Basilica of Santa Croce (in um. version of Basilica di Santa Croce) is located in the Italian city of Florence. It is often called the Church of the Holy Cross. This is one of the most famous tombs tombstone of Italy, which attracts many tourists.
Tradition says that the church founded by St. Francis of Assisi, who died in 1226. A year after his death he was canonized. By this time, is the first mention of the church to perpetuate his memory.
Basilica in Florence began under construction May 12, 1294, allegedly designed by renowned Arnolfo di Cambio. By the way, the construction work of the church went to cash donations from the wealthy families of the city. Construction of the church lasted up to 2 floors. 14th century, and its consecration took place in 1443, Pope Eugene 4.
The church draws attention to the architectural performance - it's made in the Gothic style. The interior of the temple is decorated with frescoes by Giotto and the sculptures, as well as such great sculptors and artists as Donatello, Taddeo Gaddi, Antonio Canova. The Shrine with the relics of St. Francis is decorated with bas-reliefs of Benedetto de Maya, made in 1472.
Originally the walls were decorated with frescoes by Andrea Orcagna in execution, but in the 16th century on top of them were caused by the Italian artist painting Vizar. The shape of the church was built in the shape of an Egyptian cross, the T-shaped contour.
in the church of the Holy Cross buried more than 300 known inhabitants of the city of Florence. This is a cultural, policy and science. The most famous tombstones arranged along the walls of the nave of the basilica of law. All the tombs in the form of a marble couch on which the figure of the deceased.
greatest interest is the tomb of Dante sculpture (by sculptor Ricci, 1829) and Machiavelli (sculptor Spinatstsi, 1787).
call the names of those great men, whose remains are buried in the Basilica of Santa Croce:
- Dante Alighieri - a poet 13-14 cc
- Leon Battista Alberti - architect of the 15th century.
- Lorenzo Bartolini - sculptor 18-19 cc
- Galileo Galilei - Scientific 16. (Tomb of Giulio Fondzhini).
- Vittorio Alfieri - playwright and poet of the 18th century.
- Niccolo Machiavelli - thinker 15-16 cc
- Buanarroti Michelangelo - painter and sculptor 15-16 cc
- Dzhonakino Rossini - composer of the 19th century.
- Guglielmo Marconi - physicist 19-20 centuries (Nobel Prize 1909 for his invention of the telegraph).
- Michael Oginski - Polish and Belarusian composer.
- Enrico Fermi - physicist and mathematician of the 20th century. (Nobel laureate 1938).
Basilica of Santa Croce - is the largest Franciscan church in Italy, attracting a large number of Florence, the faithful and tourists from all over the world.