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Basilica di Santa Croce

Burial Place of Illustrious Italians

The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Florence was built in 1294 as a Franciscan church. The church has a large number of paintings and sculptures from the 13th to 15th centuries, and is also known as the Pantheon of Italian Glories, because Michelangelo, Galileo, and other famous people are buried here.

The Basilica of the Holy Cross (Basilica di Santa Croce) in Florence was built in 1294, with a neo-Gothic facade facing the Grand Piazza di Santa Croce, which has been a place for tourists to stop and take pictures, as well as a place for people to enjoy food and shopping, and has been accompanying the church bells for hundreds of years.

The Basilica of the Holy Cross is a Catholic Franciscan church, and the basilica boasts A Vast Number of Paintings and Sculptures, mostly Renaissance masterpieces from the 14th to 16th centuries, including the frescoes painted by Giotto and his apprentices for the chapels, and the sculptures by Donatello, such as “Annunciation” and “Crucifixion”.

Walking through the church nave, you will find the walls and floors are embedded with tombstones, tomb sculptures, and monuments. It is worth paying attention to the fact that all these deceased figures are famous and outstanding talents, such as Tomb of Michelangelo, Galileo, Dante, Machiavelli, Rossini, etc. so the Basilica of the Holy Cross is often referred to as the “Pantheon of Italian Glories”.

Manywhere Trivia:
When Michelangelo died in Rome at the age of 88, his nephew smuggled his body back to the Basilica of the Holy Cross in a hay wagon so the Pope wouldn’t find out.

The Main Cloister, located on the south side of the basilica, is the largest of the three cloisters in the church. The Pazzi Chapel at one end of the main cloister was created by Filippo Brunelleschi in the 15th century and is considered one of the masterpieces of Renaissance architecture. The Refectory on the other side of the square has become part of the church museum, and the frescoes on the front wall, “The Tree of Life” and “The Last Supper”, were painted by Taddeo Gaddi around 1350.

The Sacristy of the Basilica of the Holy Cross contains not only numerous religious relics, but also a crucifix by Cimabue from 1288, as well as religious paintings from the 14th century.