Santa Croce, Richa

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LESSON IV. INTRODUCTION TO THE CHURCH OF SANTA CROCE (English)

Home of the Friars Minor of St. Francis

 I. The church of Santa Croce in Florence is certainly magnificent. Francesco Bocchi writes, “There are many famous houses of worship known for their impressive construction, but none come close to the magnificence or the architectural grandiosity of this church.” So, in order to share the church’s history properly, we will divide the material into several lessons. In doing so, we can discuss the abundance of remarkable things about the church without risking confusion. Therefore, let us begin with the Piazza of Santa Croce dal Tempio, from which the façade of the church can be seen toward the East. We will discuss the manifold merits of this piazza in the present lesson.

 II. In the piazza, which highlights the majesty and fame of the church of the Friars Minor, I can envision the arrival of the Seraphic St. Francis, whose followers had taken possession of this place in just over a year. Without dwelling on the subject, I will state that St. Francis and his first companions—by the goodwill of the Florentines—arrived in Florence in the year 1212. This date is asserted in Luca Wadingo’s Annals: The Abbot Ughelli in Sacred Italy (volume I), page 111.

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But Francesco Haroldo, on page 58 of his authoritative Annalium Minorum, argues that the Saint entered Florence in 1211, one year earlier: Beata Franciscus pervenit Florentiam, ubi extra Civitatem accepit a devotis Civibus hospitiolum juxta adem S. Galli, ubi multos ad suum sodalitium admisit, quorum praecipuus suit Joannes Parens ex oppido Carmignani (Blessed Francis arrived in Florence, where he received a small lodging outside the city from devout citizens near the church of St. Gallo, where he admitted many to his fellowship, the most important of whom was Giovanni Parente from the town of Carmignano). I am also aware of the opinion of the erudite modern Florentine scholar who believes that the Saint arrived in the year 1209. The Friars Minor might have occupied a home at the Porta a San Gallo before arriving at Santa Croce in 1221, but not in Santo Stefano a Ponte (known as the Rondinelli), as Fra Serafino Razzi suggests on page 35 of his book Life of the Blessed Giovanni da Salerno, which was published in Florence in 1588. Razzi also writes that the Friars Minor first occupied a guest house in the little convent of San Iacopo del Pian di Ripoli that was sold to them by the Dominicans, who were already living in the Hospital of San Pancrazio. Were this assertion by Razzi accompanied by authoritative documents, it would completely alter what we have stated above. For now, we wait for the confirmation of this dubious point in the History of the Order of the Friars Preachers, which is being written by the learned and diligent pen of Father Tommaso Maria Mamachi. He has looked far and wide to find evidence and illustrate the darkness of those early years where the first friars of St. Dominic came to Florence.

 III. What we know about the church of Santa Croce in those early days is dubious. Leonardo Aretino, in Book 4 of his History, describes it as such, “It was a small church that was much more humble than the new one that replaced it.” Aretino’s comment is confirmed by Bernardo Davanzati’s History, which reads, 1292. per idem ferme tempus Basilica Sancte Crucis in ea qua nunc est forma eadificari Florentia coepta est, cum prius breve admodum in eo loco esset Sacellum (In the year 1292, around the same time, the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Florence began to be built in the form in which it now stands, whereas previously there had been only a very small chapel on that site).

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However, I am not convinced that the early church was all that small. As one can read in the Riformagioni, which conserves passages from many books, there are early written instructions that the Republic gave to the ambassadors of the Crown. In Book “Z” from the 29th of September, 1396, one can find the instructions for the Oratories of the King of France in which are noted the privileges granted to Florence by Charlemagne, including the foundation of Santa Croce. While this claim is dubious, we can tell from the description that the original church was likely not small. We must also mention a notice from the books of the Guild of the Judges and Notaries that refers to a celebration in 1230 of the Miracle of the Sacrament in the church of Sant’Ambrogio, which includes a procession of Santa Croce’s friars from the Bishop’s Palace to Sant’Ambrogio. They seem to have been in Santa Croce by or around 1221.

 IV. It is the antiquity of the new church that contributes to the ornament of the piazza. In the Ammirato Tome I, Par. I, page 131, the Florentine Gonfaloniere Tingo Altoviti, the Podestà Pino de’ Vernacci da Cremona, the Captano del Popolo Rinaldo di Manente da Spoleti, along with the Lordship of Florence placed the cornerstone of Santa Croce on the 3rd of May, 1294, with the design of the famous Architect Arnolfo. Before Ammirato’s text, Giovanni Villani wrote in book 8, paper 7 of his Chronicle, “In the year of our Lord 1294, the great and new church of the Friars Minor, Santa Croce, was founded in May. The celebration of the laying of the cornerstone was attended by many Bishops, Prelates, Clerics, other religious figures, the Podestà, the Capitano del Popolo, and all of the good people of Florence, both men and women who were filled with great festivity and solemnity.

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They then began to lay the foundation of the church, beginning in the back where the chapels now stand, because that is where the original church was located. They remained at the office of the Priors and Friars until the new chapels were walled up. A plaque in the church next to the Serristori chapel reads,

• MCCLXXXXV. V. NON. MAII FVIT FVNDATA ISTA ECCLESIA AD HONOREM SANCTE CRVCIS ET B. FRANCISCI.

On the 5th day before the Nones of May, 1295, this church was founded in honor of the Holy Cross and Blessed Francis.

I do not yet want to enter into the church, as I am still content to observe the beautiful and admirable façade from the piazza. Firstly, under the corner or chimney, is the name of Jesus all in stone. It was placed there by St. Bernardino of Siena with the permission of the Lords during a procession of the people in 1437, the year of Pestilence. As noted on page 71 of Leopoldo del Migliore’s Florence Illustrated, and in reverence to the most Holy Name, read these words written in Lombard characters, In nomine lesu omne genuflectatur Caelestium Terrestrium and infernorum (In the name of Jesus, let every knee bow, of heaven and earth, and of hell). Under this life-affirming sign we see a window, or oculus, which was painted by Lorenzo Ghiberti and measures 14 braccia in diameter. The window depicts the deposition of Christ. Between this window and the arch of the main door is a niche holding a bronze statue of St. Louis, Bishop of Toulouse. The statue is the work of Donatello, who did not want it to be counted as one of his best works. All the while, it must be held in esteem by us, as we can discern its vivacity, its knowledge, and because it has been made by a man of rare worth. At the left hand of the church, we see the beginnings of a marble tower, and from the main door to the door of the cloister we can admire the base of the façade of black and white marble designed by Cronaca. And it would have been a wonderful work if Castello Quaratesi, out of disgust with the church builders who…

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…denied him the honor of placing his own family arms, had not abandoned such a generous and beautiful idea. On the doors are instead the arms of the people (the Popolo) and the Guelph Party, which confirms that the church was built by and for the Rectors of the Florentine people. These are the things that I care to describe, as well as what is visible while looking at the façade of the church, that bring delight to the eye of anyone who beholds them.

 V. But coming to the piazza, which is 288 braccia long and 152 braccia wide, we see the church surrounded by palaces and cafes. The church takes on the guise of a theater, increasing its vagueness within the context of the piazza. The fountain here was restored in 1673 with the design of Pier Maria Baldi, and there are paintings that embellish the Antella family palace, as well as a convent outside of this area that faces to the West. And starting from the convent, we see the Giottesque figures by Lorenzo di Bicci, who was tenacious well into his old age. As a young man, Lorenzo crafted the frescoes of St. Thomas—who touched the wound of Christ in the presence of the apostles—for the Spinelli family. Following this, Lorenzo painted a fresco of St. Christopher that was 12 and a half braccia high. When Lorenzo was decrepit in his old age he also added the narrative of the Assumption of the Virgin. This is believed to be the best work by his brush. As these paintings reflect the Giottesque manner, the façade of the Antella palace reveals the much improved and refined academy of painting that was developed by the masters who have flourished in Florence over the past two centuries. Since Filippo Baldinucci has already described this façade in his Life of Giovanni da San Giovanni, I will make use of his words and wise judgement: “During that time Niccolò dell’Antella was one of the Prime Ministers of the Casa Serenissìma, and he was also serving as Lieutenant for the Grand Duke in the Accademia del Disegno. He resolved to have the façade of is…

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…house in the piazza of Santa Croce painted, as he was a friend of the arts and supporter of the glory and advancement of virtuous Florentines. Like many at that time, he called upon prominent artists Domenico Passignani, Matteo Rosselli, Ottavio Vannini, Giovanni da San Giovanni, Fabbrizio Boschi, Michelangelo Cinganelli, Niccodemo Ferrucci, the disciple of Andrea del Bello and Paesano di Giovanni, Michele Bussini, Ton Geurrini, Filippo Tarchiani, Cosimo Milanesi, and Stefano da Quinto. Beginning with a design by Giulio Parigi, they crafted a beautiful work that is worthy of attention. The paintings are beautiful and so well done that after more than 130 years they appear like they have just been painted. They were done in 20 days. The first 15 days were in May of 1619, when they painted the first order along the windows of the house. The other images along the terrace floor were painted in 5 days in May of 1620. Among the painters I mentioned, and the great old masters, Giovanni da San Giovanni’s paintings garnered the most praise. The work was a credit to him, and every fresco thereafter in the city of Florence was recommended to his brush. This façade contains precious and beautiful paintings, but also curious and delightful concepts including Virtues and other deities. We should shine some light on the frescoes of the many masters who worked on this façade, so we will offer almost all of them a brief account. However, in respect to the aforementioned Virtues and deities, we may have made some mistake in their identification. They are not identified in written names, so we will have to name them by their symbols. It begins…

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…in a space above one of the doors of the palace where we see the coat of arms of the Antella family with three little putti of differing manners. This was painted by the lovely Giovanni. Now I will describe the first order of paintings that occupy the low area at the parapets of the first windows. We will start by the side closest to the church. Here we see the figure of Fortress by the artist Vannino. She stands with a sword in her hand and a flame below, perhaps alluding to Muzio Scevola (Gaius Mucius Scaevola). Next to her is Religion, who can be seen genuflecting and holding a lit candle. Next is Abundance, who rests on a bundle of apples and holds ears of corn. We do not know which aforementioned artist was the painter of Abundance, but it is not of the best quality. Next is the stupendous figure of Cupid sleeping near a swan. This figure was painted by Giovanni da San Giovanni and is a copy of a similar figure by Caravaggio in the Palazzo Serenissimo. There is no doubt that Caravaggio’s original oil painting is superior to Giovanni’s later fresco. Next is Rossielli’s figure of Spiritual Love who holds a pelican. Then there is a young man with an oak branch painted by Passignano in his golden age. Then there is the space in the center with a marble bust of the Grand Duke Cosimo II. To his left is a painting of a woman representing the city of Siena by Rosselli. She is accompanied by the she-wolf, although that was painted by Giovanni because Rosselli did not like to paint animals. Giovanni painted the beautiful head of the she-wolf in no more than fifteen minutes. Passignano, who painted the representation of Florence to the right of the bust of Cosimo, saw Giovanni paint the wolf and asked if he would paint a lion (Marzocco) with his figure. He painted…

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…the lion, which is so excellent that it appears to have been produced by nature. Next is Giovanni’s Fidelity, who is pictured as a woman holding a dog. Following her is an unknown woman with a chisel and a golden key. The artist is unknown. Next is Sincerity, who was painted by Ottavio Vannini with a heart on her right and a dove on her left. The next figure is a young man who holds a harnessed lion and has a dagger in his right hand. This figure is the work of Filippo Napoletano, who was close with Cosimo II in the latter years of the Grand Duke’s life when he was mostly ill and restricted to his bed. Napoletano would always paint beautiful images of the country for the Grand Duke with small and beautiful figures. Then there is another marvelous figure by Giovanni of a fallen Cupid. After this is a little terrace, or pergola as we call it, where we come to the end of this lower portion and the first order of paintings. Notice that on the base between two of the figures that we have mentioned are chiaroscuro putti. One putto holds a long paper with the names of the painters who worked on the aforementioned frescoes in 1619. There is also a paper with the virtue of Sincerity that notes how the remainder of the façade was completed by the same painters between the 11th and 18th of May, 1620. Next, we will look at the second order of paintings that appears between and among the first level of windows. These chiaroscuro figures are exceptionally naturalistic. Look first at Vannino’s Piety with joined hands. Then we see Science, made by an unknown artist, who is writing with a golden pen. The figure of Wisdom is depicted as Pallas with a spear and shield. Faith holds a chalice and the cross. Finally, Temperance holds a horse bit. The next figure is Rosselli’s Religion, who holds a temple in one hand and a golden key in the other.

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Then we see Giovanni’s famous figure of Justice with a helmet, sword, and scales. She appears so lifelike that the only thing she lacks is a voice. The next female figure holds a mirror and an arrow and has a deer by her side. She was also painted by Giovanni, and I would suspect that she is a symbol of Beauty, as beauty wounds easily and flees every man like a deer. The next figure is Rosselli’s Council, who has the faces of a young man and an old man. He is draped with ears of corn and holds a rudder in his right hand. In his left hand are golden keys. The next figure is a woman by Rosselli with a book in her hand and another book at her feet. Next to the book at her feet is an hourglass, and near that is a bird in a cage. We do not know the meaning of this figure. Next is another female figure with wings on her head. She is riding horseback on a bear who is licking itself. This is a beautiful painting by Giovanni. The Jupiter holding lightning and the figure of Hercules were also painted by Giovanni. The third order of paintings on the parapet of the second level of windows is full of colorful figures. We will begin from the side with the terrace. First is Giovanni’s representation of Painting. It is followed by Rosselli’s Astronomy, which is wrapped in the signs of the zodiac. Then, the figure of Contemplation is shown opening her breast and revealing her heart. We do not know who painted this figure. Next is an armed young man with a winged head and a ready bow. This is the work of Filippo Napoletano. Then, the figure of Meditation is shown sitting and reading a book with a lit candle. This is by the hand of Giovanni. Then there is a female figure with a serpent on her left and a whip on her right. This work is judged to be by Andrea del Bello. Another female figure by Rosselli is shown above clouds with a scepter and a crown. Below is an eagle. The figure represents Majesty. The next figure holds a spire in her right hand. This figure is by an unknown painter, and it is perhaps the weakest painting in this work. We then see…

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… the figure of a nude old man seated above an iris. He holds a sextant in his left hand and a plumb line and a square in his right. It is said to be an image of Time. We do not know the artist. After that is a figure holding scales in the right hand and a cornucopia in the left. This was possibly painted by Tarchiani. In the image of the armed young man with a floral helm, Rosselli intended to represent Rest. Finally, there is the figure of Prudence who is seated. In her right hand she has a sextant, and in her left is a rod. Then we see the second order of the chiaroscuro images and the fourth order of paintings between the second floor of windows. From the side closest to the church, we see a female figure with a lantern, and at her feet a crane with a stone. This figure by Rosselli depicts Vigilance. Rosselli also painted the following figure that is holding a palm frond in hand and has a globe at her feet and a sun above her head. In the other hand is a lamp and a book. The following winged female by Rosselli, with a pure spear in her right hand and a golden laurel in her left, represents Glory. The next figure, who is nude and lying on one side with a squirrel in her hand, was painted by Giovanni. Then there is Fame, with one gold trumpet hanging from her left hand and one held up to her mouth in the act of playing. This is also the work of Giovanni. Next is Charity with three putti by Tarchiani. Below we see a female figure with a starry mantle around an altar with a burning fire. She is also joined by a tiger. This figure is the work of our Giovanni. Then we come to three beautiful figures, which are said to be by the hand of Fabbrizio Boschi. The first is a woman that represents Peace who holds an olive branch in her right hand and a shield in her left. Then there is another woman with a clock in her right hand and wearing a sash or royal diadem. There is also a winged youth with a flame in his breast, and near him a winged deer. This figure is believed to represent Zeal. Then there is a woman painted by the hand of Rosselli who is holding a golden cross. Next to that she has a piece of stone with ivy around it. After this is…

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…another figure who is wearing a crown. This figure was painted by Giovanni and features a building plan. Above the fourth order of paintings is a fifth, which completes the beautiful façade. On this level are thirteen colored depictions of various Virtues and deities, which we will not describe here for brevity’s sake. We will only mention that in the middle of the beautiful images there is a venerable old man who is seated in a senatorial robe and accompanied by a nocturnal bird. This is the symbol of Prudence, and therefore it is dedicated to Pallas. This figure was painted by the hand of Giovanni and closely resembles the person of Donato dell’Antella. Donato was the Florentine senator father of Niccolò, who sponsored the work on the façade at a great expense. The work was meant to be a delight for the public and an ornament to the noble piazza of Santa Croce, which ordinarily hosts events like the game of Calcio and famous festivals.

 VI. Thus ends Baldinucci’s explanation. And since he mentioned the various celebrations hosted in that grand theater (piazza), I am going to list them here. They will be divided into two classes: the sacred and the profane. As far as the latter, the Florentine histories tell us, there were at various times noble hunts and jousts with masks and dresses no less rich than they were bizarre, as well as the display of extravagant inventions made by the subtle and beautifully spirited Florentines. These things were admirable in the eyes of all. It is the opinion of men of letters that no part of Italy since the Roman Empire had seen jousts like those of Florence, which were always magnanimous public festivities. One of the oldest and most magnificent jousts that I know of was featured in Donato Velluti’s chronicle notes from the year 1366. He writes, “The Marquises of Ferrara came to Florence, arrived at Santa Croce, and jousts were made.” And on February 29th of 1371, Buoninsegni’s History records a joust that was hosted to honor the marriage of Maddalena di Carlo Strozzi to…

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…Luchino Visconti, son of the Duke of Milan. There were two brigades on horseback with severed and uncut swords. This is true unless Buoninsegni made a mistake, as I read elsewhere that these nuptials occurred in 1381. A similar joust was held in 1419 in the presence of Pope Martin V. This event is mentioned by many men of letters in their recollections. In 1429, two more were held in April to celebrate the arrival of D. Pietro, the son of the king of Portugal. They honored the victory of Filippo Tornabuoni, Baldassarre del Milanese, and in second place Iacopo Bischeri. In another joust in 1468, the garments of the attendees were covered in stupendous amounts of gold and precious jewels. This event honored Lorenzo di Piero dei Medici and Carlo Borromei, just as the 1474 joust honored Giuliano di Piero dei Medici. Leaving out many others, I will mention that—during the most solemn times of principality—a joust was held for the wedding of Grand Duke Cosimo II. Andrea Salvadori designed the decorations for the piazza and various elements of the festivities. The inventive combat surprised spectators, who were taken by the ballet of men on horseback. Up until and during our times, the game of Calcio has been performed in the piazza of Santa Croce with majesty and praise every year for Carnival. The game, which was invented by the ancient Greeks and continued by the Romans, is played by young Florentines who are fierce and gallant in their dexterity and exercise. Those who wish to know more about this game should read the instructions printed by Giovanni Bardi dei Conti dei Vernio for Duke Francesco, those by Orzio Capponi for Grand Duke Cosimo III, the entire chapter dedicated to it in the Boccalino nei Ragguagli di Parnasso, the Sanese Father Ferrari, who describes it in his third Dialogue with Giambatista Doni, and the memoirs printed in 1688 for the wedding of the Grand Prince Ferdinand of Tuscany. There was no lack of reports for the last Calcio game…

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…in 1739. Augusti Sovrani arrived in Florence, and the game was played by two richly dressed teams of Florentine gentlemen led by Lord Alfieri, Marquis Folco Rinuccini, and Marquis Bernardino Riccardi. The game was played with great praise, valor and splendor. It pleased the Emperor and Empress so much that the festival was replicated a second time. At the end of this lesson, we will include the notes of the noble players involved in this event.

 VII. Now, turning to the sacred events of the piazza, I will recount the famous sermons given to the public by the holy friars on feast days throughout the years. Sometimes the sermons were given by order of the pontiffs, the bishops, and the signoria. There are many of these to discuss. It would be easy for me to make a list of the important orators and to forget some along the way. Instead, I will intentionally not try to mention all of them. Let us remember first how many times St. Bernardine of Siena spoke and kindled love amongst the Florentines, and how he led the people with reverence and trust in the Most Holy Name of Jesus, which is reiterated by the placement of Christ’s name at the highest level of the church. The piazza also hosted the old custom of the feast day of St. Bartholomew, which I know from its inclusion in the Reformations Book N: “1471. It is ordered that in the Piazza of Santa Croce there must be a feast for Saint Bartholomew, as it has been customary on other occasions. The festival should be given aid and financing.” The Blessed Virgin also was given a celebration in the piazza on May 22nd, 1633. Abbot Giovanni Batista Casottie writes about the arrival of the miraculous Madonna of Impruneta icon, which is given credit for salvation of the people from the plague. This is found to have happened on multiple occasions. On the third day of the Virgin’s sweet stay in Florence, on the 23rd of May 1633, she was taken to Santa Croce and nobly adorned and illuminated. The piazza was also adorned with rich ornament…

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…in a manner that can only be imagined but not expressed. And here please pardon me for my outburst of excessive joy regarding the proceeding event. When the Florentines arrived in the piazza, among the scene of the superb jousts that were most beautiful on this day, the Mother of Mercy appeared in the air and entered the tournament, where she was victorious in divine justice and, after mitigating God’s wrath, the plague ceased. The Magistrate of Health thanked the divine image and left a gift of ten thousand scudi.

 VIII. I find another tournament in 1711 of two apostles who sanctified Florence. They were the fathers Paolo Segneri the Younger and Ignazio Costanzo, who came to purge the city of every stain. With a solemn new mission, the Florentines were inspired in this great piazza. We read about this in the history of the aforementioned Abbot Casotti in his paper 254: “In the meantime, on Saturday the 23rd of May, the two Missionaries of the Society of Jesus entered Florence barefoot through the San Gallo gate. At the gate they were welcomed by Minsignore Archbishop Tommaso dei Conti della Gherardesca in Roccetto and Mozzetta, who was served by Suddecano Lodovico da Verrazzano and the Canons Cavaliere Ruggieri Minerbetti, Giovanni Batista Bindo Peruzzi, and Count Federigo Zefferini. They were then met by the venerable society of the Stigmata of St. Francis, who provided them with the necessary assistants for the time of the mission, and to take part in all of the processions. Having received the crucifix from the hands of the archbishop, Father Paolo Segneri made himself head of the procession and set off toward the city. He was followed by the archbishop and a good number of people. At the door of the church, they found all of the canons waiting for them. They were then led to the choir, and there the archbishop went up to his residence and the hymn Veni Creator Spirtitus was sung. After this, …

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…Father Segneri stood on a simple platform supported for this purpose by a column of the church and placed the archbishop in front of him in another residence. He then spoke with fervent words that were dictated to him by his most sweet zeal of the Mission. He described its order and exercises, which were to be started on Sunday, which was the beginning of the first week of the Holy Jubilee. They did not stop for ten days with the indefatigable energy of fervent missionaries. They gathered the people and spoke in another one of the city’s major piazze at all hours for the convenience of all. There they invited the people to penance, reminding them of the terrible judgements of God and His infinite mercies. They warred against sin, which is the cause of all temporal and eternal evil. They threatened the arrogant, encouraged the faint-hearted, fortified the newcomers, and provided new stimuli for the spiritually stable. They studied according to the precept and example given by the apostle speaking to the gentiles. They spoke of Jesus Christ to all those who listened. Those who have read the sacred letters about the preaching of Jonah in Nineveh may understand the experience of this Sacred Mission in Florence. The highest and lowest of society flocked not only to hear the zealous preachers, but to give public demonstrations of a truly humbled and contrite heart, which was expressed most by the presence of the Grand Duke. The great prince having descended, so to speak, from his great throne, laid aside the insignia of his royal greatness. He preceded by example the Christian virtues to all of those over whom he ruled with the sovereign authority of command. He was not content to stay for the hottest hours at the sermon or the daily functions in the piazza of Santa Croce, which was no longer a theater of pleasant competitions between noble young men…

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…for the purpose of honor, but had become a school of eternal truth for the preservation of souls. He did wish to be present at the frequent Processions of Penance, which were held in the piazza, which—because of the palace of the Republic—was called the Lords’ piazza and is now called the Grand Duke’s piazza. At 24 hours (midnight), the Missionaries set out with the metropolitan crucifix, where they took from the great advocate of sinners, in front of her Sacred Image, the auspices for the great work. Behind them came all the fathers of the Society of Jesus (Compagnia di Gesu) in penance, without a mantle, with ropes around their necks and crossed over their chests and coiled many times on their hips. They were also wearing crowns of thorns on their heads. Many other companies of flagellators followed, and behind these were pairs of women of all ages and all ranks in procession, followed by the men in bulk. The whole procession of penitents was interspersed by two very long lines of gentlemen and men of the first order with white torches in hand. After arriving at the piazza, the women were enclosed in a large circle at the foot of the stage, leaving behind all of the men. The group split into two processions, one of men and one of women. They went by two diametrically opposed streets from the piazza, and they repeated themselves many times with fervent exhortations and such beautiful order and so much quietness, except that the air was resounding with the sound of heavy flagellation. There was not one person who did not feel deeply moved. They finally separated the women from the men with unbelievable ease when the sacred service was over, so that the former were out of the piazza for a long stretch of the street and under the large colonnade of the Uffizi before the latter were able to move.”

 IX. Thus said Abbot Casotti. Since we have spoken at length about the profane games of the noble youth in the piazza, allow me to recall the document by Alessandro Adimari…

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…In his Calliope in the 31st, in which he describes the ball game in the Piazza of Santa Croce as a true model of the contrast between that which all men do to advance temporal happiness, whereby in the end he is the most victorious in the world he who strikes it the most and drives it away. In a sonnet he elegantly explains,

And here for the end we will place the note of the Florentine gentlemen, who in 1739 were actors in the piazza at the soccer games. It is as follows:

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LESSON V. OF SANTA CROCE II.

 I. Whoever enters the church of Santa Croce cannot help but be astonished by the Florentine piety that has collected the treasures necessary in order to raise such a vast, rich, and stupendous temple. And it is true, there should be an engraved plaque with the sums of gold and silver generously donated by public and private citizens who have contributed to this building. It would be easy for me to record in that plaque the names of the many families who have made copious bequests to the merit of its construction, either in starting the work, bringing it forward, or finishing it to perfection. The Archives of Santa Croce list among the benefactors the Alberti, the Spinelli, the Strozzi, the Peruzzi, the Salviati, the Cerchi, the Mellini, the Morelli, the Bardi, and a hundred others. But I would be remiss to not mention two great men: Fra Giovenale degli Agli (called Fra Bartolommeo da Pisa unus ex principalioribus Fratribus ad fundandam Ecclesiam S. Crucis de Florentia/Fra Bartolommeo da Pisa, one of the most important Friars in founding the Church of the Santa Croce in Florence), and Fra Arrigo dei Cerchi, who in 1285 left 2000 gold florins for the construction of Santa Croce. It is mentioned in Cerchi’s Testament, which will be reported on later in the lesson in the chapter, “Church.” At the top in glittering gold letters I would first note the Florentine August Senate, who are given the title of Founder for their several decrees and liberal provisions that are recorded in the Reformations. These were made in favor of the church, and the senate’s treasury…

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… assigned thousands of florins, applying also the goods that were confiscated from rebels. Moreover, by penal law many citizens were obliged to satisfy the needs of the construction of Santa Croce. The Florentine Republic has not neglected the preservation of the church, as by 1441 it was ordered that the government of the church, the chapter, and the convent of Santa Croce be opened to the Consuls of Art of Calimala. Then, on August 9th, 1491, 15 citizens were appointed as leaders and procurators of Santa Croce, and for five years a tax of two soldi per lira was placed on the citizens.

 II. Apart from that, and the other copious sources of money derived for the church of Santa Croce (which in my opinion is a sum of Florins that surpasses any opinion of man), I come now to the design of the architecture, which has been said to be by Arnolfo di Lapo. The church is a cross, or indeed a tau or ‘t,’ that is 240 braccia long and 70 braccia wide. The body of the church is divided into three naves that are separated by seven pillars on each side of eight faces, which are shaped like columns that are made of beautiful stone to the eye. These leave the gaze free on each side. But as slender and graciously the shape of column appears, the manner of the rustic capitals is equally clumsy rather than plain, which likely demonstrates the stonecutters naivete in those times. On the pillars rest eight pointed arches, a rule used in the orders of the barbaric and gothic. While they appear less visible to the eye, they make the structure stronger and more gallant. One of these on each side rests higher than the others near the head of the church, opening the space to view the crosspiece of the structure. Above these arches is a gallery for greater decoration and convenience of the church that is backed by corbels of strong stone, and the tip of each arch has long and narrow windows of painted glass. These give light to the whole church. Because…

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…of the great distance between the pillars and height of the structure, Arnolfo did not judge it fit to place a vault and instead made the roof in perspective. But the most notable thing in those times, which is still held in esteem and is imitated now, is the invention made to send rainwater away from the very high roof. It goes from pillar to pillar, and the architect walled up the gutters that drain the water so that the water falling on the roofs of the two lateral naves passes easily. This defends the structure from getting soaked and is such an industrious and useful invention that it is still worthy of replication in grand structures today. On this occasion, by the grace of erudite posterity, I shall make it my business to seek out when this sovereign church was finished, or at least when it was officiated. I have not happened to find the year so far. I have, however, linked together many documents indicating a short span of years when the church was perfected. The Sacra was functional and consecrated by Cardinal Bessarione in the presence of Pope Eugene IV in 1442. It is certain that Giotto painted five chapels in the church, and the artist died in 1336. Furthermore, in the chapel of the sacristy we have Taddeo Gaddi’s paintings from 1330 for the Rinuccini family. If this is when the sacristy was built, the church must have been completed much earlier. Two funerals are also recorded in the church documents, including Gaddo Gaddi (il Baldinucci) who died in 1312, and Maestro Dino del Garbo who died on the 30th of September in 1327. There is more that makes me believe that the church was constructed quickly, as it is also thought that Arnolfo was the architect for part of the convent. Therefore, in the absence of certain authority, I believe I can establish with the aforementioned documents that in or around 1320 the marvelous church was completed. The completion was not…

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…without events or innovations, which I am pleased to note here.

 III. First I will mention the praiseworthy order of the Republic, who had removed a confusing number of banners, rapiers, surcoats, banners, plaques, flags, and other honored signs of nobility and militia, which had been used to honor the dead. These were hung over the tombs of nobles and famous captains in memory of their excellent and invincible value and knowledge. This was a custom of the Romans, of whom the first was Appius Claudius. He hung images of his progenitors in the Temple of Bellona, as is mentioned in Vincenzio Borghini’s Discourses Part 2. The Florentines imitate these customs of Rome, and Stefano Rosselli notes that the church of Santa Croce had more tombs than many other major churches in Florence, so it was not surprising that the offerings cluttered the view. The Signoria, who in 1434 wanted the objects removed, instead had them moved up into the upper gallery. We read about this in the book of Reformations marked “L”. At the end of this lesson, we will discuss the flags and decorations that are detailed in a church record from the year 1440.

 IV. I also find a serious conflict between the church workers and Benedetto da Maiano on the design of the pulpit, which is looked upon by all with awe. It is praised as a treasure of the city, and as a miracle of sculpture. It is difficult to discern if it is made of marble or ivory because of the fineness of the work, as can be seen in figure B. The first image features one of the five sides of the pulpit, and the second features more of the bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the life of St. Francis as they are found on the other four sides of the same pulpit. And speaking of it here, I could do no better than by making use of the very words…

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…Bocchi writes in the Bellezze di Firenze (Beauties of Florence) illustrated by Cinelli on page 311: “The pulpit is a marvelous work by the hand of Benedetto da Maiano. It is made of white marble from Seravezza. There is no artist who does not praise its singular beauty, and who does not admire its rare craftsmanship. This pulpit was built in Pier Mellini’s name. Mellini conceived such a noble idea for the best interest of the church and gave no thought to the expense, however great, nor any trouble that such a work would cause him. We see the beautiful architectural details of the cornices and the columns, and in the center are depicted elements of the story of St. Francis. Each story is very beautiful, and their design and neatness demonstrate the greatness of their artist, who is reputed by all to be without equal. In the first panel of the bas relief is the scene of Pope Honorius confirming the rule of St. Francis. The history is divided with singular artistry, as we see. The second relief depicts the Saint in the presence of the Sultan, where he passes through the midst of fire without harm. You see this admired Sultan in a grand meeting with the men of his court. They look at the saint of God, intent on witnessing a spectacle. The third depicts Francis receiving the Stigmata on Mount Vernia. The excellent artist expressed the rugged and lonely country with much artistry, and St. Francis with a beautiful grace and supreme devotion. The fourth depicts the death of St. Francis. A gentleman comes forward to see and confirm the Stigmata. He touches the Saint’s breast with such tenderness that he seems alive. The next panel is a beautiful edifice with beautiful ornament. In the fifth image is the history of the five friars of the order of St. Francis who were martyred in the city of Mauritania. It is known that they were prepared and humble unto death, and so full of holy affection that they despised that which is so abhorrent to the human senses. The six columns…

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…that frame the five fabled history scenes are a beautiful sight. Below, in five compartments between six corbels, you can see five seated white marble figures inside of red marble niches. The first figure is Faith, who holds in her hand the cross and a chalice with a singular attitude. In the second niche is Hope, who has clasped hands and looks longingly to Heaven. In the third is Charity with a little child in her arms. In the fourth is Fortitude with the sign of the column. In the fifth is Justice, who holds the Earth in her hand. The white figures in the red niches are so beautiful and mysterious a sight that one cannot express their appearance in words. I will leave aside the beautiful carvings and the design, which, in their reflection on the floor, show us the rare and artistic skill of what is in the air above. The intelligence of this craftsman is stupendously reputed. It is said that he had to pierce the column in order to place the staircase that ascends to the pulpit. He had to pierce it almost all the way around so that the marbles, once set in stone, would stand more upright. It is said that the workmen were against it and were adamant about not going through with Benedetto’s idea. It was very important to them that the great weight of the two arches support the column. The wall, which is large and high and reaches up to the roof, removed all doubt that when weakened by a hole in the middle and perforated in many places, it could not support an intolerable and very heavy weight. Because of this, it was not possible for the workmen to give permission for the already completed pulpit to be attached and finished. This was the case until Pier Mellini entered the project as a guarantor that no disorder or damage to the temple would occur, because the column would be fortified with devices and reinforced with strong stones. The beautiful work was then completed, and it amazed those who had feared its construction. It was done so well that those who look at the pulpit…

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…see a singular thing of such noble work that is without fail stupendous.”

 V. And because the illustrious writer here has mentioned the reasonable fear of the workers, let it be said that I recall the thickness of the column being no more than three and a third braccia in diameter. They have enlarged the opening for convenient ascent to the pulpit by a braccio and two soldi, which leaves the remainder so thin that one is forced to marvel at Benedetto’s audacity as the inventor, who deemed the evident danger of ruining the supported arches a nonissue. Yet, it has been nearly four centuries, and the column stands firm and the pulpit is beautifully preserved.

 VI. Then there was misfortune in the church, to which human knowledge and value cannot repair. This is reported by Nardi in Book V of his History, and with more minute details by Lord Domenico Maria Manni in his erudite Sigilli book XI, page 113, that reads, “I remember that on the 24th of July, 1514, a Wednesday at 8pm, a great wind came with rain and thunder that caused the bell tower of the church of Santa Croce, which was above the main chapel, to collapse. It fell onto the church and caused seven trestles to fall. It broke the choir of the friars, which was carved of walnut wood and was a beautiful aged thing made by the hand of Manno dei Cori, who made it for the Alberti.” Thus, neither the record from the author of the Sigilli, nor I, can omit the fact that such a sudden ruin aroused universal compassion in the city of Florence. The Alberti thought to repair the choir, and the workers began a new bell tower that went unfinished.

 VII. What then concerns our age is the removal of the choir from the middle of the church. Therefore, in order to not abandon the account of the feasts and events so that we do not lose the memory of them, it is necessary that we briefly narrate the time and manner of this moment. Grand Duke…

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…Cosimo I, to whose noble spirit Christian piety owes much, and who considered the greatness of the building and the necessity of swift measures to restore it to equally magnificent ornament, first ordered that the choir —which had been placed in traditional custom in the central nave between the four pillars nearest to the great altar—be removed. The old choir had been built by the Alberti family. The space is marked with marble all around it with certain chains carved into it, which are a symbol of the Alberti. Along this wall were many altars and chapels dedicated to different families on the outer side, all of which were taken down when, in the year 1566, their demolition was ordered by Cosimo. Thus, the passage from one side to the other remained free. There were also tombs that had been removed from high on the walls of the church, which were moved to the cloister, including those belonging to the Patriarch Castone, Francesco dei Pazzi, and of the Alamanni. The Duke secondly ordered from Giorgio Vasari a new and beautiful order of uniform chapels, which leaning against the wall of the two lateral naves would make a very rich ornament. The Aretine architect was observed in accommodating every element of good rule, as he adapted these works excellently to all the rest of the church and increased the temple to a notable magnificence. Each of the chapels contains in itself two large columns of pietra serena del fossato with capitals of the Corinthian order, over which rest an architrave, frieze, and cornice of the same nobly carved stone. These terminate in alternating semi-circular and angular frontispieces. The nobility of this work is accompanied by the excellence of the paintings made by the first masters of our modern centuries who have achieved fame in art. But we will give an account of these in another lesson, so we now return to the material of the…

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…church. We shall observe the sacristy, next to which we see a plaque in memory of the General Chapter held in Santa Croce in 1565, where over a thousand Friars took part. It reads as follows:

CELEBERRIMVS FRANCISCA NI INSTITVTI CONVENTVS, QVI FLORENTIAE, EO ANNO QVO FRANCISCVS MEDICES FLOR.ET ENARVM PRINCEPS IOANNAE MAXIMILIANI CAESARIS SORORI NVPSIT, HABITVS EST. VBI IPSI PATRES, INTER QVOS TEOLOGI PROPE CCCCC. FVERE, ET TOTIDEM IN GYMNASIIS AD DOCTRINAS CAPESSENDAS CONSTITVTI SVNT, MVLTA PROBITATIS ET ERVDITIONIS EXEMPLA EDIDERE, BENEFICENTIA, COSMI DVCIS, ET FRANCISCI PRINCIPIS SVFFVLTI. ANTONIVS SAPICVS AVGVSTEN. MIN. CON. PRAEFECTVS, POSTERIS TESTATVM ESSE VOLVIT MDLXV. IV. ID. IVNII SVB AVSPICIIS PII IV. PONTIF. MAX. AC S. CAROLI BORROMEI ET LVDOVICI SIMONETTAE CARDINALIVM PROTECTORVM IN HAC SANCTAE CRVCIS ECCLESIA.

The very renowned assembly of the Franciscan Order, which was held in Florence in the year when Francesco de’ Medici, Prince of Florence and Siena, married Joanna, sister of Emperor Maximilian. At that time, the friars themselves, among whom were nearly 500 theologians, and just as many others appointed in academies to pursue learning, presented many examples of virtue and scholarship, supported by the generosity of Duke Cosimo and Prince Francesco. Antonio Sapico, Prefect of the Augustinian Friars Minor Conventual, wished this to be made known for posterity. 1565, on the 10th of June, under the auspices of Pope Pius IV, and of Cardinals Saint Carlo Borromeo and Ludovico Simonetta, Protectors of the Order, in this Church of Santa Croce.

 VIII. Upon entering the sacristy, we immediately recognize the piety of the two illustrious Florentine families of the Rinuccini and Peruzzi. The latter family had a great vase made in the form of a perfect square with majestic windows, which is of such a size that it is comfortable within the church. And even until this day the Peruzzi are recognized as its owners. The vase sees much light from the chapel of the Rinuccini, who are buried there. Among the first I find in the solemn obsequies is Messer Francesco. To describe him I will make use of the same account of Borghini Par. 2, page 22, with the words of the Chronicle of Monaldi, “Wednesday, says he, on the 28th of August, 1381, at the third hour, the obsequies were made and the funeral was held and Messer Francesco Rinuccini, who died Tuesday on the 27th of August, was put to rest in Santa Croce.” It was a great honor with fifty torches, two horses and…

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…banners, a pennant, one with a crest, with swords and spurs, one horse draped in scarlet, and infantrymen with scarlet cloaks and large valances all in honor of the merchant. All of the choir of the friars also had torches, and around the altar and the chapel of the sacristy eight infantrymen dressed the coffin in draperies of golden cloth. Rinuccini was dressed in vermillion velvet, which was a great honor, and he was mourned by all people as the best Knight of Goodness. He was rich enough to hold 180,000 gold scudi.”

 IX. Upon arrival to the paintings of the chapel, I do not consider the description of the images to be an easy task, nor one that should be dealt with lightly. Suffice it to say that the altarpiece alone contains sixteen compartments with effigies of Saints depicted inside. In the center is the painting of Mary with the Child, and below in the base are various little stories. The altarpiece is Taddeo Gaddi’s work that has been retouched by the talented Agostino Veracini in a diligent and marvelous way. All the walls are painted in fresco by Gaddi himself. In the vault are the effigies of five prophets, and on the wall on the left-hand side he painted the life of the Virgin Mary. On the right-hand side is the life of the penitent Saint Mary Magdalene. Each façade is divided into five paintings. To the uppermost left we see the Temple of Solomon with a world of women and men who have been separated, each of whom are holding a lamb in their arms. At the door of the temple is Saint Joachim with a humble appearance. The painter deserves credit for remembering the apocryphal tales that discuss Joachim being expelled from the temple because he was sterile. Below is the wedding of Mary, which includes many figures, and the dream of Joseph, in which the Angel orders him to not fear the pregnancy of his wife and to also not abandon her. The panel is full of poetic whimsy. On the third level you see the birth of Mary and her presentation to the temple. In the upper right portion Taddeo claimed to depict the Conversion of Mary Magdalene. And just as the pharisee’s table is poor in guests, the guests’ clothes are equally bizarre. Below this is a depiction of Martha, who…

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…is accusing her sister to Christ, and the resurrection of Lazarus. In the last tier one sees the risen Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene, who goes to kiss his feet. Finally, we see the death of the saint, which is shared with the depiction of a ship without oars that is believed to have delivered Lazarus, Martha, and Mary Magdalene to Provence. On the ground the corpse of the saint is depicted, at whose touch a dead child is revived. All of these fresco paintings, when compared to modern ones, are of little merit. However, they are still worthy of consideration and are marvelous in their coloring and curious in their depiction of the clothes of those times. Also notable is the entire façade of the sacristy painted by Taddeo or by Giotto’s disciples, although the paintings are chipped and damaged by dust and humidity. There is a life-like depiction of Christ carrying the cross, followed by the crucifixion and his resurrection.

 X. The fathers were then displeased by a notable theft in the sacristy, which is described by Bartolommeo di Antonio Peruzzi in his little notebook of recollections in the year 1529. He writes, “I remember how the founders of the sacristy of Santa Croce, our fellow members, had left a hole or tomb in the middle of the sacristy. During the siege of Florence, the friars emptied that place and dug up the bones so that they could hide the silverware and other precious items from the church. This great treasure, however, was stolen by a spy, and no news of the thief could ever be obtained despite the diligence that was deployed to find him.” Let it not be ascribed to malicious suspicion on my part, but in considering this event I am inclined to believe that among the things stolen was the body of the blessed Chiara degli Ubaldini. Her loss is still mourned by the nuns of Monticelli, despite all of the searches for her remains. This sacred corpse was transferred…

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…to the city during the siege and was given to the fathers of Santa Croce. Then, because it was rich in jewels and gold, the corpse was buried with the treasures of the church. One can thus assume that the sacrilegious thief, together with the treasure of the fathers, also took the rich remains of the blessed saint. The only thing remaining was the marble urn, where for three centuries the nuns had kept the precious body.

 XI. I come at last to the 26 paintings painted in the cabinets of the sacristy by Giotto, who, according to Boccaccio (whose sentiment is expressed by Cinelli), had a genius of such excellence that there was nothing in nature that he did not paint with his brush so similar to it that it did not just resemble it, but rather appeared to reflect it. In these little panels he wished to paint another more praiseworthy and perfect likeness, like that which Francis of Assisi made of Jesus Christ, and therefore in the first order we see 13 ovals in which he represented the life of the Redeemer and his divine actions. Then, in the second row are 13 paintings containing the life of St. Francis of Assisi and the many deeds of the Saint that correspond to the example of Christ. Because of this, the series can be called the mirror of Jesus the Savior in Francis of Assisi. And since it seems only right, I will mention a brief but juicy note about these paintings. I will say that in the Life of Christ cycle, Giotto begins with the Visitation of Saint Elizabeth. It is followed by the Nativity of Christ, then, in third place, the Adoration of the Magi. The fourth is the Circumcision, the Dispute with the Doctors is the fifth, the sixth is the Baptism of the Lord, and in the seventh the Transfiguration. Then, finally the eighth, which is the Holy Supper with the Apostles. Later comes the last five vicissitudes of Jesus: The Crucifixion, the Resurrection, his Apparition to the Marys, Saint Thomas touching the Wound, and the Coming of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, there are thirteen small figures from the life of St. Francis, which were also designed with wonderful grace by Giotto. In the first image he depicts the young St. Francis, who undresses himself…

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…in the presence of a bishop and throws his clothes at the feet of his parents. In the second is the child Jesus, who on the night of Christmas descends into the arms of the saint. In the third is the same saint that supports the building of the Lateran. In the fourth and fifth he is depicted kneeling to the throne of the pontiff to whom he presents his rule and defends its rigor. He is painted on the feast day preaching to the sultan in the sixth. In the seventh he is carried on a chariot of fire, and in the eighth he receives the stigmata. The resurrection of a dead man is the ninth, and in the tenth is an apparition of the saint appearing to many friars. The eleventh is almost the same, in which the religious members lie stunned on the ground from fright. In the twelfth, Giotto has portrayed a devotee who is searching for the stigmata in the body of the saint on the bier. In the last image he represents one of the companions who, like another Judas, hangs himself in despair. Those are the admired figures painted by Giotto. In praising them I will only say that people offered to purchase the works with silverware, fine hangings, riches, and other compensations, but the wise fathers never consented. In the corridor of this sacristy, which is very beautiful, one can see some small tablets affixed to the walls on which the coats of arms of the families who have burial plots in the church are drawn. In another are written the names of the saints and venerable Friars of the order of Minors. It is important to note that there is an index of those pontiffs and cardinals who have granted indulgences and graces to the church of Santa Croce, and all the more bulls and bills are preserved in the archives. In order to not disappoint, I will report the summary of some of the most valuable things which, by the courtesy of the Highest Reverend Father Baccelliere Gaetano Betti, I have had the convenience and pleasure of verifying. The first is the authentic Bull of the Canonization of St. Francis, given in Perugia XV Kal. Aug. an. 2. Pontificatus Domini Papa Gregorii IX in the principle of sicut Phialae aurea (On the 15th day before the Kalends of August, in the 2nd year of the Pontificate of Lord Pope Gregory IX). Of the same Pontiff there is another Bull whose principle is Sacrosancta. This text declares that his Holiness receives…

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…his protection, and that of Saint Peter, the Church, and the Fathers of Santa Croce of Florence. This was also given in Perugia XVIII. Kal. Octobris an. 2. Pontif (on the 18th day before the Kalends of October, in the 2nd year of the pontificate). Both of these Bulls note the year 1228, which denotes the residence of the Minor Fathers within Santa Croce by that time. From Pope Nicholas IV there is a brief of indulgences for certain public holidays: datum apud Urbem Veterem Idibus Iulii an. 3. Pontif. Incipit Vité Perennis Gloria etc. (Given at Old Urbs (Orvieto) on the Ides of July, in the 3rd year of the pontificate. It begins: The Glory of Everlasting Life, etc.). Eugene IV, along with a brief that gives an indulgence for the sacred day. Datum Flor. Idibus Januarii an. Pontis. 12 (Given at Florence on the Ides of January, in the 12th year of the pontificate). The Jubilee to those who visited the three altars in this church on the last Sunday of April was granted by Pope Leo X in 1516, confirmed by Clement VII in 1526 by a Bull given in Rome apud S. Mariam Maiorem XIII. Kal. Aug. an. 3. Gregory XIII (At Rome, at Santa Maria Maggiore, on the 13th day before the Kalends of August, in the 3rd year of Gregory XIII). Granted, at the request of Count Pandolfo Bardi, was the privilege of the Gregorian Mass at the Altar of his Chapel by brief Datum Roms an. 6. Pontis by Paul V (Given at Rome in the 6th year of the pontificate of Paul V) and the Pinzochere were graced with the confirmation of the privileges given to them by his antecedents. And finally, by Urban VIII, there are three Bulls. The first was a pardon to those who visit the Chapel of St. Francis, which is his family’s, on the feast day of the Saint. This is dated to 1624 in Rome. 19th of June. an. I. Pontif (19th of June in the 1st year of the pontificate of Urban VIII). It begins, “Splendor Paterna Gloria etc. (Splendor Paternal Glory etc.),” and in the second declares that the aforementioned Jubilee is never to be understood as suspended in the Holy Year, and the third also is an indulgence of the seven altars to be inaugurated in the Basilica of S. Petri de Urbe, Rome. May 9, 1635. An. 12. Pontis. Incipit ad augendum cultum etc. (In the 12th year of the pontificate it began to increase its worship). And in the same archive we have the following graces from the cardinals: Pietro the Cardinal Legate of the Holy See in Tuscany granted Indulgences on the feasts of the Holy Cross, St. Francis and St. Anthony and their octaves were given in Bologna in 1296: cupientes ut congruis honoribus Ecclesia Fratrum Min. Flor. Frequentetur (Wishing that the Church of the Friars Minor in Florence be frequented with fitting honors). Of Cardinal Matteo Portuense, who was the Papal Legate and Bishop of Santa Ruffina, two briefs are found that grant the first indulgences and in the second confirming the reform of…

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…the habit of the Pinzocheri made by the Florentine Bishop in 1297 for the purpose of Cardinal Giovanni Diacono of San Teodosio and Legate of John XXII. We read the facultative Brief to the Fathers that they may receive one thousand gold florins in ill-acquired goods, if the owner is not known: Supplicastis nobis de aliquo sublevationis remedio etc, Datum Flor. Nonas Junii an. XI. Pontif. Domini Pope Joannis (You have supplicated us for some remedy of relief, etc. Given at Florence, on the Nones of June, in the 11th year of the pontificate of Lord Pope John).

 XII. And here we will make note of the banners, plates, and surcoats that were seen in the church, referring to them as I happened to find them in an old text of the church written on the 6th of June in the year 1440. They are as follows.

IN THE ARM OF THE SACRISTY

The Obizi family. Six banners of Lodovico, two with his coat of arms, a standard, and one from when he was on the field. An insignia of the people (Popolo), one of the Guelph party, three plates, a shield, and three surcoats for his horse. The Bufini family. Two flags and two shields with his coat of arms. The Arrighi family. Five Arrighi flags, one of their coat of arms, two of the commune (of Florence), two of the Guelph party, one of Arezzo, six plaques, and more surcoats. The Orlandi Family. Two flags of Antonio di Ser Ugo degli Orlandi and two plaques. The Uzzano Family. Two banners, two plaques, one shield, one helmet with the gilded arms of a unicorn, a horse surcoat, one flag for the people, one flag of the Guelph party, and two plates and surcoats. The Castellani family. Twelve banners, two of the party, two of the people, a surcoat with three of their arms, plates, shields, two archers, a sword, and a pair of spurs. The Baroncelli family. Four flags on the side of…

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…Piero Bandini, two surcoats, two plates, three shields, and a crest. The Peruzzi family. Eighteen banners with their arms, some with arms of others, twenty-four plates, shields and archers, and surcoats. The Magalotti family. Two flags of Giovanni Francesco with his arms and others, two plates, two surcoats, a helmet, and an archer. The Bellacci family. Seven flags, seven plates, two surcoats with their arms, one of Pistoia and one of Cortona with others.

IN THE ARM TOWARD THE NORTH.

The Gubbio family. Four flags of Messer Giovanni, and of Messer Conte da Gubbio, two of the people, one of the party, one of his own, one of others, six plates and shields, three surcoats, and an archer. He died Captain of Balia, and he is buried in the tomb of the Count of Battifolle. The Salviati family. A flag of Simone and a plaque, twelve flags of Messer Francesco, and of Messer Iacopo with his arms, of the common people, of the Guelph party, and of others, followed by twelve plaques, an archer, a sword, and a pair of spurs. The Valori family. Three flags of Bartolommeo, one of the common people, one of the party, one of his own, three plaques, and a surcoat. The Covoni family. Three flags, one of their arms, two of others, three plates, and one surcoat. The Bardi family. Seven banners of the arms of the Bardi, one of the ancestors of Bartolommeo di Gualterotto, and one of the descendants of Baroluccio, seven plates, two shields, two helmets with arms, seven banners of the arms of the Bardi of the ancestor of Ubertino dei Bardi, arms of others, seven shields, plates with an archer, and a helmet. The Ricasoli family. Three banners of Albertuccio, one of their arms, another of the common people, one of the Guelph party, a surcoat, and a shield.

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IN THE NAVE TOWARD THE NORTH.

The Sacchetti family. Five flags of Messer Thomas, two of his arms, one of the common people, two of the party, one surcoat, six plates, a helmet, an archer, a sword, and a pair of spurs. The Benvenuti family. Four banners of Niccolò di Lorenzo di Marco, two of the coat of arms of the city of Castello, another of Pistoia, and two surcoats. The Sirigatti family. Three flags, two of their arms, one of other arms, and three plates. The Orlandi family. Two flags of their arms and two plaques. The Infangati family. Three flags with their Parme and three shields. The Lupi da Parma family. An surcoat of Messer Bonifazio, who died in Padua and was buried there, one of our Captain of the Popolo, and one of our Captain of War. The Donati family. A flag of Messer Manno and two shields. The Ceffini family. A flag of Silvestro and a plaque.

MIDDLE-SIDE NAVE

The Salviati family. Six flags of Messer Forese, three of his arms, one of the common people, one of the Guelph party, one of the Oltrarno, three surcoats, six plaques, four shields, an archer, a sword, and a pair of spurs. The Asti family. Three flags of Messer Melano, five plaques, two coats of the arms of the common people, one of others, a sword, a helmet, and an archer. The Riccialbani family. Three flags with their arms, three plates, four flags, two of their arms with half a blue field and half red with a lion holding a shield, a sword, and spurs.

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The Cavicciuli family. Five flags of several arms, four shields and plates. The Serristori family. A flag, a surcoat, and a plaque. The Panzano family. Three flags of Totto di Messer Luca, one of the arms of Valdinievole, one of other arms, and two plates. The Pierozzi family. A flag of Venanzio Pierozzi da Camerino. The Machiavelli da Monte Pulciano family. Two flags, one with his arms, another of Montepulciano, and two plates. The Tedaldi family. One flag and one plaque. The Bastari family. Six flags, three of the Bastari, one of the common people, one of the party, one of the city of Castello, and six plaques. The Spinelli family. Two flags and two plaques. The Pazzi family. Six flags with his arms, six shields, and six plates. The Cavalcanti family. Eight flags on the side of Messer Giannozzo di Iacopo, five of their arms, one of the common people, one of the commune, one of the uniform of King Charles the Elder of France, twelve plates, and shields. The Boscoli family. A flag of Francesco and a plaque. The Baroncelli family. Four flags of Piero, one of his arms, one of the common people, one of the party, one of the municipality of Pisa, four plaques, and one surcoat. The Zati family. Three flags of Messer Giovanni, two of his arms, one of the common people, three shields, one sword, one archer, and one surcoat. The Altoviti family. A flag for Giovanni di Guglielmo and a plaque. The Giugni family. Three flags, two of their arms, one of the common people, three plates, and one surcoat. The Bucelli family. Five flags, four plaques, and one surcoat.

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And now returning to the church, I am pleased to note how the floor from the middle up toward the high altar is raised by a step, which is a notable feature observed in other old churches. If I must take a guess at the reason for it, or rather my suspicion, it seems that the step is traditionally used as a division of the men from the women. But I must now point out without fear of being mistaken that this, and nothing else, was the reason for the height of the floor. This is evident to me from the following document communicated to me by Giovanni Baldovinetti, a Florentine patrician, who is well known for his diligence in assembling the oldest and most select memories of his country: 1386. D. Franciscus Bruni fecit test. sepeliatur in tumulo suorum in Ecclesia S. Crucis Fratrum Minorum de Florentia iuxta portam, qua est propinqua Choro, et dividit locum hominum a loco Mulierum. Rog Ser Albizzo di Messer Filippo d’Albizzo Not. Fior. (1386. Master Franciscus Bruni made his will. He is to be buried in the tomb of his family in the Church of Santa Croce of the Friars Minor of Florence, near the gate which is close to the choir, and he divides the place for men from the place for women. He requests Ser Albizzo, son of Messer Filippo d’Albizzo, Florentine notary). And to support this opinion I will again quote what the illustrious Doctor Giovanni Targioni wrote in the third volume of his erudite Travels. On page 435 he describes the floor of the collegiate church of Barga: “One of these floors is lower, stretching three-fifths of the church, and is the place where historically women had to stay.” Shortly after he writes, “On the subject of the mentioned separation of men and women, which is consistent with the historic discipline of the church, I read with pleasure the Statutes of Barga that were reformed in the year 1414, rubric 36, which is of the following tenor: That no woman may, nor should be in the church of San Cristofano when the Mass is given beyond the gate, and whoever does it will be punished with a fine of five soldi each time.”

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LESSON VI. OF SANTA CROCE III.

 I. Among the many elements of the church of Santa Croce that are agreed upon by the scholarly writers is that it contains in itself more tombs than the many other major Churches of Florence. I am pleased to seek some of them out here, believing that this will not be attributed to myself alone, but to the importunate curiosity that moves me to do so. I do this in order to endeavor to shine light on the sacred history and the glory of the church itself. Here we will recognize the ashes of the holy, sacred, profane, and erudite.

 II. And to start from the beginning it is not unseemly, in my opinion, that having to speak of the ashes of the saints, I say something about the chapel where they are preserved, which is aptly titled the Chapel of Relics. This was first owned by the Bellacci, then by the Calderini, and today by the Marquises Riccardi. It was already painted in fresco by Taddeo Gaddi, but it has turned somewhat white because of chipping. With the design by Gherardo Silvani, it was renovated in a noble and beautiful form. It is encrusted with Carrara marble and is notable for its stunning order and a rich ornamentation of paintings. The altarpiece, which on either side has two fluted columns of the same marble, represents Saint Helena in the act of adoring the cross. The altarpiece is the work of Giovanni Biliverti. On the side walls are two central paintings framed by four equally fluted pilasters on each side. One is a painting of Saint Lawrence dispensing the treasures of the church to the poor, which is by Cavalier Domenico Passignani. In the other is St. Francis praying by Matteo…

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…Roselli. Above the cornice, which runs along the pillars, there are frescoed stories of the life of the Holy Apostle Andrew, which were painted by the hand of Giovanni da San Giovanni and remain in place. The vault displays five small stories enriched with arabesques and grotesques illuminated with gold. It shows such grace and displays the strength of its coloring as a proper work painted in oil. It does not seem possible to believe that one could see anything better in that genre. Under the altar of this noble chapel is a small room capable of holding several standing men. In it is a precious treasure of relics, which would make a much more beautiful appearance if the cases were not made of ordinary wood and constructed with no taste. I must, however, exempt the reliquary of the Manina (small hand) of St. Innocent, as it is admirable in its design and done in the Gothic style. The material is true copper with the likeness of a spire and many hieroglyphics and bronze statuettes that make it exceptionally graceful. Nor do I think that I am deceived if I judge it to be a gift of the Republic, since he who looks at the foot sees the arms of the Guelph party, and in the four corners there are lions, which are the insignia of the Florentines. A castle then rises out of it and is supported by a pedestal. The structure seems to resemble the city of Bethlehem. In the center of the rising edifice is a monstrance with four faces and a sacred hand displayed in a circle the text, “Qui pro Christo occifus eft (Who died for Christ)” with a corresponding mark on the top denoting the innovation, or rather the gilding that was redone to the whole reliquary with these words around it, “Restauraur & innovatur 1637 (Restored and renewed in 1637).” Finally, from there expands an interweaving of arabesques and figurines, and the thinnest part of the spire ends in a small silver hand.

 III. As we continue with the story of the collection of holy remains, we shall look at three wooden busts, two of which are gilded, and the third which represents St. Christopher, which is clothed in a very thin sheet of wrought silver. In this reliquary is a notable bone of the saint, just as the first of the two gilt busts encloses a bone of St. Anne. In the other gilt bust is a skull of…

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…a companion of St. Ursula the Virgin Martyr. Similarly, there are two relics of Saints Abdon and Sennen that are placed in two wooden arms. In another arm is a relic of the Blessed Gherardo da Villamagna, who was Pinzochero of the Third Order and a Knight of Rhodes. One reliquary, which was the gift of Cosimo Pater Patria, contains the bones of Cosmas and Damian. This reliquary has a coin on it, which is said to have been given to Cosimo from the Greek Patriarch who came to the Council of Florence. The coin is said to be one of the 30 denarii of Judas the traitor, but we may suspend judgement on the subject as the coin is neither Jewish nor Roman. In a silver reliquary of St. Francis one can see a piece of the Saint’s habit, which was pierced while he was receiving the Stigmata. This relic, for increased reverence, was placed in the church in 1337, and was donated by the House of Tedaldi. Andrea of this family received it from Count Otto da Montauto. This can be seen depicted in the History of the Cloister of the Zoccolanti Fathers of Anghiari. Of St. Anthony of Padua there is conserved a cord and a bone, and of the High Priest Aron, says Giamboni, a fragment of his staff. After these it is worthwhile for me to mention two notable relics of Jesus Christ, which deserve the first place in the luminous list of these sacred memorials. These are a notable piece of the cross and a thorn from his crown. The former is always kept in the chapel of the Spinelli family, high up on the wall behind the altar and preserved in a rich container. The latter is kept in a crystal cross one braccio high, and twice a year it is exposed on the high altar adjacent to where a golden urn is continually seen. In this urn rests the bones of the Blessed Umiliana, who was the splendor of the noble Cerchi family and of the church of Santa Croce. But since there were many solemn translations (transfers) of that sacred body due to the events of the past centuries, it would not be unkind to relay the story as it is told by the illustrious Doctor Brocchi, which follows, “As the devotion of the Florentine people…

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…toward the Blessed Umiliana grew ever more, due to the continuous graces and miracles that the Lord deigned to grant to those who truly recommended themselves to her powerful intercession. It was decided, with the consent of the aforementioned Bishop Ardingo of the noble Foraboschi family, to make a solemn translation of her body, as it did on the 7th of August of the same year, 1346, having been placed under the pulpit of the old church from which her public worship began, which from then on, continued to spread throughout various parts of Tuscany. Thereafter, it was determined by the Florentine Republic to build the great church of Santa Croce in the manner which is now seen, since the Old Church was meant to be demolished. The Holy Body was therefore raised, and afterwards placed under the altar of the Cappella dei Cerchi, as it was called by Friar Arrigo, on the 4th day of November 1314 MCCCXIV from whence also, after a formidable deluge of waters in the year 1333 MCCCXXXIII in almost all Florence (of which the deluge is recorded on the Ponte Vecchio in two great stone placards), her relics were transferred again. Giovanni Villani recounts in Book 1, Chapter 1, that they were first moved to the sacristy and then to the great church, and there were placed on an altar then dedicated to Umiliana. All except for the head, which was placed in the year about 1360 MCCCLX in a silver bust, in which to the present day it is preserved. There are engraved on it gothic, or shall we say Lombard, characters of the following words: Sancta Humìliana de Circulis. Hoc fecit fieri Iohannes Riccardi de Circulis (Saint Humiliana of Circulis. This was made by Giovanni Riccardi of Circulis). The holy bones rested there until the year 1565 MDLXV when, on the occasion of creating the uniform chapels into the manner in which they are currently presented, the aforementioned altar was demolished, so the relics were placed in some gilded wooden boxes and placed among the other relics of the saints. They were then exposed in the church to the public on the day of her feast. Obtained later was the decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites over the immemorial cult…

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…of the blessed Umiliana, which was approved by the Holiness of Our Lord Pope Innocent XII on July 24th, 1694 MDCXCIV, and the same relics were placed in the following year by Senator and the Cavaliere Alessandro dei Cerchi on the high altar of the aforementioned church of Santa Croce. They are still venerated there to this day, having been placed in a new and very beautiful container that was made in modern times by the Senator and Cavaliere Cerchio dei Cerchi.

 IV. This is as much as I can think say about the relics of our church, although it does not seem fitting to pass over in silence those remains that belong to the blessed fathers of the Friars Minor who have passed away in Florence. There is found, therefore, under the high altar a large room that is an old Sepulcher of the fathers. It is certain that under three tombstones are buried those first holy disciples, known as the sons of St. Francis. Here rests the blessed Accursio, a lay nurse of Santa Croce, who died on January 2, 1270, buried in the old church and later transferred here; the Blessed Borromeo Borromei, distinguished in the gift of prophecy, died on July 14, 1290. Also found transferred here from the Convent of St. Gallen is the Blessed Giuseppe Alberti, a Florentine nobleman who died on September 12, 1215. From the same noble family rests the Blessed Michele, disciple of St. Francis and confessor of the blessed Umiliana, who died on the 17th of March, 1246. Of several other blessed members of the order I am compelled to remain silent, as their memories have been lost. This is a misfortune attributed to the transfer of the deposed as they were moved from one place to another, from the old church to the new, and to the fires and floods that have stripped the archives of records. However, the memory of Fra Giuliano Varrocchi, the distinguished philosopher, theologian, and pious religious man, is not lost. His marble memorial can be seen in the middle of the church with the epitaph below:

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FR. IVLIANVS VARROCCHIVS THEOLOGVS HIC SITVS EST FR. ANTONIVS DE MEDICIS

EIVSDEM ORDINIS THEOL. ET PROVINCIALIS MAGISTER;

NE IACERET INCVLTVS QVI AETATIS SVAE FVERAT DECORI HOC MONVMENTVM P.

VIXIT AN. XLII. OBIIT AN MCCCCXLII.

Brother Giuliano Varrocchi, Theologian, lies here. Brother Antonio de’ Medici, of the same order, theologian and provincial master, lest he lie unhonored, he who was a glory of his age, placed this monument. He lived 42 years and died in the year 1442.

Nor should I pass over in silence the names of some of those many friars who, having flourished in sanctity and miracles in Florence, had holy ends to their virtuous lives. These are Saints Bernardo, Pietro delle Torri da San Gimignano, Accursio, Adiuto, and Ottone who were all five Tuscans and Protomartyrs of the Order of St. Francis. Then there is the blessed Giovanni Parenti, third general of the minors, and the first Florentine to embrace the Franciscan Institute. Following are the blessed Monaldo, companion of the Holy Father, whose body is venerated in Arles, France, the blessed Giovanni Bonelli, another disciple of St. Francis, the blessed Iacopo Ciufiagni, Bishop, and the Blessed Francesco dei Malefici. apostle in Corsica, the Blessed Francesco Franceschi, who died in Perugia, the Blessed Francesco Gori, famous Preacher, the Blessed Bernardo Scarlatti, the blessed Bartolommeo Pucci distinguished for miracles (who died in Montepulciano), and the Blessed Aldobrandino Ammannati, who was a Martyr in Persia in 1284. Whoever desires more should read Arturo, Mariano, and Terrinca.

 V. We come to consider the remains of the cardinals, patriarchs, and bishops who are buried under the floor of the church either in marble tombs or in majestic vaults. These are the remains which I consider sacred. First there are the two cardinals Agnolo Niccolini and Alberto degli Alberti. The first will be discussed when we observe the magnificent chapel of this family. The second is mentioned in the epitaph in the middle of the church at the foot of the high altar with the following words:

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D. O. M.

ALBERTO ALBERTHIO EP. CAMERTINO AB EVGENIO IV. P. MAX.

IN CONCILIO FLOR.

EX LECTISSIMIS CHRIST. REIPVBLICAE VlRIS IN COLLEGIVM CARD. COOPTATO SACRI FOEDERIS SVB W LADISLAO POL. ET VNG. REGE LATINÀE CLASSI PRAEFECTO ROMANAE DIGNITATIS STVDIOSISSIMO PROPVGNATORI ALBERTHII GENTILI SVO OPT. MERITO MONVMENTVM RESTAVRARVNT. AN. MDLXXIII.

OBIIT III. ID AVGVSTI MCCCCXLV.

To God, the Best and Greatest. This monument was restored in 1573 by Alberti Gentili, in honor of Alberto Alberti, Bishop of Camerino, appointed by Pope Eugene IV at the Council of Florence. He was one of the most distinguished legal scholars of the Christian Republic, elevated to the College of Cardinals, and served as Prefect of the Latin Rite under the sacred alliance of King Ladislaus of Poland and Hungary. A devoted defender of Roman dignity, he died on August 11, 1445.

I must note, however, that part of his body was taken to Camerino where he held the title of the Bishopric. And Ciacconio writes that another portion of the body of this illustrious cardinal is in St. John Lateran in Rome with the following epitaph:

HOC IN TVMVLO SEPVLTA EST PARS CORPORIS REV. IN CHRISTO PATRIS ET DOM. ALBERTI DE ALBERTIS DE CIVITATE FLORENTIAE S. R. E. TIT. S. EVSTACHII DIAC. CARDINALIS QVI OBIIT IN ABBATIA CRYPTAE FERRATAE TEMPORE DOMINI EVGENII PAPAE IV.

AN. DOM. MCCCCXLV. DIE VERO III. IDVS M. AVGVSTI CVIVS ANIMA REQVIESCAT IN PACE AMEN.

In this tomb is buried part of the body of the Reverend Father in Christ and Lord Alberto Alberti of the city of Florence, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, with the title of Saint Eustachius the Deacon, who died at the Abbey of Crypta Ferrata in the time of Pope Eugene IV. In the year of Our Lord 1445, on the 3rd day before the Ides of August. May his soul rest in peace. Amen.

Adjacent to the side door and outside the church to the south is a tomb raised from the ground with a statue in bishop’s robes, which is nobly carved with small figures. Within it rests the body of the Castone of the patriarchal tower of Aquileia. And since no inscription is found at the tomb, I will mention the merits of this illustrious prelate who is praised by the Florentine people. He was the son of Corrado, Lord of Milan, whose family was so powerful that it emulated the viscounts of that principality.

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He was elected Archbishop of Milan by Clement V in 1308 to the universal joy of the citizens, but this event was clouded by the misfortunes of his relatives. to the point of seeing the priest locked up in prison and then sent into exile with the rest of the Torriani. In 1311, in the Ambrosian Basilica, our archbishop gave the imperial crown to Henry VII and to Margherita the wife of the emperor. I do not know if it was praise of Castone that he had been, as Ughelli writes, Princeps Guelforum (Prince of the Guelphs). Certainly, for him such a commitment was a great merit among the Florentines, and indeed it was with the Pope John XXII, who, knowing the impossibility of returning him to the Milanese church, promoted him to the patriarchate of Aquileia in the year 1316. Invested with such a notable Ecclesiastical dignity, he did not delay in leaving the court of the pope, which at that time was in Avignon. Having already returned to Italy, the new patriarch approached Florence when there he met death, to the great sorrow of the good citizens. He fell from his horse and broke his leg, and so occupied by excessive spasm he died in the year 1317 on the 18th of August. It pleases me to note here, for the sake of erudition, the arms and figures sculpted on his tomb. In front of the tomb, the coat of arms of the Torriani are seen, and there are two crossed sticks with lilies. On the corbels of the tomb appear the coat of arms of the Barucci family, placed there for no other purpose than because Castone died in their home. When constructing this site, they decided to place their own symbol. For this reason, Leopoldo del Migliore mentions them in Firenze Illustrata on page 427: “The honored Barucci by Castone dei Torriani from Milan Patriarch of Aquileia, who died in their house.” And among the figures with which the stone urn is adorned, we also observe the recumbent patriarch in relief, and all around there are five low reliefs representing in the middle the resurrection of Christ, and on the sides the apparitions of the Lord to Mary, the Magdalene, the disciples of Emmaus, and the three Marys. An eagle on the highest point of the sepulcher is believed by…

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…some to be the true arms of the Torriani, and by others the insignia of the Guelph party, of which he was the leader.

 VI. In the middle of the church between the two side doors is a marble slab on which there is a portrait dressed in the Episcopal habit. The portrait is of the English Bishop of Ossonense, John Catrich, who is buried there. Brought to fame by his merit, and by his prudent handling of political affairs for King Henry IV of England, Catrich was sent as ambassador to negotiate very important affairs with Pope Martin V in Florence. The inscription reads as follows,

HIC IACET DOMINVS IOANNES CATRICH EPISCOPVS QVONDAM OXONIENSIS,

ET AMBASCIATOR SERENISSIMI REGIS ANGLIAE QVI OBIIT XXVIII. DIE DECEMBRIS, AN. MCCCCXIX. CVIVS ANIMAE PROPITIET DEVS.

Here lies Lord John Catrich, former Bishop of Oxford, and ambassador of the Most Serene King of England, who died on the 28th day of December, 1419. May God have mercy on his soul.

On the right-hand side going toward the cloister door at the old altar dedicated to the Nunziata of the Cavalcanti family, one can observe a memorial stone of Benedetto Cavalcanti, Friar Minor, and Bishop Ripolano with written text: Sepulchrum Reverendissimi D & D Fratris Benedicti de Cavalcantibus, Sacra Theologia Magistri Ord. Min. Dei Gratia Episcopi Ripolani, & Ridulphi, & Guidonis Fratrum eius, & descend. an. 1351 renovatum to Francisco Matthai de Cavalcantibus an. 1570 (The tomb of the Most Reverend Lord and Brother Benedetto de Cavalcanti, Master of Sacred Theology, of the Order of Minors, by the grace of God Bishop of Ripoli, and of his brothers Ridolfo and Guido, and their descendants. Originally from the year 1351; restored by Francesco Matteo de Cavalcanti in the year 1570). It must be said that this tombstone, due to the inadvertence of the person who had it restored, is mistaken in its inclusion of the year 1351. Benedetto was ordained Bishop in 1371 and died around 1374. There can be no doubt about the year of his ordination, since it is documented in the archives of the bishopric of Fiesole. In this text we read, Florentia ex dispensatione Apostolica Benedictus de Cavalcantibus Ord. Fratrum Min. Munus consecrationis in Ep. Ripol. accepit ab Andrea ( Sant’Andrea Corsini) Episcopo Fesulano an. 1371 die 6. Aprilis, assistentibus Lucio Casenatensi, & Paulo Calcedonensi Episcopis (In Florence, by Apostolic dispensation, Benedetto Cavalcanti of the Order of Friars Minor received the consecration to the office of Bishop of Ripoli from Andrea - Saint Andrea Corsini, Bishop of Fiesole, on the 6th of April in the year 1371, with Lucio of Cesena and Paolo of Chalcedon serving as assisting bishops). And among such illustrious…

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…prelates, a place was deservedly given to Fra Francesco Sansoni da Brescia, who was the General of the Minors. His effigy is in half-relief in bronze at the foot of the high altar and carries the following epitaph:

SEP. FRANCISCI SANSONIS BRIXIENSIS. QVI PROBITATE VITAE AC RELIGIONE DOCTRlNAE GHRISTIANAE. MERVIT IN ORDINE GENERALATVS HONOREM. FLORENTIAE VITA FVNCTVS EST, TRANSACTIS IN EO HONORE XXV. AN. SEPVLTVSQVE OMNIVM SVI ORDINIS FRATRVM DESIDERIO, ET CIVIVM INGENTI, QVI EIVS MEMORIAE MONVMENTVM HOC P. P. VIXIT AN. LXXXV. OBIIT DIE. XXVII.

OCTOB. A. S. MDLXXXXIX.

The tomb of Francesco Sansoni da Brescia, who, for the integrity of his life and the truth of his Christian teaching, deserved the honor of the Generalate in his Order. He died in Florence, having served in that high office for 25 years. He was buried with the sorrow of all the brothers of his Order and the deep grief of the citizens, who placed this monument to his memory. He lived 85 years and died on the 27th of October, in the year of salvation 1599.

 VII. We now pass from the sacred memorials to the profane ones. These memorials demonstrate the reverence and esteem of the Florentine people for this temple, and we offer thanks to the republic and the private individuals who celebrated their most solemn funerals here. Now for the most deserving citizens there are both marble markers and tombs. Santa Croce abounds in these as much as any other church. Therefore, saying nothing of the most ancient sepulchers which are without name (like the three in the Bardi chapels that are rich in figures and bas-reliefs), I will first note those that are in the Barberini chapel. Under the altar is a tombstone of the famous Francesco da Barberino. He was a poet, canonist, and orator. The verses that appear on it are compositions of the celebrated Giovanni Boccaccio, who is admired and held in high esteem by scholars. It reads,

Inclita plange tuos lacrimis Florentia Cives, Et Patribus tantis fundas orbata dolorem, Dum redeunt Domini Francisci funera mente De Barberino, & Nati: Nam Judicis omne Gesaerat officium, sua corda cavendo reatu,

Weep, noble Florence, for your citizens with tears, and, bereft of such great fathers, pour out your sorrow, as the memory returns of the funeral of Signor Francesco of Barberino, and of his son. For he had fulfilled every duty of a judge, guarding his heart from guilt.

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Sed satis excedit Natum; quid doctus utroque Jure fuit genitor, sed solo filius uno, Scilicet in causis qua sunt civilibus ortae. Hoc sunt sub lapide positi, quibus ultima clausit Perfida mors oculos, paucis dilata diebus Strage sub aquali, quae totum terruit orbem In bis senario quater aucto mille trecentis.

Yet the son outlived the father only briefly. What need is there to say more? The father was learned in both laws, the son in only one, namely, in the cases that arise from civil matters. Here beneath this stone lie those whose eyes treacherous death closed, after only a few days’ delay, in a watery ruin that terrified the whole world, in the year thirteen hundred and ninety-two.

Next to this chapel is the bas relief figure of Milano d’Asti depicted with these letters:

Sollicitus, fidusque tuis Florentia guerris Armiger Astentis jacet hac Milanus in Urna Angusti cui nona dies fuit ultima Vita Sex noviesque decem tercentum mille sub annis

Anxious and faithful in your wars, O Florence, the knight Milano d’Asti lies in this tomb. The ninth day brought an end to his brief life, in the year one thousand three hundred and seventy-four.

For several years he had been Marshal of the Florentines, as the Ammirato Book 14 page 571 states. He was born of Arrigo dei Rastrelli into an illustrious family of the city of Asti in Monferrato. Then comes the tomb of Giovan Francesco Magalotti, one of the Eight of Balia, which was sponsored by the Republic during war against Gregory XI. In Florence, the eight were called the Eight Saints. However, when the Pope heard of this, he gave them the name of the Eight Devils. He died in 1377, and he was given the most extraordinary honors at the expense of the Republic. They insisted that “Libertas” be written onto his coat of arms in silver letters. There is the following epitaph on his tombstone,

HIC IACET PRVDENS ET VENERABILIS VIR IOANNES FRANCISCI DE MAGALOTTIS,

QVT DVM ESSET DE OCTO BALIAE PRO DEFENSIONE PATRIAE IVSTE PVGNAVIT.

OBIIT ANNO MCCCLXXVII. MENSE IVLII CVIVS ANIMA REQVIESCAT IN PACE.

Here lies a wise and venerable man, Giovanni, son of Francesco de’ Magalotti, who, while serving among the Eight of War, fought justly for the defense of the homeland. He died in the year 1377, in the month of July. May his soul rest in peace.

On the same side, which is also in the arm of the church’s crosspiece, you can see…

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…the effigy of Biordo degli Ubertini of Arezzo that is carved in stone. He was General of the Florentines in the war. After fighting valiantly against the Pisans, he acquired the fame of a brave Captain. Thus, the Republic held a most honorable funeral for his body after his death in 1358 (Ammirato says 1359). His tomb carries the following inscription:

HIC IACET CORPVS GENEROSI, ET EGREGII MILITIS DOMINI BIORDI DE VBERTINIS, OBIIT AVTEM ANNO MCCCLVIII. DIE VERO TI. MENSIS AVGVSTI, CVIVS ANIMA PER MISERICORDIAM DEI REQVIESCAT IN PACE. VBERTINVS DE VBER TINIS CHITIGNANI, PONDIQVI COMES INSTAVRARI CVRAVIT AN. DOM. MDLXX.

Here lies the body of the noble and outstanding knight, Lord Biordo degli Ubertini, who died in the year 1358, on the third day of the month of August. May his soul, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Ubertino degli Ubertini of Chitignano, Count of Ponti, had this restored in the year of our Lord 1570.

And in memory of the same Biordo there are the following verses,

Insignis bello Miles, fideique vetustae, Qui clarum specimen, morum decus, Inclita Proles Ex Ubertinis, Biordus, qui cultor honesti Quique Comes Palatinus erat, sub tegmine tectus, Hic jacet, & meriti fama celebrantur honores.

A distinguished soldier in war and ancient faith, Biordo, illustrious scion of the noble Ubertini, a bright example and honor of good manners, and Palatine Count, lies here sheltered under this roof, whose merits and fame celebrate his honors.

From this same family a man named Gualtieri is also buried. He was a brave young man who, as ordered in the general edict made against the Ubertini family, was beheaded in Florence. The Ammirato book 10 page 398 reports that when he was carried to the grave, despite having been split into two pieces, he began to struggle and wobble for a long stretch of the church. It is said he gave so many strong jolts to the coffin that those carrying it were in danger of falling. But let us take a look at another tomb near the Serristori Chapel in which Lodovico degli Obizzi from Lucca is buried under a marble slab. His effigy in military dress is sculpted in low relief. He was one of the famous Captains of the Florentines who, after a long…

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…faithful service, was sent to the aid of Count Alberigo in Zagonara, where the Florentines remained overcome by the troops of the Duke of Milan. Lodovico, fighting bravely, died there in 1424. Above the tomb on the wall we read,

NOBILISSIMO AC FORTISSIMO VIRO LODOVICO DE OPIZIS CLARISSIMI EQVITIS LVCANI FILIO, QVI AB ADOLESCENTIA SVA SENECTVTEM VSQVE EQVESTRI MILITIA VERSATVS, DIV FIDELISSIME, ET HONO- RIFICENTISSIME IN HAC CIVITATE MERVIT, ET TANDEM APVD ZAGONARAM GALLIAE OPPIDVM IN ILLA INFELICISSIMA PVGNA NE VENIRET IN HOSTIVM POTESTATEM VIRILITER OCCVBVIT. AETATIS SVAE LIV.

To the most noble and brave man, Lodovico degli Obizzi, son of the illustrious Lucchese knight, who from his youth until old age served faithfully and honorably in equestrian military service. He merited divine faithfulness and the highest honors in this city, and finally, at Zagonara, a town in France, in that most unfortunate battle, he valiantly fell, but did not fall into the power of the enemy. He was 55 years old.

There are also many tombstones that indicate the remains of men who were notable in the government of the Republic, such as the one placed on the floor of the central nave with an effigy of low relief for Bartolommeo Valori. This epitaph reads,

GRAVISSIMO AC PRVDENTISSIMO CIVI PER OMNEM VITAM IN REIPVBLICAE NEGOTIIS LAVDABILITER VERSATO, SVMMISQVE HONORIS GRADIBVS FVNCTO, BARTHOLOMEO NICOLAI TALDI DE VALORIS. OBIIT DIE XI. SEPTEMBRIS MCCCCXXVII.

To the most serious and prudent citizen, Bartolommeo Nicolai Taldi of Valori, who throughout his life conducted himself laudably in the affairs of the Republic, and who held the highest ranks of honor. He died on the 11th day of September, 1427.

And of other good citizens are the following tombstones with inscriptions:

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A VIVIANO FRANCHI.

VIVIANI FRANCHI CINERES, ATQVE OSSA SEPVLCRVM HOC CLAVDIT, COELI COLIT ALTA SPIRITVS ARCE. HIC SEPTEM ET TRIGINTA ANNOS POPVLARIA IVSSA PRAESCRIPSIT, CVSTOSQVE HABVIT FIDVSQVE VIGILQVE OBIIT, IDQVE AGITANS; URBS FVNERA CLARA PEREGIT

The ashes and bones of Viviano Franchi rest in this tomb, his spirit dwells in the high fortress of heaven. Here he ruled by popular mandate for thirty-seven years, and faithfully and vigilantly kept watch. He died, carrying out his duties; the city held a famous funeral for him.

A BOCCACCINO ALAMANNI.

BOCCACCINO ALAMANNI VIRO CLARO, AC BENE DE REP. MERITO. FRANCISCI SFORTIAE MEDIOL. DVCIS CONSILIARIO, PIIENTISSIMI FILII OPTIMO PARENTI, AC. SIBI, FACIENDVM CVRARVNT, VIXIT AN. LXIII.

To Boccaccino Alamanni, a renowned man and well-deserving servant of the Republic, counselor to Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, the best and most devout parent to his pious son, this monument was erected by his son for him and for himself. He lived 63 years.

A FRANCESCO BARTOLINI BALDELLI.

FRANCISCO BARTOLINIO BALDELLO NOB. FLOR. GENERALI TABELLARIORVM MAGISTRO, ET FERDINANDI PRIMI M. DVCIS A SECRETIS IN PRIMIS CARISSIMO, POSTERI EIVS HOC MONVM. INSTAVRARVNT A.N. MDCXLVI.

To Francesco Bartolini Baldelli, noble Florentine, General Master of the Couriers, and most beloved of Ferdinand I, Duke of Mantua, his descendants restored this monument to him in the year of our Lord 1646.

And before speaking of the last remains, it is fitting to note here what I find in the sepulcher of Santa Croce at number 137, “Burial of Messer Guido Fortebracci da Montone.” I have searched and searched for it, and I have only happened to find a marble slab with the year 1368. However, in the aforementioned sepulcher the following text was recently added: “Burial of Count Carlo” and the “sister of Fortebracci da Montone.” There is also a coat of arms, which includes a ram head. In the archives at number 18, however, there is the will of Lucrezia, who was the daughter of the famous Fortebracci. It reads as follows, Domina

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Lucretia fil. olim Magnifici & Generosi Mìlitis Domini Bracci de Montone pop. Sancta Felicitatis Flor. Uxor primo q. Nicolai Pieri Aloisii de Guicciardinis, & postea Ux. olim Bastiani Uguccionis de Capponibus fecit testamentum &c. left to Bartolo olim Bartoli de Gianfigliazzi son of Donna Lodovica his sister. Ego Petrus fil. olim Ser loannis Ser Anselmi de S. Miniate Flor. 15. Novembris 1486.

Lady Lucrezia, daughter of the once magnificent and noble knight Lord Fortebracci da Montone, citizen of Santa Felicita, Florence, wife first of the late Niccolò Pieri Aloisio de’ Guicciardini, and afterward wife of the late Bastiano Uguccioni de’ Capponi, made her will, etc., bequeathing [her estate] to Bartolo, formerly Bartolo de’ Gianfigliazzi, son of Donna Lodovica, his sister. I, Pietro, son of the late Ser Giovanni, son of Ser Anselmo of San Miniato, Florence, witnessed this on November 15, 1486.

TO FORESE SALVIATI WITH BAS RELIEF AND ARMS

Hac de Salviatis in marmoreo monumento Militis Egregii Domini sunt Ossa Foresis, Qui patria fervens fuit, & sincerus Amator Christe tibi requiem, lucemque perenne precatur.

In this marble monument of the Salviati family lie the bones of the distinguished knight Lord Foresi, who was a fervent patriot and sincere lover of Christ. May he rest in peace and be granted eternal light.

 VIII. Lastly, in the erudite remains we come to those of Galileo Galilei, the famous Mathematician and Astronomer. These were kept for a long time in a secluded place in the Novitiate Chapel until a tomb commensurate with his great merit could be made for him in the church. Today, therefore, they have been transferred to the nave in the north near the Verrazzani chapel, where they are placed in a very beautiful marble repository on the wall. The design is by engineer Giulio Foggini, and the bust is by Giovanni Batista Foggini. The two statues on the sides and the urn demonstrate the expertise of two excellent masters of our time. The statue representing Astronomy is by Vincenzio Foggini, and the figure of Geometry is by Girolamo Ticciati. Both statues are made of bianco marble in various colors that together make a beautiful sight. They are accompanied by the following inscription,

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GALILAEVS GALILAEIVS PATRICIVS FLOR. GEOMETRIAE, ASTRONOMIAE, PHILOSOPHIAE MAXIMVS RESTITVTOR NVLLI AETATIS SVAE COMPARANDVS HIC BENE QVIESCAT VIXIT AN. LXXVIII, OBIIT AN. cic. ic. c.xxxxii.

CVRANTIBVS AETERNVM PATRIAE DECVS X VIRIS PATRICIIS HVIVS AEDIS PRAEFECTIS MONIMENTVM A VINCENTIO VIVIANIO MAGISTRI CINERI SIBIQVE SIMVL TESTAMENTO F. I.

HERES IO: BAPT, CLEMENS NELLIVS 10. BAPT. SENAT. FIL, LVBENTISSIME ABSOLVIT

AN. CIC, IC. CC. XXXVII.

Galileo Galilei, Florentine patrician, the greatest restorer of geometry, astronomy, and philosophy, unequaled by anyone of his age, may he rest well here. He lived 78 years, and died in the year 1642. Under the care of the ten patrician men, prefects of this church, this monument was made by Vincenzo Viviani, master of his ashes, and by his will together for himself. His heir, Giovanni Battista Clemens Nelli, son of Giovanni Battista, senator, most willingly fulfilled this. In the year 1637.

If this epitaph is worthy, I would like to report here another in praise of the aforementioned Galileo. This one is written by Signor Giovanni Lami, and it is printed in his very learned dissertation De recta Patrum Nicanorum fide. He writes the following,

Hic etiam audacì penetrans coelestia Templa Intuitu, patefecit iter Stellantis Olympi Visibus humanis, fragilis ope molle metalli. Hic etiam ignotos deprendit in athere mundos, Atque novis princeps stellis nova nomina fecit, Et rerum explicuit toto miracula Coelo. Quid quod & igniferi radiantem lampada solis Infectis turpem maculis ferruginis atrae Vidit, & aternum stupuerunt saecula monstrum.

Here too, boldly penetrating the heavenly temples, he revealed the path to the shining Olympus to human eyes, fragile by the aid of soft metal. Here too, he discovered unknown worlds in the ether, and as prince of new stars, gave new names, and unfolded the wonders of the universe throughout the whole sky. Moreover, he saw the fiery lamp of the sun, blemished with foul spots of dark rust, and the ages were astonished at this eternal marvel.

Then, adjacent to this it is useful for me to note another marble tomb with the portrait and statue of Alessandro Galilei, a very famous engineer in Rome and Florence. This is a very diligent work and design of the aforementioned Ticciati. There is also an epitaph that reads,

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D. O, M.

ALEXANDRO GALILEI PATRICIO FLOR. MATHEMATICO ET ARCHIT. CLARISS. QVI SEPTEM ANNIS APVD BRITANNOS SVMMA CVM LAVDE VERSATVS A COSMO III. ET IO. GASTONE I. MAGNIS ETR. DVCIBVS IN PATRIA REGIIS MVNIMENTIS PRAEPOSITUS. A CLEMENTE XII. P. M. ROMAM EVOCATVS FACIEM TEMPLI FLOR. NATIONIS SACELLVM CORSINIAE GENTIS IN LATER. BASILICA AVGVSTAMQVE BASILICAE FRONTEM CVM PORTICV EXCITAVIT QVIBVS VIX ABSOLVTIS MORTE PRAEREPTVS MAGNVM SVI DESIDERIVM CIVIBVS EXTERISQVE RELIQVIT, OBIIT ROMAE XI, KAL. IAN. AN. MDCCXXXVII. AET. SVAE XXXXVI. IBIQVE IACET IN ECCLESIA S. NICOLAI ÌN ARCIONE AD RADICES MONTIS QVIRINI GALILEVS ET ANTONIVS PATRl SVO OPT. MERITO MOESTISS. POSVERE.

To God, the Best and Greatest. To Alessandro Galilei, Florentine patrician, most renowned mathematician and architect, who for seven years served with the highest praise under Cosimo III and Giovanni Gastone, great Dukes of Tuscany, and was entrusted at home with royal works. Summoned by Pope Clement XII to Rome, he designed the chapel of the Corsini family for the Florentine nation in the Lateran Basilica, and raised the majestic front of the basilica with its portico. Before these works were completed, he was taken by death, leaving a great longing to the citizens and foreigners alike. He died in Rome on December 22, 1737, aged 46, and lies buried in the church of San Nicola in Arcione at the foot of Monte Quirinal. His father Galilei and Antonio, in his honor and with great merit, placed this monument with sorrow.

Next to this tomb and on the floor of the Zanchini chapel is the tomb of the aforementioned Lapo da Gastiglionchio. We read the following on his tombstone, Domini Lapi de Castilionchio Decretorum Doctoris & suorum mcccxlv (Lord Lapo of Gastiglionchio, Doctor of Canon Law, and his family, 1345). And since it is very certain that he died in the year 1380, it must be said that he had the tomb made while he was alive, and that after his death the following verses were added by his nephews:

Si Tibi, quos patria, & virtus Lape maxima fasces Tradidit, exilio perdidit invidia. At tua non odium, non mors, non tempora possunt Perdere, qua reparat nomina clara Nepos.

If envy exiled you, to whom your country and great virtue, Lapo, entrusted the highest honors, yet neither hatred, nor death, nor time can destroy you— for your illustrious family restores your name anew.

And whoever wishes to know the great merits of this illustrious doctor and writer should read his life as it was eruditely written by the Abbot Lorenzo Mehus, who collected such wonderful information…

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…and printed the text in Bologna in 1753. On the same side after you pass the side door you come across the superb work of Desiderio da Settignano, a master who has made and continues to make all those who look at his works astonished, especially with this one in which Carlo Marzuppini Aretino is seen on a coffin wearing civilian dress with a book on his chest. The whole structure is made of marble and is admirably carved. The foliage was conducted with extreme diligence and is held in the highest esteem among those in the industry. He is depicted with two little children who truly seem alive, as their heads, arms, hands, and feet appear to be made of flesh. The viewer may then consider a Madonna, which is in low relief above the sepulcher in a tondo. There are also some herbs that ornament the foot of the coffin. Those that see it will doubt whether they are made of marble, as they are only a little or not at all different from what is found in nature. The inscription is this,

Siste, vides magnum quae servant marmora Vatem, Ingenio cuius non satis orbis erat Quae natura, polus, quae mos ferat, omnia novit Karolus aetatis gloria magna fua. Ausoniae, & Graiae crines nunc solvite Musae, Occidit heu veftri fama, decusque chori.

Stop! You see the great marbles that guard the Poet, whose genius the world could not contain enough. He knew all that nature, the heavens, and custom could bear, Carlo, the great glory of his age. Now, Muses of Ausonia and Greece, release your locks, Alas, your fame and honor in the choir have died.

But since the poet was content with some general praise, I do not think it will displease him if I recall some of this worthy man’s merits. He held the post of secretary of the Florentine Republic from 1444 until 1453, the year of his death. He was extremely learned in the Greek and Latin languages, and he surpassed in eloquence and acuteness of mind every virtuoso of his age. Some of his works are preserved in the illustrious Medici Library, and these give true testimony to his rich talents. It was he who, in the name of the Florentine people, spoke to Emperor Frederick III when he arrived in Florence in 1452. He recited a beautiful and ornate tale in the presence of the Caesar in the Monastery of San Gallo. He died on the 24th of April of…

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…the aforementioned year, and the Republic held a most honorable funeral for him where Matteo Palmiere crowned him with laurel. At the foot of this magnificent sepulcher on the floor there is a marble slab on which one can see a low-relief carving of Gregorio Marzuppini in the habit of a doctor of those times. This was transferred here from the Church of San Procolo by the work of his son of Giovanni Marzuppini, who had these words engraved on it,

GREGORIO MARZVPPINO CIVILS, PONTIFICIIQVE IVRIS CONSVLTISSIMO, ET QVI GALLICI REGIS SECRETARIVS, IANVENSIVM VRBEM IVSTE PRVDENTERQVE MVLTOS ANNOS PRAEFEGTVS REXERAT, IOANNES FIL. PARENTI OPT. POSTERISQVE, FACIVNDVM CVRAVIT VIXIT AN. LXXXX.

To Gregorio Marzuppini, most learned in civil and pontifical law, and secretary to the King of France, who justly and wisely governed the city of Genoa for many years under the king’s authority. His son Giovanni, to his excellent father and descendants, had this made. He lived 90 years.

 IX. Opposite this tomb in the southern aisle near the Serristori chapel is Leonardo Bruni Aretino, who is in a similar tomb against the wall and is depicted on his coffin in high relief. The tomb is enriched with arabesques, festoons, and other ornaments constructed with great exquisiteness by Bernardo Rossellini, who was a very talented architect and sculptor. The Madonna that you see above is by Andrea Verrocchio, and it is held in high esteem and admiration by other artisans. Leonardo Aretino was the principal secretary of the Florentine Senate, and in this most honorable position he served the Popes Innocent VII, Gregory XII, Alexander V, and John XXIII, which the council then celebrated with supreme integrity and praise. He then occupied the notable post of Chancellor of the Florentine Republic, during which he wrote a chronicle divided into 12 books. In these books are detailed the Italian Wars continued up to the year 1404. He died on the ninth day of March 1445, and he was carried with the noblest pomp to be buried at public expense. Giannozzo Manetti explained his deeds with an erudite oration, as he was a famous speaker of those times. He also crowned Aretino with a green laurel, the typical and most honored emblem of famed poets. He is spoken about in Manetti’s…

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…Sansovino Book 14. The author Matteo Palmieri in his book of Time and in an epitaph engraved in the marble chest writes the following,

Postquam Leonardus e vita migravit, Historia luget, Eloquentia muta eft, Ferturque Musas tum Graecas, tum Latinas lacrimas tenere non potuisse:

After Leonardo departed from life, History mourns, Eloquence is mute, and it is said that the Muses—both Greek and Latin— could not hold back their tears.

 X. Upon returning to the main door of the church through the same nave, one will see the sepulcher of Michelangelo Buonarroti, sovereign artisan and master of the three noble arts. “This sepulcher is very beautiful (according to Bocchi) both for its architecture, which is rare, and for its figures, which are of admirable craftsmanship. Around the casket are three superb marble figures: Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. In all of these skills Michelangelo was marvelous beyond all estimation. The figure of Painting is by the hand of Battista Lorenzi, and it is highly esteemed for its design, a skill for which the artist is known. The figure is sad in its expression, as it has been abandoned by the virtue of Buonarroti and has lost the vigor in its beautiful features, thus it shows itself to be afflicted beyond measure. It is excellently draped with such precise judgement in the hands, legs, and head so much that whoever is knowledgeable does not cease to give it praise. Sculpture, then, which is in the middle, is by the hands of Valerio Cioli, and it is held in high esteem by artists. The figure, which rests its head on its right hand, expresses excessive pain. Next comes the figure of Architecture, which is by the hand of Giovanni dell’Opera. This statue surpasses in beauty the two mentioned above. It is very gentle in its countenance and features, the arms and head are graceful, and the clothes fit her person so well that if she were not grieving over the death of such a rare craftsman, it would seem that she wanted to lend her hand to the accustomed work.

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The bust of Michelangelo above the sepulcher is by Batista Lorenzi. It is crafted with great skill, and in addition to its life-likeness (which is remarkable), it is judged by all to be done with joyful ease given the difficulty of the parts. The figures painted above the sepulcher are by the hand of Batista Naldini. They are made with a truly rare and commendable skill.” The text up until this point has been taken from the Bocchi. But, because the statue by Batista dei Cavaliere holds a sketched model, which offers a hint that it might also represent Sculpture, and the figure on the right holds things that belong to painting (brush/bowls/other things), I will report the words of Raffaello Borghini on page 83 of his noble Dialogue: “I want to tell you the reason (added Sirigatto) for these insignia, which seem to demonstrate two things. It was ordered in the beginning by Don Vincenzio Borghini, Prior of the Innocents, that Painting should be placed in the middle, and that Sculpture should be placed where the statue of Batista del Cavaliere is today. When the statues were commissioned, Batista was the first to begin to lay the marble, and his statue was in an advanced state, as he had made with his hand the model for what can be now seen. However, the heirs of Michelangelo begged the Grand Duke to grant them the grace that Sculpture should be placed in the middle, both because Michelangelo had been more excellent in it than in any of the other areas, but also because he had always held it in higher esteem. His Highness granted them what they asked, whereupon Batista, who had already arranged his figure to be placed on the corner and not being able to place it in the middle, had to transform that which he had made as Sculpture into Painting. He did this by making those marks that are seen at its feet. He also did not want to take the model from her hand, which he was right to do so in order not to disgrace his figure, which he had already almost completed in that state. The others, who were far behind on their statues, were able to easily accommodate…

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…themselves to what was required. Therefore, do not be surprised at Batista’s statue if in its insignia that it seems to hint at two Arts.” And before abandoning Borghini altogether, let us observe the note that the most illustrious Canon Biscioni, Librarian of the Imperial Library of San Lorenzo, makes on the merit of Michelangelo in these three arts. He writes the following, “Many worthy men, and those most excellent in these Arts, believe that the art in which Michelangelo was more miraculous than any other was Architecture, because in it he surpassed the Greeks, whereas in Sculpture he equaled them, and in Painting he remained perhaps inferior even to others who flourished around his time.” At such a noble sepulcher the following epitaph is visible,

D. O. M.

MICHAELI ANGELO BONAROTIO E VETVSTA SIMONIORVM FAMILIA SCVLPTORI, PICTORI, ET ARCHITECTO FAMA OMNIBVS NOTISSIMO LEONARDVS PATRVO AMATISS. ET DE SE OPTIME MERITO TRANSLATIS ROMA EIVS OSSIBVS, ATQVE IN HOC TEMPLO MAIORVM SVORVM SEPVLCRO CONDITIS EXHORTANTE SERENISS. COSMO I. MED. MAGNO ETRVRIAE DVCE P. C. AN.SAL.MDLXX. VIXIT AN. LXXXVIII DIES XV.

To God, the Best and Greatest. To Michelangelo Buonarroti, from the ancient family of the Buonarroti, sculptor, painter, and architect, famous to all, beloved nephew of Leonardo and greatly deserving, his bones were transferred from Rome, and placed in this temple, the burial place of his ancestors, at the urging of the most serene Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Etruria. Erected in the year of salvation 1570. He lived 88 years and 15 days.

Another tomb follows with the memory of two illustrious characters of this family, as the two inscriptions below mention:

FR. FRANCISCO BONAROTIO LEONARDI FIL. EQV. HIEROSOL. S. IOANNIS BAPT. IN FONTE COMMEND. FRATRIS ANTONII DE PAVLA M. M. PRO LINGVA ITALICA A SECRETIS PRVDENTIA, FIDE, ANIMI CANDORE, INSTITVTORVM AC RERVM GEST. SVI ORDINIS EXIMIA COGNITIONE EXCELLENTI

Friar Francesco Buonarroti, son of Leonardo, Knight of the Order of Saint John the Baptist of Jerusalem, Commendator at Fonte, brother of Fra Antonio of Paola, Master of the Militia, Secretary for the Italian Language, a man distinguished for his prudence, loyalty, and integrity of soul, and for his exceptional knowledge of the statutes and deeds of his Order.

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MICH. ANG. B. VT PENES OSSA MAIORVM VEL NOMINIS LOCVS ESSET. FR. SVAVISSIMO POSVIT. OBIIT MELITAE IV. NON. OCTOB. AN. SAL. MDCXXXII. AETATIS SVAE LVIII.

For Michelangelo Buonarroti, so that near the bones of his ancestors there might at least be a place for his name, his dearest brother placed this. He died in Malta, on the 4th day before the Nones of October (i.e., October 4), in the year of salvation 1632, at the age of 58.

This third epitaph is a composition by the Doctor Proposto Anton Francesco Gori, who is well-known to men of letters for his many praised works full of ancient and modern erudition.

PHILIPPO BONAROTIO SENAT. FLOR.

MAIESTATIS ETRVSCORVM REGVM ADSERTORI IVSTO, SAGACI, PRVDENTI, SVMMO ANTIQVITATIS INTERPRETI, IVRIS SCIENTIA NATVRAE ATQVE HISTORIAE COGNITIONE INGENII MONVMENTIS SINGVLARIS MODESTIAE PROBITATISQVE EXEMPLIS CONSPICVO FAVSTA MALVOLTIA VX.ET LEONARDVS FILIVS MOERENTES POSVERE VIXIT AN. LXXII. DIES XX. OBIIT VI. IDVS DEC. AN. CIC. IC. CC. XXXIII.

To Filippo Buonarroti, Senator of Florence, Defender of the majesty of the Etruscan kings, Just, perceptive, and prudent, Foremost interpreter of antiquity, Distinguished by his knowledge of law, nature, and history, In the monuments of genius, In examples of rare modesty and integrity, His fortunate wife Malvoltia and son Leonardo, Placed this in mourning. He lived 72 years and 20 days. He died on the 8th of December, In the year 1733.

Next to this is the bust of Pier Antonio Micheli with an Epitaph worthy of his merit. It reads as follows,

PETRVS ANTONIVS MICHELIVS VIXIT AN. LVII. DIES XXII. IN TENVI RE BEATVS OMNIS HIST. NATVRALIS PERITISSIMVS MAGG. ETRVRIAE DVCVM HERBARIVS , INVENTIS ET SCRIPTIS VBIQVE NOTVS AC PROPTER SAPIENTIAM, SVAVITATEM, PVDOREM OPTIMIS QVIBVSQVE AETATIS SVAE EGREGIE CARVS OBIIT IV. NON. IAN. MDCCXXXVII. AMICI AERE CONLATO TITVLVM POSVERE.

Petrus Antonius Michelius He lived 57 years and 22 days, blessed in modest means. A most skilled expert in all natural history, Herbalist to the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, Known everywhere for his discoveries and writings, And, because of his wisdom, kindness, and modesty, Greatly beloved by the best men of his age. He died on January 2nd, 1737. His friends, having gathered the funds, set up this inscription.

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LESSON VII. OF SANTA CROCE IV.

 I. After a full discussion of the remains of Santa Croce, I do not think that I would be charged with a guilty silence if I have omitted other illustrious tombs that are in this temple. Since it is known to all that I am writing a Sacred History, and not a Sepultuary, which has already been diligently completed by Stefano Rosielli and the Minor Fathers of St. Francis who have placed a tablet opposite their sacristy where the very many tombs are noted. Turning our gaze now to another noteworthy feature of Santa Croce, we will observe in this lesson the marvels of the altars that truly form an academy of the most talented old and modern painters. We will note together, with the wise guidance of the praised Censor, some defects in the paintings as they are laid out. But, as the shadows increase the splendor of the light, these critical observations will make the whole even more valuable.

 II. Presenting here at the beginning an exact series of the chapels of Santa Croce will be in my opinion a curious and necessary thing in order to give a suitable guide, or rather a light in the long journey of our observations. This multitude of things is guaranteed to generate confusion. If I were to narrate here all the beauty of the altars, the rare value of the tablets, and the excellent authors of all of these, obscurity would certainly be inevitable. It would be simple to lose one’s way in the crowd, and not to emerge from it so easily. Suffice it to say that there are 37 chapels, which…

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…I reduce to 36, having to leave one out, which, being condemned by the sacred canons, will be deservedly excluded from my story. This is not done in regards to the Founder of the chapel, who was Giovanni Zanchini from Castiglionchio. This is the family that gave Florence Jurist Messer Lapo, who at the foot of the chapel is given what has been said to be a worthy epitaph, and from him came Bernardo Canonico Fiorentino, who was a chronicler of his times. But we reject the painting in this chapel because of the license of the painter Agnolo Bronzino, who, to exhibit his skill in painting nudes, wanted to represent various figures of each sex in this image against the laws of modesty. It extended to the point of scandalizing Alfolsino dei Pazzi, a noble and ingenious poet, whose following verses allude to this painting:

Scusi il Pittor chi guarda, e fermi il passo, Perchè l’intenzion sua fu di sar questo, Di formar Cristo, i Santi, e il resto, Ma egli sbagliò dal Paradiso al chiasso.

Excuse the painter who looks, and stop your step, Because his intention was to be this, To form Christ, the saints, and the rest, But he erred from Paradise to noise.

Coming then to the series of chapels, we will mention that on the left hand side as you enter the first chapel belongs to the Verrazzani family, the second to the Medici, the third to the Berti family (now passed to the Masetti), the fourth to the Guidacci and the Rinuccini consorts, the fifth to the Asini family, and the sixth is dedicated to the Conception and is under the jurisdiction of the Friars. After the side door comes the Biffoli chapel, and then, when turning the corner of the nave, the altar of the Risaliti begins. It is followed by the chapel of the Salviati Dukes. Then, at the head of the crosspiece, the Bardi Chapel can be seen joined to the Niccolini Chapel, and walking in a straight line to the High Altar you find five more. The first two belong to the Bardi, the third to the Ricasoli, the fourth to the Benci family (which passed to Senator Ferrante Capponi), and the last to the Spinelli. In the center rises the high altar of the Alamanni, and there are five chapels that belong to the Bardi, the Peruzzi, the Giugni, the Calderini (today the Riccardi),…

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…and the Morelli. Then comes the door that leads to the hall of the sacristy, where on the façade you can see the chapel of Cosimo de’ Medici Pater Patriae, called the chapel of the Novitiate. Then, in the sacristy is the chapel of the Rinuccini. Upon returning to the church one then encounters the chapel of the Baroncelli (passed to the Giugni), followed by that of the Pinzocheri, the master of the Castellani, adjacent to which is the other chapel of the Barberini. Then, re-entering the nave toward the south, one begins with that of the Serristori, and after the door of the Cloister comes the altars of the Cavalcanti, of the Pazzi, of the Corsi, of the Zati, of the Buonarroti, and of the Antella (formerly the Alamanneschi, or the Adimari if you prefer). Then, between the two doors is the chapel of the Dini. This is the layout of the altars in their order as they are at present, noting and leaving behind the old chapels. Before Duke Cosimo I began to embellish the church, in addition to a great number of chapels around the choir, the walls were originally painted to represent the sorrowful mysteries of the passion of Christ in fresco. Although everything was washed white, His Highness nevertheless wanted new panels to be distributed in an orderly fashion down the body of the church. These images were to depict the most singular deeds accomplished by Jesus Christ for the Redemption of man, and they were completed by skilled painters.

 III. Starting from the Serristori chapel, which is the first in the nave on the south side, you see in a panel where the Lord on a donkey solemnly enters Jerusalem. The figures are admirable in color and design, as they express to the letter the concept of the story. There is an old man who laughs as a sign of joy, and his lack of breathing is the only indication that he is painted and not living. If we are to believe Cinelli, this panel was begun by Cigoli and finished by his best disciple Giovanni Biliberti, then later restored by the Salvestrini because it had suffered from dampness. Cigoli painted the head of the old man, the young man who picks the olive branches, and the figure of Jesus Christ. In the Cavalcanti Chapel, which is not in order and has a different architecture from the others, Donatello…

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…made the Annunciation in sandstone with stupendous skill. The figure of Mary is draped with such intelligence that one can recognize her person from the clothes that cover her, and the attitudes of the Virgin are so graceful that she seems to withdraw back, like the angel, while she bends her knees. The pavilion that adorns the chapel is a fresco painting by Alessandro dei Barbiere, and the Saints Giovambatista and Francesco on one side are by Andrea del Cadagno. And returning to the modern chapels, and to the chapel of the Pazzi, there is an Andrea del Minga painting of the prayer in the garden. The apostles are beautifully colored, and they admirably express the states caused by sleep in calming the senses to the extrinsic operations of the body. It is a lovely depiction of trees and greenery, and in the distance in the darkness of the night stands Judas, the leader of a group, as he demonstrates the fear and solicitude of a traitor. In the Corsi chapel there is a Flagellation by Alessandro del Barbiere, who represented a large courtyard that is well-ordered in its architectural elements, and it brings delight to the eye that looks at it. Christ is depicted with great knowledge, and the ministers all appear to be breathing rage. The one who is behind the column ought to be observed, as his pride could not have been expressed with a truer attitude. The Zati chapel comes with a panel by the hand of Jacopo Coppi, known as Meglio, where we see Pilate showing Jesus to the people in accordance with the words Ecce Homo (behold the man). The figures are strongly colored, especially some of the small ones that appear very distant from the foreground. Next, in the Buonarroti chapel, there is a canvas by Giorgio Vasari that vividly shows the carrying of the cross of Christ. He is being cruelly vilified by a minister who, by pulling him with a rope, denotes a spirit of great cruelty that appears both true and natural. Mary here cannot be looked at without devotion, appearing assailed by excessive pain as if stunned, as she is supported by Saint John and by one of the Marys. Following the altar of the Alamanneschi is the crucifixion, one of the most valuable works…

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…of Santi di Tito. The flesh of the crucified Christ is very delicate in contrast with the rough flesh he has depicted on the two thieves. The Magdalene, who is embracing the cross, is beautiful, and the other figures are very well colored.

 IV. The last on this side is the Dini chapel. But before observing the praiseworthy figures, I would like to note that at the foot of the altar, under a marble tombstone, is buried Agostino di Francesco Dini, whose merits were noted by Ser Angelo Angini in his penned diary, which was kept by Doctor Matteo Mercati. He writes, “1548 on the 9th of May he died at the age of 83. Agostino di Francesco Dini was one of the councilors of Duke Cosimo I. He was buried in Santa Croce. He was accompanied by all the magistrates, and he had three rows of banners. He was a very reputable man and always involved in the serious cases of the city. It was universally tragic on the 15th of said month when, with all of the honor and rules of the chapter of Santa Maria dei Fiore, the coffin passed from the side of the Alberti to the Piazza del Grano and the Piazza dei Signori. The funeral cost 1500 scudi and there were men with swords raised from the high altar to the main door.” Now returning to the panel, in it one can see the deposition from the cross painted by Francesco dei Rossi, also known as Salviati. It is marvelous and extremely rare for its coloring. The nudes are of admirable skill, and the arms, legs, and head of the dead Lord are of supreme beauty. The almost completely naked figure of the one who is supporting Christ from a ladder while he is lowered down is highly esteemed by artists.

 V. And passing to the Nave toward the north, without paying any attention to the panel of limbo by Agnolo Bronzino, we will stop at the panel of Christ dead in the arms of the Marys with the far away thieves still on the cross. The painting is full of very lovely figures, and it is a work of Batista Naldini that was commissioned by Cavalier Lodovico di Francesco di Bartolommeo da Verrazzano, admiral general of the galleys of the religion of Santo Stefano. He is known for his ten glorious years…

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…of beautiful military enterprises in the levant and elsewhere. He died in Pisa as prior of Montepulciano in the year 1647, and then his body was taken to Florence and buried in Santa Croce. If we were in those times when the chapels were adorned with flags, plaques, banners, and honors demonstrating the merits of those who were buried there, I would have an abundance of these things to illustrate on his behalf. Not only would there be several banners taken by Lodovico from his enemies, but also those taken by Giovanni di Pier Andrea di Bernardo da Verazzano, discoverer of the Indies, who graced his Florentine name and gave advantage to our faith by gaining notable acquisitions for the French Crown in 1523, 1524, and 1525. And on this sacred altar, together with Italian flags, I would add not only a few representations of those lands and islands which, by the confession of all French, English, and Italian writers, our Giovanni discovered. At the foot of this altar there are honorable tombstones of their illustrious ancestors, which I will leave aside now and pass on to the Medici chapel. This chapel was founded by Francesco Medici, a Florentine Canon, and completed by Monsignor Sebastiano Medici, of whom so much is read in the spoils of Canon Salvino Salvini (soon the Provost Gori), to whom the literary world owes so much. I am indebted to him for making me the recipient of his copious and rare library. For this Medici chapel, Santi di Tito painted a most beautiful panel of the Resurrection of Christ with great artistry and naturalness in the attitudes of the soldiers and in their frightened expressions, with some of them even lying dead on the ground. In the Masetti chapel, once owned by the Berti family, the same master painted the feast of Emmaus, where the professors observe with the greatest praise the naturalness of a Putto in the act of receiving some cherries on a plate from a young girl. In the Guidacci chapel, the saint Thomas touching the wound of the master was painted by Giorgio Vasari. This is followed by the Asini chapel, where the Ascension is praised for its beautiful work by the…

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…Flemish Stradano. After that you come across an irregular chapel entitled the Conception with a panel by Giotto, which is miraculous. Then comes the side door, above which is the organ made by Messer Noferi da Cortona, and it began to play on June 6, 1579. The last one in this nave is the coming of the Holy Spirit to the altar of the Bifoli, a painting by Vasari that is admired for the heads of the figures and the sweet coloring of the choir of angels. And before turning into the arm of the crosspiece, we observe a Pietà by Agnolo Allori on the third pillar on the left above the burial of Bartolini Baldelli. It is larger than life-size, and it deserves the greatest commendation since it is esteemed by artists and continually venerated by devotees. A bas-relief of the Virgin in white marble by Antonio Rossellini is placed on the column opposite Michelangelo’s tomb. Nor must I omit two crucifixes painted on the axis above the doors of the interior façade of the church. One is by Cimabue, the other by Margheritone d’Arezzo, the inventor of gilding and burnishing the frames of paintings.

 VI. Turning now to the left side of the cross, we come to the chapel of the Risaliti where one immediately finds a stupendous painting by Cigoli in which he has depicted the holy trinity in an act of piety, placing the dead Christ in the arms of his father. The requisites that are sought to constitute a rare excellence of painting are all present in this panel. One sees excellent drawing accompanied by rather vigorous coloring, but mellowed with such sweetness and manner in the distant parts that it gives the central figure a marvelous relief, so that one knee of Christ upon which the first light shines seems rightly outside the painting. Next is the chapel of the Ducal Salviati embellished with the design of Gherardo Silvani. This chapel was once cluttered by the tomb of Lorenzo Salviati that today, by the living Duke, has been placed on the wall on the side. On the occasion of his movement, when the coffin was opened, it is said that Lorenzo’s body was found intact after 120 years.

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The painting which is shown there is the martyrdom of Saint Lorenzo, portrayed by Jacopo Ligozzi. Everything was carried out with diligence, and the arrangement of many figures spectating the barbaric torment is highly praised by experts. But since Vasari, Baldinucci, Ridolfi, nor anyone else has given any place to this highly commended artist in their Lives of the Painters, and because I often have occasion to admire his many praiseworthy paintings, I will reserve for my Volume IV of these lessons the opportunity to give a copious account of his life. For now, I will report here only what the Lord Marchese Scipione Maffei, a Knight of universal intelligence and a supporter of the Fine Arts, wrote about him in the Verona Illustrata. Part III, chapter 6 of the very erudite work reads: “I have discovered with pleasure that from the school of Caroto (Giovanni Francesco) also came Giacopo Ligozzi, of whom we do not have many works because he lived away for a long time, and especially in Florence, where the Grand Duke Ferdinand I declared him his painter, and gave him the superintendence of his gallery. Therefore, Baldinucci calls him Our Famous Painter Born in Verona. He was a marvelous artist also in engraving and miniatures, so much so that the author himself called him a very renowned miniaturist, and elsewhere a very universal painter, supposing however that in Verona there was no other source of excellence in this art other than Paolo Cagliari, his pupil. He opened the Ligozzi school in Florence and produced good pupils there, some of whom are included in Baldinucci’s Life (Vita).” At the head of the church’s crosspiece is a crucifix on the altar of the Bardi, which the excellent Master Donatello in the flower of his age worked in wood and made life-size. Although it was mocked by Brunellesco, who said that he had put a peasant on the cross, it is nevertheless admired by the wise. The Chapel of the Niccolini would come next, but because it is a vessel with many treasures, we shall include it in a later discussion. I will also remain silent about the five chapels toward the high altar, which were painted in fresco by Gaddi and Giotto, and…

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…of which today a part is whitewashed. The third of those, however, is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, and is frequented by devotees every Tuesday. On precisely that day in 1698, a piece of a stone corbel fell from the very high roof of the church that was placed perpendicularly above the threshold of the chapel. It fell without harming the people, who in great numbers were in the same place where the stone weighing ninety pounds fell, scratching only one girl on the surface of her dress, making them aware of the danger but without any harm. The place where the stone fell is today marked with a white marble plaque which reads, “Here the stone fell on the 7th of October 1698.” The high altar at the Ciborium, which is 13 braccia high, was designed by Vasari and carved by Dionisio Nigetti at the expense of Duke Cosimo I. Behind it is the choir of the fathers, where the fresco paintings by Agnolo Gaddi are preserved on the walls. These represent the history of the creation of Santa Croce. Five other chapels on the right-hand side are found similarly painted by the old artists. In the first one is the true portrait of St. Francis made by Cimabue. The rich and majestic Riccardi chapel has been spoken of elsewhere. Nor should we be displeased to enter the Medici chapel through the passageway of the sacristy, where Fra Filippo Lippi painted the panel of Jesus and Mary and that of Saints Cosimo and Damiano, with a predellina filled with the stories of the martyrdom of those Saints that was painted by Pesellino with such artistry that no one tires of praising them. This chapel is called the novitiate, and it was built according to the design of Michelozzo by Cosimo de’Medici, who was rightly called the Magnificent, as he erected grandiose buildings in Florence and elsewhere for the greater decorum of divine worship and public utility. The door that leads into this chapel is highly praised by Vasari for being a new work that imitates old works in a pleasing manner. The novitiate is also very beautiful, and it recognizes as founder the above-named Cosimo, as the Poet Fra Domenico da Corella mentions in these two verses:

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Fecit amoena novis habitacula Relligiosis, Qui resident ampla semper in Aede Crucis.

He made pleasant new dwellings for the religious, Who may always reside in the spacious Church of the Cross.

And this place boasts a most singular history. If we are to give credence to an old commentator of Dante, it is said that here the Divine Poet donned the habit of a novice of St. Francis, and after a few months (without professing) he returned to the world. The words of Francesco da Buti, which are in his Commentary (a copy of which is in the Libreria Medicea, and another even older one in the Accademia della Crusca), mention the following two verses of Canto 30 of Purgatory:

L’alta virtù, che già m’avea trafitto Prima, ch’io fuor di puerizia fosse.

The high virtue, which had already pierced me Before I was out of childhood.

“The high virtue,” notes the commentary, “that is, the prevenient grace according to the allegory, which is called high because it comes from above. That is, from God. According to the letter, it refers to the excellent virtue, which is Theology, which had already pierced me. That is, it had wounded my heart, because it had made me fall in love with it. ‘Before I was out of childhood’, meaning that I, Dante, had passed puberty, which ends in the fourteenth year. And because of this, it appears that our author finally fell in love with holy scripture when he was a boy. And this, I believe, was the case when he became a Friar Minor of the order of St. Francis, from which he left before making his profession.” But returning to the church with its old paintings, we see the Baroncelli chapel intact with a panel of the Coronation of Mary by the great Giotto. This work is wonderfully pleasing on the altar. In the place where the Pinzocheri gather, under the control of the Castellani, there is a beautiful tomb comparable to that of Cavalier Vann. The vault is painted by Starnina, and the painting on the altar, which is a Nativity of Jesus Christ, is by Giuliano Bugiardini and features…

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…Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Bartholomew on the sides. Finally, before turning to the side of the nave toward the convent, one encounters the chapel of the Barberini. In this chapel is an image of St. Francis receiving the Stigmata with great affection and devotion. This is a celebrated work of Naldini, as one could not hope to see either a more suitable attitude, nor a head with more affection. Nevertheless, in this panel, as in the other ones mentioned above, there is something that never ceases to please. So, moving on to the second portion of this discussion, we will discover some of the more poorly observed parts of the aforementioned panels. We will begin with this one by Naldini.

 VII. And what I will say will not be my opinion, but Raffaello Borghini’s sentiment in his Riposo Book I and II. In this chapel, St. Francis goes up to heaven to the praises of all. However, the little friar next to him is not so well regarded. He is not as good, as his pose and attitude are both bad. We note that there are three paintings by Giorgio Vasari that Borghini does not spare in his criticism. In the first Christ is seen carrying the cross. There is no arrangement that is good, and the figures seem to be stuck together. The Madonna, Saint John, and one of the Marys seem to be holding their arms. Jesus does not show affection in carrying the cross, and he turns toward Veronica with too much pride. The horses, which are there, do not have much design. In the second by Vasari, which is an image of St. Thomas touching Christ, the clothes are poorly composed, the figures are without artifice, and they stand on the same level as a colonnade where they are only a little less tall than the columns. The third, though it has good heads, excellent coloring, and there are angels that show these elements very well, has its faults. In the image of the coming of the holy spirit, the Madonna shows the age of 20, when she should have been 50. There is also an old man who sits with an attitude of little grace. After Vasari comes the Censor Santi di Tito, who likewise has three paintings in this church. The Crucifixion is superior, but that is not the case for the Resurrection…

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…and the Apparition to the Disciples of Emmaus. In this one the figure dressed in blue is made somewhat large in proportion to the others. In it one observes Christ who, leaning so much to the left side, has a certain something that takes away part of his grace. The coloring could also be more vivid and beautiful. Then comes the Ascension of Giovanni Stradano, where everything is pleasing except the attitudes of two angels who show fear when they should show joy, and a figure that is half-visible and poses on a very low plane with respect to where the other figures are placed. Salviati’s painting seems beautiful to everyone, but there is something that is not pleasing. The Magdalene seems to be making a joke-like expression rather than one of pain, and the Madonna is so large when sitting, as is one of the Marys who is standing at her side. Yet, they are placed on the same level so that the Virgin, when standing, would be of disproportionate size compared to the other women who are there. Of the Minga panel showing Christ in the Garden, I see nothing but praise. The only doubts are raised as to whether he painted it himself, as some say that he was assisted in the coloring by Stefano Pieri, in the place by Giovanni Ponsi Fiammingo, and the design is said to be by Giambologna. But it is known under the name of Andrea, and we must consider this. Here below is the Flagellation painted by Alessandro del Barbiere, which is very pleasing. It would be even more pleasing if the Body of Christ at the Column showed the bruises of the beatings. And moving on to the Ecce Homo by Jacopo di Meglio, one sees Christ at the top, who seems to be a statue, and who is standing on a stone cube. Everything is arranged in bad order. The architecture is confused, the women are without grace, the legs of that figure dressed in yellow cannot be found, and the whole image is made up of disunited limbs.

 VIII. But leaving aside further observation of the defects of the saints painted on the panels, which is not my purpose, I come finally to the virtues of a secular saint…

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…who is buried in this church. This is the Blessed Jacopo di Messer Buono Giamboni Fiorentino, to whose body a most devout burial was made in Santa Croce in the guise of a saint. Lodovico Antonio Giamboni in his diary at the 12th of March speaks of him, as does Giovanni Villani in his Libri 12 chapter 35. Villani reports the notable event as follows: “On the 14th of March, 1345, the Most Holy Iacopo Fiorentino passed from this life. He was the son of Messer Bono Giamboni and the Judge of the People of San Brocolo. He led a holy life and is said to be a virgin of his body, as he had been shut up in his house for more than 25 years. He did not go out except once a day to confess and to take the body of Christ, and for God’s sake he gave all his substance and patrimony to the poor and lived poorly in fasting and prayer. He wrote books for money where he dictated about holy and good things. Whoever sent him alms, he received none, except from his devotees and friends, and the excess of his earnings, having finished his daily food in poverty, he gave for God to the poor. God made visible and open miracles for him at his death, so that he was buried in Santa Croce as a Saint. And in his life he predicted to his friends many future things which would later happen in our city, and of the Lordship and expulsion of the Duke of Athens by virtue of the Holy Spirit.” But of this blessed citizen we will have even more beautiful and particular information from the diligent pen of Doctor Brocchi in his second Volume of Tuscan Saints which, despite the author’s death, is being procured by his friends so that it will soon come to light and serve to bring greater luster to this church.

 IX. The chapel, or chapter of the Pazzi dedicated to the apostle Saint Andrew, which is not properly located within the church of Santa Croce but is in the first cloister of the convent, did not seem to be something pertinent to our history. However, due to its great merit and noteworthy nature, I was pleased to add valuable information about it to this lesson. This chapel is therefore encountered when exiting from the side door toward the south as…

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…you go down a stone staircase. The founder was Messer Andrea dei Pazzi, an illustrious Knight who was highly favored by Renato the King of Naples, according to Ammirato. He gave Filippo di Ser Brunellesco the commission to make the design for the chapel, which was successful, as per usual, with the buildings of this famous architect. It was magnificent and more beautiful than anything else, as we read in Cinelli on page 339: “Made from a design by Filippo di Ser Brunellesco, it displays magnificence in front of the temple with a beautiful order of Corinthian columns, and every part of the architecture inside is of great value in which this admirable craftsman excelled more than any other. In this one there are four evangelists in low relief, larger than life-size and made of glazed terracotta and placed in the corbels of the vault. Further down are the twelve apostles in similar clay in twelve roundels, all by the hand of Luca della Robbia, a very excellent craftsman in this art, the mastery of which has been lost. There are also a quantity of heads of Angels made from similar clay, and others of stone by the hand of Donatello, and some Pazzi coats of arms made with singular diligence. The small dome that covers the portico in front of the same chapel is very beautiful on the inside, as it is completely encrusted with terracotta of different colors. Above the door is another figure in the same clay. The altarpiece of this chapel is by the hand of Fra Filippo.”

 X. This panel mentioned by Cinelli is no longer there, as the altar, which is entirely made of very white marble, is now stripped of everything. And if no writer has reported the inscription engraved around the marble ledge of the altar, I would like to report it for the sake of scholars. It reads: Aedem hanc Sanctissime Andrea tìbi Pactii dedicarunt, ut cum te Immortalis Deus hominum constituerìt Piscatorem, locus sit in quem suos Franciscus ad tua possit retia convocare (Most Holy Andrew, the Pacci dedicated this church to you, so that, since the Immortal God appointed you the Fisherman of men, there might be a place where Francesco could gather his own into your nets). This Francesco was not the son of Messer Andrea, as Cinelli falsely supposes, but was the son of Antonio di Andrea, who is believed by all…

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…writers to be the founder of the chapter. Ammirato says in his History from the year 1478 as follows: “This man left three sons. Piero and Jacopo, who in 1461 and 1359 respectively had been Gonfalonieri, and in addition to these two there is also Antonio. Piero’s sons were Galeotto, Renato, Andrea, Giovanni, and Niccolò. Antonio’s sons were Francesco, Giovanni, and Guglielmo.” But in the archives of Santa Croce at number 16 of the documents there is a brief of indulgences granted to this chapel by the papal legate Peter, who is of the title Holy Sixtus Cardinal Priest, which was given in San Casciano of the Florentine Diocese on the eighth of October 1473. In this brief the following words are read:

Cupientes igitur ut Cappella seu Capitulum S. Andrea Situm in Claustro Fratrum Minorum S. Crucis de Florentia, quam dilectus Nobis in Christo Iacobus de Pactiis Eques Flor. fundavit:

Desiring, therefore, that the Chapel or Chapter of St. Andrew, located in the cloister of the Friars Minor of Santa Croce in Florence, which was founded by our beloved in Christ, Jacopo de’ Pacci, a Florentine knight.

It must be said that if Messer Andrea began the structure, his son Jacopo finished it, and that Francesco, whose name we have seen engraved on the marble above, also had a part in the decoration of the chapel or the altar. In addition to the correction of Cinelli, we observe here two other blunders. One was made by Brocchi, who says that this chapel was built around 1400 when Brunellesco was too young. Vasari assures us that he made this design at the time when he was busy vaulting the dome of the cathedral, which would be around 1420. But even in Vasari there is an error in saying that the same architect was born in 1398, as Filippo Brunellesco, according to all the writers, lived 69 years and died (as the plaque in the cathedral says) in 1446. Therefore, he must have been born in 1377.

 XI. And returning to the chapter of the Pazzi, it must be noted that on the occasion of the general chapters of the conventual fathers in Santa Croce, with the permission of the Pazzi family, the church vocals had their gatherings, and it also happened later that we saw it destined for literary academies. Nor should we overlook a library full of very rare books, which are all in parchment and…

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…distributed on 60 shelves, having been built by Michele of the Guardini family. His coat of arms is carved on the architrave of the door together with the coat of arms of the University of the Merchants, to whose government the library was recommended by the aforementioned Michele. This library has a door to the dormitory above where the paintings that can be seen are by Cosimo Ulivelli, as are the saints Dominic and Francis who embrace each other, which were painted with many figures in fresco in the second cloister.

 XII. And here it would seem that this addition should end, but since we have noted many elements of the convent, we should also recognize the Parme degli Spinelli. In order to express our gratitude, we should not omit the considerable treasures spent by this family for the benefit of the church fathers. And now we will recall an epitaph that can be read on the wall of the second cloister, which contains a true and remarkable compendium of the reported benefices made by Tommaso Spinelli to the convent:

THOMAE SPINELLI PATRITII FLORENTINI PATRIAE REIP. SIGNIFERI EXTAT IMAGO.

PIETATIS ET MVNIFICENTIAE SIMVLACRVM HOSPES INTVERE

QVIRVS NEDVM MAXIMOS INTER HOMINES EVGENIVM IV. NICOL. V. CALLISTVM III. PAVLVM II. DIVVMQVE ARCHIEP. ANTONINVM PER VARIA SIBI CREDITA AR HIS MVNERA DEVINXERAT VERVM DEVM IPSVM

TOTVS PROFVSVS IN PAVPERES INNOCENTI FOENORE DESPONDIT HOC QVOD INGREDERIS DECORVM PERISTILIVM ICONES AD PRIMAS HVIVS COENORII FORES VALETVDINARIVM ELEGANTIORA CVBICVLA VIRIDARIVM HIS AEDIBVS CONTERMINVM

Here exists the image of Tommaso Spinelli, Florentine patrician, standard-bearer of his homeland and Republic. A likeness of piety and munificence O visitor, behold it! He, who among men has recently joined Eugenius IV, Nicholas V, Callixtus III, Paul II, and the holy archbishop Antoninus, through various entrusted arts and gifts, had bound himself to the true God himself. Generous in all things, he gave himself over to the poor, pledging an innocent loan. This, which you enter, a graceful courtyard, is adorned with images at the foremost doors of this monastery, a more elegant sick ward’s chambers, and gardens adjoining these buildings.

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ATTALICA PENES SACRARIVM IHDVMENTA GENTILITIVM IN TEMPLO SACELLVM, ET ALIA HVIC DOMVI IMPENSA BENEFICIA ARGVMENTI MONVMENTA EXCITANTVR DISCITO QVISQVIS ADES QUAM BENE SVOS CONDIDERIT THOMAS THESAVROS QVIBVS HACTENVS FVR NON APPROPRIAT, NQVE TINEA CORRVMPIT.

In the temple’s sanctuary are kept the spoils of the Gentiles, a chapel and other benefactions to this house, monuments that bear witness to these deeds. Learn, whoever you are who come here, how well Tommaso has preserved his treasures, which until now neither thief has appropriated, nor moth has corrupted.

At the tomb of this illustrious family, written in marble with Lombard letters, is the memory of Spinello that reads as follows: Sep. Spinelli Bonsignoris de Spinellis & suorum descendentium. Anno Domini MCCCLXXXL (Burial place of Spinello Bonsignori de’ Spinelli and his descendants. Year of Our Lord 1370). And although it is out of place, I must point out here that Raffaello Borghini deservedly criticizes the merit of the severe face of the eternal father in the Risaliti chapel by Girolamo Macchietti. This panel is no longer there today and instead there is a marvelous painting by the Cavaliere Lodovico Cigoli.

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LESSON VIII. OF SANTA CROCE V.

 I. If Arnolfo di Lapo were alive, I have no doubt he would rejoice in seeing the present state of the church of Santa Croce. After 458 years since he laid the first stone, he would recognize it to be stable and shining in its pristine magnificence. Indeed, he would be pleased to see the new altars, the new statues, and the new panels from which greater splendor comes to his ever-admirable edifice. And since other men of great importance remain to be commended for their new and sovereign works with which this church has been enriched, I will first take the opportunity to speak of the chapel of the Niccolini. I will here make glorious mention of several illustrious teachers, and observing the marvels of architecture, sculpture, and paintings in the chapel, we will come to appreciate the magnificence of such an ancient and illustrious family.

 II. In the northern arm of the church is located the beautiful chapel of the Niccolini, which was begun by Senator Giovanni, son of Cardinal…

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…Agnolo Niccolini, in 1585, and completed by the Marquis Filippo di Giovanni in 1664. I believe that it would be of too little benefit to my history to describe much else apart from the value of the statues, the panels, and the marbles, if the rich tombs did not give me the opportunity to speak of those notable personages who had the magnanimous and devout thought of building such a magnificent chapel. Therefore, making myself like a proud father, I will recall here the glorious name of Cardinal Agnolo di Matteo Niccolini, who was born on the 29th of June 1502. He was endowed by God with talents so rare, and they were cultivated by him with the acquisition of so many sciences that while still young he earned the love and confidence of Duke Cosimo I to the point of being honored with the most notable offices. These include that of an intimate Counsellor and Ambassador to Pontiffs, Emperors, and Princes, and then Governor of the city and state of Siena. In this position he remained a widower due to the death of his wife, the Lady of the Ugolini. He was then made Archbishop of Pisa, and then Cardinal. Nor, as I do not only wish to repeat his many merits that are noted with admiration in the Histories, I will instead mention some rather rarer information that I acquired from the manuscripts that were once in the possession of Cardinal Benedetto Giustiniani. From this there was a codex marked “K” containing information on the Consistories. In this, therefore, we find things concerning our Agnolo that demonstrate his great merit. At the consistory of the 14th of July, 1564, the following is noted: Amabat Niccolinium Carolus Cardinalis Borromeus, quo referente, hodie in Antistitem Pisanum Pius IV. praeconizavit, irregularitate Sublata (Carlo Cardinal Borromeo loved Niccolini, through whose recommendation, today, Pius IV appointed him Bishop of Pisa, the irregularity having been removed). In the Consistory of the 11th of March of the same year of the Incarnation he speaks at length of the promotion of the cardinals, which the pope did, and he concludes thus: Plerique magni Viri, inter quos duo Antistites, Ugo videlicet Boncompagnus Bononiensis Archiepiscopus, & Angelus Niccolinius Archiepiscopus Pisanus (Many great men, among whom were two bishops, namely Ugo Boncompagnus, Archbishop of Bologna, and Agnolo Niccolini, Archbishop of Pisa). In another from May 17, 1565, a considerable praise of the same is noted as follows: 1565. Maii 18. in Concistorii finem Pius IV. (initie id facere oblitus fuerat) Cardinalibus Mediceo, & Niccolinio os clausit, sed cupiebant Cardinales multi Niccolinium Virum doctum sententiam de rebus dicentem audire, at ille modestia docente tacebat, cum alii de rebus gravissimis propositis loquerentur. Sed cum illum loqui Pius pracepisset, sententiam prudentiae nota insignitam dixit. In eodem Concistorio ambobus propediem ab Urbe discessuris os apertum fuit a Pio, datique novis Cardinalibus tituli, et annuli etc. (On May 18, 1565, at the conclusion of the consistory, an event Pope Pius IV had initially forgotten to hold, he conferred the cardinal’s hat upon Medici and Niccolini. Many cardinals wished to hear Niccolini, a learned man, express his views on the matters under discussion, but out of modesty, he remained silent while others spoke on these weighty topics. However, when Pope Pius ordered him to speak, Niccolini delivered an opinion marked by notable prudence. During that same consistory, both new cardinals were soon to depart the city, and Pope Pius opened their mouths (gave them permission to speak), granting them their cardinal titles, rings, and other insignia). Agnolo lived in this…

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…dignity for a very short time, dying on the 15th of August 1567. Some circumstances of his death are found in a book written by Senator Giovanni, son of the cardinal, who writes as follows, “The accident was a drip, which, having deprived him of speech in an instant, took his life at the end of the third day. His body was brought to Florence on a horse-drawn litter and accompanied by his entire court with 50 torches as they entered at night. He was deposited in the chapel of the novitiate of Santa Croce until the construction of the family chapel.” And this must have been one of the noblest concepts of Senator Giovanni by whom, even though it was not finished, several drawings were made, and precious marbles collected, and in 1585 the building work began.

 III. I would like to point out other information gathered and kindly given to me by the Lord Abbot and Doctor Martini, currently President of the Royal College of Soperga in Turin, and it is only right that I give thanks to him here. Therefore, among those things communicated to me, I will report a note of expenses regarding the chapel made by Senator Giovanni and notated by him in the Book marked “C,” where it says: “13 August 1579 I paid 250 scudi to the men of the company of Santa Maria delle Laude for alms, so declared by his serene highness as compensation for the site of the said company, and which it has donated to his highness, and which his highness itself cedes to Ser Piero di Ambrogio Lapini asked Senator Giovanni.” In the same book on the 22nd of November of the same year there is this entry: “74 scudi. That many are given to the Opera of Santa Croce in alms for the site of the two tombs held above the level of the steps of the great altar in front of the chapel to be built, for as long as the first two ‘Chapels of the Bardi’ take them.” Also recorded there are the expenses made for the columns of verde antico purchased from the workers of the Duomo of Pisa, as well as other marbles, alabasters, and precious stones purchased in Rome. Signor Giovanni is the ambassador there. Further demonstrating the Senator’s great…

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…commitment to the chapel are two of his Testaments, the first made in Rome on July 15, 1608, and another in the form of a book in Florence on June 30, 1611, wherein he writes several articles and orders with generous for formulas regarding his chapel. He wanted his heirs to spend 4000 scudi to make it perfect with his plan, and he left to the fathers of Santa Croce a house at the Canto degli Alberti as a dowry for a perpetual mass. Having considered this sacred church as his beloved Bride, he also left her a piece of jewelry, which is a gold medal that is rich in indulgences.

 IV. Nor will it be an improper digression if I report here, for the common devotion, a brief history of this precious gift. In the foundations of the Holy Stairs (Scala Santa) of Rome, when Pope Sixtus V demolished it to transport it to the place where it is at present, some gold medals the size of a Julius coin were found inside a gold circle. They were blessed by the Supreme Pontiff Sixtus and then donated to Cardinals, to Princes, and one to Senator Giovanni, Ambassador of the Grand Duke. His Holiness declared that upon the death of the receiving parties, he wished them to leave the medal to a church of their choosing, granting a Plenary Indulgence for this purpose on the two annual feasts of Holy Cross. He also issued a Papal Bull, which begins: Elargitionis Indulgentarium (the bestowing of indulgences), given in Rome in the third year of his Pontificate on the first day of December, 1587. This Medal represents on one side a figure in imperial robes, and around it, with difficulty, the following letters can be read: DNR.TIB.CONSTANT. P. PAT. See, my reader, if they could ever be interpreted, it would be like this: Dominus Noster Tiberius Constantinus Pater Patriae (Our Lord Tiberius Constantinus, Father of the Fatherland). On the reverse there are five steps, and on the top of them the holy cross, and the following text is written: VICTORIA. AVGG (Victory of the Emperors) and under the steps: CON. OB. which refer to: Constantinopoli obsignata (sealed at Constantinople). The heirs did not delay in making the solemn delivery of this treasure to the fathers of Santa Croce, who, on the 25th of June, 1612, gathered in capitulation and received it, having already drawn up…

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…the deed by Tommaso Malenotti, Notary of the Archbishopric of Florence. I must add that the Marquis Francesco, son of senator Giovanni, generously had it placed in a small silver vessel with an inscription engraved in memory of the Pope and the place where it was found. The dome of the reliquary is inscribed: In Aula Lateranensi iussi Sixti V. destructa inventum: meaning Numisma (found destroyed by the order of Sixtus V in the Lateran Hall) and in the circle of the oval are these other words: Ioannes Niccolinius Angeli Card. Fil. legavit (Giovanni Niccolini, son of Cardinal Angelo, bequeathed this). Under the base of the same reliquary is the name of the Marquis who delivered it to the church, written as follows: Franciscus Fr. Ab. V. S. Referend. Consìgnavit (Francesco, Friar of the Abbey of the Holy Virgin, referendary, delivered this).

 V. Returning now to the construction continued by the Marquis Francesco and then happily completed in 1664 by the Marquis Filippo, it is appropriate for me to say before going into it that in 1652 it was blessed. This was indicated by an itemized list of expenses incurred for a sacred function. In 1653, work began on painting the dome, which cost the painter only 1400 scudi. We will begin our observations with this. This chapel is as beautiful as any other you see in the city. It was built by a private family, the design being by Giovanni Antonio Dosi, a renowned architect. The entirety is covered with fine marble, with fluted low-relief pilasters of the Corinthian order, which are surrounded by a frieze of mixed African marble, and above it an architrave entirely made of marble. There is an altar on the east side that is enriched with semi-precious stone inlays with a panel above depicting the Virgin of the Assumption, which is the work of Alessandro Allori. This can be seen placed in the middle of two grooved marble pillars, which, widening to the cornerstones, leave a small space adorned with mixed marbles divided into different figures. Opposite this altar there is another panel by the same painter, who represented the mystery of the Coronation of the Holy Virgin. On the two side walls are two pillars that are close together, and they enclose two majestic vaults that protrude far outwards. In these, and in other sculptures…

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…comparable to them, one can read the memoirs of singular men of the Niccolini, which we will examine shortly. Above the lateral vaults on the right side, you can see a statue of white marble in a square niche. It is adorned with two small columns of verde antico marble that represent Aaron and are dressed with priestly clothes and ornaments. Toward the left you can see Moses in a similar but very lively pose holding the tablets of the Law. Three other niches remain on the walls (ending in a circle). These contain statues of larger-than-life women that are sculpted, some and others, with rare artistry by Pietro Francavilla Fiammingo. The fourth niche is occupied by the door that leads from the church to the chapel, which is nobly adorned with columns of French red with the coat of arms on the frontispiece. There is also a panel bearing the following inscription:

D. O. M.

SACELLVM HOC A IOANNE NICCOLINIO INCHOATVM FILIPPVS MARCHIO FIL. ILLVSTRAVIT ORNAVIT ATQVE PERFECIT AN DOM. MDCLXIV.

To God, the Best and Greatest This chapel, begun by Giovanni Niccolini, was embellished, adorned, and completed by Filippo, his illustrious son, in the year of Our Lord 1664.

Another inscription is on the same door inside the chapel, and it reads,

DEO ET DIVAE VIRGINI MARIAE IN COELVM ASSVMPTAE IOHANNES NICCOLINIVS ANG. CARD. FIL. HOC A SE CONSTRVCTVM ORNATVMQVE SACELLVM PIE DICAVIT AN. AB EIVSDEM DEIPARAE VIRG. PARTV MDLXXXV.

To God and the Divine Virgin Mary, Assumed into Heaven, Giovanni Niccolini, son of Cardinal Agnolo, piously dedicated this chapel, built and adorned by himself, in the year of the birth of the same Virgin Mother, 1585.

Coming then to consider the design, above the cornice there are arches in the shape of portions of a circle, which then give way to the…

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…windows. In the corners they enclose four sibyls painted in fresco in ready pose, holding onto many panels with prophetic mottos that allude to the triumph of the Virgin of the Assumption herself. Above rises a base decorated with gold and white arabesques, which frame a beautiful marble carving divided by four other smaller square pieces, around which rests a golden frame with small brackets underneath where the oval-shaped dome begins, which is all painted in fresco by Baldassarre Franceschini (called Volterrano). It has a design and coloring highly praised in its most difficult parts. Therefore, not trusting my weak judgement on this very rare painting, I will report what Baldinucci writes about it to Decenn. V. of the P.I. of section V page 396: “When the time came to begin work on the dome of the chapel of Santa Croce, he purposely set himself to that work where he represented Our Lady the Virgin Mary in the act of being crowned by the Most Holy Trinity in Heaven, in which he showed a great number of Angels of marvelous beauty in the act of applauding with the sound of various instruments, and with other beautiful actions at the dignity of such a glorious mystery. The patriarchs and prophets, Saint Joseph (husband of the Virgin), the Saints Anne and Joachim, Saint John the Baptist, Saint James the Elder, Nicodemus, the Good Thief, Joseph of Arimathea, and all those in short, both of the old and the new testaments, are either noted in the sacred papers or included by very grave authors who were then in heaven, all of whom are absorbed in the clarity of that glory and show how great is the joy of their hearts. I would certainly believe I was doing an injustice to the fame that is universally spread throughout Tuscany and Italy of this most noble work if I were to try to celebrate it in words. I will now, but I would leave aside the variety of the invention, the beauty of the expressions, the heads, the majesty of the figures, and the poise and liveliness of the attitudes, and I will only say that, having wanted to depict a Paradise, he was able to combine a very clear light and splendor…

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…by which the whole work is wonderfully absorbed, and he captured such a force and relief in the coloring of all those celestial spirits that it does not seem to me that it can be described, nor even mentally conceived by one who has not seen it. It should be added that because the vault was high and narrow, Volterrano had to make the figures in some places excessively narrow and long with other apparent disproportionate features that were very strange to anyone who could see them as I saw them many, many times from the level of the platform where he was working. When seen from below, they have a wonderful effect on every side. In the four corners below the dome there are also four large figures of females made as sibyls by his hand with certain tablets in their hands where their predictions pertaining to the Virgin are written. The stuccoes, the styles, and the nature of the cornices and arabesques that we can see in the frieze between the windows were also made according to his design.” And here ends the Baldinucci.

 VI. But since the family tombs placed in the majestic marble in this chapel have been mentioned above, it is useful for me to end our lesson here with a brief mention of them. On the left side, under the statue of Moses, one can read two epitaphs, one above the other. The first is of Cardinal Agnolo, who died in 1567, and the second is of Senator Giovanni, son of the Cardinal, who died in 1611. Two others can be seen under the Aronne, and they are of Giovanni di Otto, Archbishop of Amalfi who died in 1504, and of Senator Matteo di Agnolo di Otto, who died in 1541. Opposite the altar there is only one placed there in 1664 by the Marquis Filippo di Giovanni for his brother Francesco, where the year of death is missing, which was 1650. Of these five tombs, the inscriptions are the following, which I had to diligently compare with the originals of the marbles in the chapel, since the same ones, which Gamurrini printed in the praised Genealogical History of the Noble Families of Tuscany, are somewhat incorrect.

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I.

D.O.M.

ANGELO NICOLINIO MATHEI FIL. ANG. NEP. IVRIS CONSVL. AC SENATORI CLARISS. COSMI HETRVR. MAGNI DVCIS CONSILIARIO QVI PRIMO AD PAVLVM III. P. M. ET CAROLVM V. IMPER. LEGATIONIBVS EGREGIE FVNCTVS DEINDE SENARVM GVBERNATIONI PRAEPOSITVS ITEMQVE PISANAE ECCL. ARCHIEP. POSTREMO A PIO IV IN CARD. COLLEGIVM COOPTATVS INTEGRITATEM ET INNOCENTIAM SVAM OMNIBVS PROBAVIT OBIIT AN. SAL. MDLXVII AET. LXVI IOANNES FIL. EX LEGITIMO MATRIMONIO PROCREATVS PATRI OPTIMO POSVIT

To God, the Best and Greatest To Agnolo Niccolini, son of Matheus, nephew of Agnolo, a most illustrious jurist, consul, and senator, counselor to Cosimo, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who first served with distinction as legate to Pope Paul III and Emperor Charles V, then was appointed head of the Senate, and also Archbishop of the Church of Pisa. Finally, he was admitted by Pope Pius IV to the College of Cardinals. He proved his integrity and innocence to all. He died in the year of salvation 1567, aged 66. Giovanni, his son, born from a lawful marriage, set up this monument to his excellent father.

II.

IO. NICOLINIO ANG. CARDINALIS FIL. SENATORI ANTIQVI MORIS ET SPECTATAE PRVDENTIAE VIRO AN.FERME XXIV PRO MAGNIS HETRV. DVCIBVS LEGATIONE APVD SEPTEM SVMM. PONTIFICES DIFICILLIMIS TEMPORIBVS MIRA FIDEI ET DEXTERITATIS COMMENDATIONE FVNCTO FRANCISCVS ABB. VTRIVSQVE SIGN. REFEREND. ET MARCHIO PHILIPPVS PARENTI PIENTISSIMO ET B. M. P. P. VIXIT AN. LXVII M. III D. XVIII OBIIT VIII ID. IVLII MDCXI

To Giovanni Niccolini, son of Cardinal Agnolo, a senator of ancient customs and renowned prudence, who for nearly 24 years served as legate to the great Dukes of Tuscany, at the courts of seven supreme pontiffs during the most difficult times, discharging his duties with admirable faith and skillful prudence. Francesco, Abbot of both Sigilli, Referendary, and Marquis Filippo, set up this monument to their most pious parent and best of fathers. He lived 67 years, 3 months, and 18 days, and died on the 8th day before the Ides of July, 1611.

III.

D. O. M.

IO. NICOLINIO OTHONIS FIL. LAPI NEPOTI QVI OB PRAECLARAM EXCELLENTEMQVE DOCTRINAM SIXTO IV ET IVLIO II. PONTT. MAXX. REGIQVE FERDINANDO ARAGONIQ CHARVS PRIMO AMALPHIT. ARCHIEPISCOPVS DEINDE EPIS. VIRIDVN. POSTREMO ATHENARVM ECCLESIAE ARCHIEP. PRAECLARVM BONITATIS SVAE SPECIMEN DEDIT OBIIT AN. SAL. MDIV ET SVAE LVI IOANNES ANGELl CARDINALIS FIL. GENTILI SVO POSVIT.

To God, the Best and Greatest To Giovanni Niccolini, son of Ottone Lapi, his nephew, who, on account of his distinguished and excellent learning, was dear to Pope Sixtus IV, Julius II, and King Ferdinand of Aragon. First Archbishop of Amalfi, then Bishop of Viriduno, and finally Archbishop of the Church of Athens. He gave a remarkable example of his goodness. He died in the year of salvation 1504, aged 56. Giovanni Agnolo, Cardinal, his son, set this up for his kinsman.

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IV.

MATHEO NlCOLINIO ANG. FIL. OTHONIS NEP. SENATORI AC IVRISCONSVLTO PRAESTANTISSIMO LEGATIONIBVS AD IVLIVM II ET ADRlANVM VI PONTT. MAXX. CVM LAVDE FVNCTO COSMI HETRVRIAE M. DVCIS CONSILIARIO IOANNES NEPOS AVO PIENTISSIMO POSVIT OBIIT AN. SAL. MDXLI AET. SVAE LXIX

To Matteo Niccolini, son of Agnolo, nephew of Ottone, a senator and most outstanding jurist, who served with praise on legations to Julius II and Adrian VI, Supreme Pontiffs, and as counselor to Cosimo, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Giovanni, his grandson, placed this for his most devoted grandfather. He died in the year of salvation 1541, aged 69.

V.

FRANCISCVS NICOLINIVS IO. FIL. SENATOR CAMPILIAE MARCHIO FERDINANDI II. M. D. HETRVRIAE AD VRBANVM VIII XXII ANNOS ORATOR VISV ET AVDITV IVXTA VENERABILIS IRASCI ET SIMVLARE NESCIVS ROMAE VBI MAGNA VIX EMINENT EMICVIT FACILEM PRVDENTEM ET INTEGRVM MAGNVM LIBENTER CREDIDISSES MELIOR EST SAPIENS VIRO FORTI ET SVI DOMINATOR VRBIVM EXPVGNATORE PHILIPPVS NICOLINIVS MARCHIO PONTIS SACCI FR. POSVIT MDCLXIV

Francesco Niccolini, son of Giovanni, senator, Marchese of Campiglia, for 22 years orator of Ferdinand II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, to Urban VIII. In sight and hearing, near the venerable Irasci, and unaware of pretense, in Rome, where he hardly shone brightly, he was easy, prudent, and honest a great man. You would have gladly trusted him. The wise man is better than the strong man and his conqueror of cities. Filippo Niccolini, Marchese of Ponte Sacco, friar, placed this in 1664.

VII. Nor can I fail to report here the Epitaph of the Blessed Lucchese of San Casciano, certainly of the Niccolini family, which can be seen engraved in marble on the external lateral wall of the church of the costa hospital of San Casciano. It reads as follows:

SVB. M. B. C. LXXXIV. ANIS. H. E. HVMAT. LVCCHESE D. PASIGNO. NAT. V. ID. SEB.

C. DNO. REQEV.

The blessed servant of God was of the Sirigatti family, later called Niccolini by Lapo di Niccolino Sirigatti…

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…according to Scipione Àmmirato in the year 1345 of his History. He, son of Arrigo di Buonaguida, is found in various ancient writings of the archive of the Abbey of San Michele di Passignano, reported by the Abbot Don Eugenio Gamurrini on page 508 of his first book of the Noble Families of Tuscany, although with some errors in the dates. In order to know why and how Arrigo took the name of Sirigatto, read Vincenzio Borghini in the second part of his Discourses on pages 28 and 70. It is enough for us to establish that the Blessed Lucchese was the son of Arrigo, which is evident to anyone who reads the aforementioned documents of the aforementioned archive, among which there is one at number 4887, drawn up by Ser Ridolfo in 1250, where the signatures read Lucchese & Ruzza fratres Ser Arrighi de Passignano. Thus, a Lucchese enlightened by God from worldly vanities, took the habit of penance of the third order of St. Francis, and having devoted himself entirely to the spiritual life in the land of San Casciano, he founded and endowed a hospital there, the ownership of which is still enjoyed today by the Lords Marquises Niccolini. In this hospital the blessed Lucchese lived and died, as we have seen from the aforementioned plaque. Nor is it inappropriate to note here my strong doubt that this blessed man could be the one mentioned by Doctor Brocchi in his first Book of Florentine Saints and Blesseds, where the author confuses our Lucchese with another Blessed of similar name buried in Poggibonsi, saying so on page 557: “Blessed Lucchese, a native of San Casciano da Poggibonsi, because his body is buried there, where together with Santa Bona, his wife, died.” We will wait for the edition of his Second Volume to judge my doubt or, rather, conjecture. Here, placing as a conclusion the interpretation of the above-mentioned epitaph engraved in Gothic characters, we read thus:

SVB MILLE BIS CENTVM OCTOGINTA QVATVOR ANNIS HIC EST HVMATVS LVCCHESE DE PASSINIANO NATVS V IDVS SEPTEMBRIS CVM DOMINO REQVIEVIT

Under the year one thousand two hundred eighty-four, here is buried a Luccan, from Passignano, born on the 5th Ides of September, who rested with the Lord.