium and only ricollocate in 2006, to
the term of along and capillary job of restoration.
Other atmospheres
In the others 5 know are conserved them other
pregevoli works between which they detach the Polittico di Giotto, the
reconstruction of the monument to Gastone of the Tower of Vat from
Camaino, a sculpture of Andrea of the Robbia and the pregevole busto
reliquiario in silver of the Umiliana Blessed soul de' Circles,
attributed to Lorenzo Ghiberti, beyond to fresco detach to you,
sinopie and reconstructions of tombali slabs.
From the first one chiostro it is approached also a gallery
where they have been placed the slabs of the tombe nineteenth-century
removed from the inside of the church, between which important
academic jobs of sculpture of XIX the century are often found.
Around alla Basilica is developed, beyond a second chiostro to
square partitura with sink centers them, a series of antichi gardens
that corripondono al back della church, rich of trees (with some
splendid exemplary of nettle trees, cedars dell' Atlas and dell'
Himalaia), today areas of pertinenza delle schools Pestalozzi and
Vittorio Veneto, della National Library Centers them of Florence and
della School del Leather.
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