Basilica of Santa Croce (Florence) - one ofThe main churches of the city and the largest Franciscan temple in the world, built at the end of the 13th century in the style of the Florentine Gothic, is known as the Pantheon of Florence because of the large number of tombs in which many prominent Italians are buried.
According to legend, the founder of Santa Croce isFrancis of Assisi (died 1226), the patron saint of Italy, who refused material wealth in order to carry the ideas of repentance and peace to people. Although its construction was begun in 1295 on the site of a small oratorio built by the Franciscans, not far from the river Arno. The name Santa Croce (Florence) is the church of the Holy Cross translated from Italian. The project was carried out by A. di Cambio, a local sculptor and architect. The construction went on the money of rich Florentine families, who considered it an honor to finance the construction of the holy monastery, and lasted almost 150 years. The basilica was consecrated in 1443 by Pope Eugenius the 4th.
The appearance of the church over the past century has changednot once. This is especially true of the facade of Santa Croce (Florence): the photo began in the 19th century. shows him completely without ornaments. The current appearance of the facade with 3 portals, decorated with white marble, was made only in 1853-1863. by the architect N. Matas in the neo-Gothic style with the money of British Protestants, in particular, the British philanthropist F. J. Sloane. That is why the blue six-pointed star of David appeared in the decoration, which is not a symbol of Christianity.
The main part of the building is built in the formT-shaped cross. Over the past centuries, extensions (chapels) were gradually added to it from all sides. The lower tiers of the basilica are decorated with beautiful arcades, the upper - with double-wing windows. On the left side of the building is a portico of air and light arches.
Разрушения произошли в 16 в., в 1512 г.the old bell tower was broken by lightning, could only be restored by 1847 according to the design of J. Buccani, and now it is an excellent addition to the main building.
Базилика Санта-Кроче во Флоренции также включает 3 monasteries, one of which was designed by A. Di Cambio. The other, located in the southern part, was designed by Brunnelleski and is considered one of the most beautiful monasteries in Florence. The smaller 3rd monastery (13th century) encloses groups of non-ordinary Franciscan buildings.
Before the church of Santa Croce is installed on the squareDante's statue, created by sculptor E. Pazii in 1865. Previously, she was in the center, but then was moved because of mass events closer to the building.
The inner part consists of a hugemonumental space 115 m long, made using unique design solutions. This is especially evident in the device of the central nave, separated from two side vertical pylons of 8-angle section, from which pointed arches are directed upwards.
At the time, the decision of the interiorThe basilica was bold and unconventional, allowing it to be distinguished from the rest of the religious buildings of the city. Light enters through the mosaic windows made by A. Gaddi.
In the 16th centurythe church was redesigned, because of which (according to experts) a little lost its beauty. The overlaps are made of rafter type, and in the floor there are tombstones that occupy almost the entire space of the nave.
Murals adorning the walls near the main altar,made by A. Gaddi (1387) based on the legend of the True Cross. On the right side: Archangel Michael passes the branch of the Tree of Knowledge, the Queen of Sheba and her worship of the Tree of the Cross, etc. On the left, St. Helena brings the Holy Cross to Jerusalem, then King Percy takes him away, the Byzantine king Heraclius returns the Cross to Jerusalem and so on. D. Frescoes also contain many everyday and fairy-tale scenes. The most beautiful old stained glass windows were made in the 14th century.
The altar polyptych, written by N. Jerini, depicts the Madonna and Child, the side panels were made by other artists, in the upper part is the Crucifixion, painted by the masters of the Giotto school.
The altar is crowned by one of the unique paintings of the church -The Crucifixion, which was created by Master Cimabue. This large painting (4.5x3.9 m), placed on a wooden cross, is considered the most impressive version of the crucifixion. However, during the flood in 1966, the work was so badly damaged that even restoration attempts could not restore it completely.
Внутри церкви Санта-Кроче (Флоренция) в The transept houses 16 chapels (chapels), each of which is a separate extension. Chapels are decorated with unique frescoes and sculptures of different centuries, which were executed by the most famous Italian masters: Matteo Rosseli, J. Do San Giovanni, Fra Bartolomeo, J. Lee Bondone and his students.
The most famous of them are:
Inside the basilica is located Monastery courtyard, fromwhich also has access to the chapel. Thus, the Capella dei Pazzi, called the “true pearl of the Early Renaissance”, is decorated with the finest works of Brunelleschi (1443), decorated by the famous Italian masters D. da Settignano, L. dela Robbia, J. Da Mayano. In front of the chapel is a pronaos consisting of Corinthian columns. In 1461 it was covered with a small dome.
In the church of Santa Croce (Florence) rest the mostfamous people of Italy and honorary citizens of Florence. Some of the graves are true, in which dead celebrities are buried, while others, called cenotaphs, are tombstones that do not contain human remains.
Santa Croce is rightly considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, because contains the tomb monument of L. Bruni, an Italian politician, created in 1444 by a master
B. Rossellino. This monument became a model for future works of the Renaissance, including the tombstone of C. Marsuppini near the north wall of the church.
The most famous tombstones are located along the right nave of the southern wall:
In total, almost 300 famous Italians are buried in the church, each gravestone decorated with sculptures and bas-reliefs.
Одна из достопримечательностей церкви — Flootian Pio Fedi in 1883, a statue of Poetry, dedicated to the memory of the poet and playwright J. Battista Nicollini. It is set over his tombstone in the Basilica of the Holy Cross.
This figure is very similar to the Statue of Liberty,the work of an outstanding French sculptor Fr. Bartholdi (1887). As it is known for certain, Bartholdi lived in Florence in 1870 and was obviously inspired by the work of an Italian sculptor.
Большой интерес у туристов вызывает кенотаф famous poet Dante (1265-1321), located in the church of Santa Croce (Florence). The story of the tomb of the poet, who became famous for his “Divine Comedy” and created the modern literary Italian language, has been going on for several hundred years. After the death of the poet, Florence fights with the city of Ravenna for the right to transport and bury his remains, but cannot achieve this. Everything happened back in the 14th century. through the fault of the rulers and residents of Florence, who drove Dante from his city for unwanted statements and opposition views. The writer moved to Ravenna, where he soon died. When Florence asked Dante for her ashes, Ravenna did not agree, and since then the sarcophagus in Santa Croce has been empty.
To find the famous basilica, you need to come toSanta Croce Square (Florence), on which it stands. This area in the old days was the venue for fairs and tournaments, now it has become a venue for festivals, performances and concerts. It also sometimes holds competitions in Florentine football, where players are dressed in ancient costumes and compete according to strict old rules.
In Santa Croce (Florence), the museum’s opening hours are from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 2 pm to 5 pm on public holidays.
The price of tickets to the church: 8 euros, discount tickets for children aged 11-17 years, schoolchildren - 4 euros, free admission for children under 11 years old, residents of Florence, disabled people and accompanying.
Tourists visiting the beautiful churchSanta Croce (Florence), expects a magnificent and majestic sight: each chapel inside the church is a separate museum representing works of great artists, each tombstone is a masterpiece of sculptural art. The thoughts and feelings expressed by the famous writer Stendal, who visited the Basilica: anxiety bordering on reverence. Exactly the same impression is made by this monumental building on modern people.
