Santa Croce – The Florentine Pantheon

I invite you to take a two-hour tour of one of the most important churches in Florence, the Holy Cross, one of the largest Franciscan churches in the world.

The impressive neo-Gothic facade, a huge number of masterpieces and tombstones made such an indelible impression on the young Stendhal that when he came out of it he was filled with excitement bordering on awe.

What is distinctive is that it was built not with the money of the Church, but with the donations of the families of Florence, so the construction took 90 years.

The basilica has always been considered a prestigious burial place for famous characters, and over time became a kind of Pantheon for Italian colors - Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini, and a number of memorial plaques in memory of famous Florentines complements the story of the history of the city.

The decorations of the temple did not appear at the same time, here, century after century, Giotto, the Gaddi family, Donatello, Vasari, Fogini worked.

The abundance of sarcophagi and decorations, altar images and frescoes do not make it pompous, but rather, on the contrary, there is a light love atmosphere inherent in the spirit of the Franciscans!

Our acquaintance with the complex will begin with the history of the square in front of the church, its monuments and palaces. Then you will find a fascinating story about the history of the construction of the basilica, the life of St. Francis and his contribution to the development of the Catholic Church and a detailed acquaintance with the main burials and frescoes.