by Grant Allen
The Franciscans were a body of popular preachers. Hence, in their church, the immense nave, which includes the pulpit, was especially important. It was designed to accommodate large numbers of hearers. But its width and empty spaces also gave free room for many burials; whence Santa Croce became one of the principal churches in Florence for interments. In time, it grew to be the recognised Pantheon or “Westminster Abbey” of the town, where men of literary, scientific, or political importance were laid to rest: and its numerous monuments have thus a sentimental interest for those who care for such memorials. But it would be a great mistake to regard Santa Croce entirely or even mainly from the point of view of a national Walhalla, as is too often done by tourists. Its real interest lies rather in the two points noted above, and in the admirable works of art with which it is so abundantly supplied, especially in the chapels of the various great families who favoured the order.
The general design is by Arnolfo di Cambio, who at the same time was employed in designing the Cathedral. Begun, 1294; finished, 1442. It is the best museum for the Florentine art of the fourteenth century.
See it by morning light. Choose a bright morning; go past the Cathedral and the Signoria, and then dive down the narrow Borgo de’ Greci, through the tangled streets of the Old Town, — which note as characteristic, — till you arrive at the Piazza Santa Croce. In the centre of the square stands a modern statue of Dante, turning his back on the church which he never really saw. Its walls were only rising a few feet high when the poet was banished from Florence.
CHURCH OF SANTA CROCE AND STATUE OF DANTE.
Proceed first to the north side of the church, to view the exterior of the mediæval building, now much obscured by the later Renaissance loggia. Little of the primitive design is at present visible. Notice the bare brick architecture, intended to be later incased in marble. Observe also the smallness, infrequency, and height from the ground of the windows, and the extreme difference in this respect from the vast stained-glass-containing arches of northern Gothic. Here, the walls themselves support most of the weight, instead of leaving it to buttresses as in France and England. This wealth of wall, however, with the smallness of the windows, permits of the large development of fresco-painting within, which is characteristic of Italian buildings: it also allows room for the numerous monuments. Note at the same time the short transept and small rose window.
Now, go around again to the front. The façade, long left unfinished, was encrusted with marble in 1857, by the munificence of Mr. Sloane, an Englishman, after a Renaissance design, said to be by Cronaca, modified by the modern architect, N. Matas. The nave and aisles have separate gables. Notice, throughout, the frequent occurrence of the Holy Cross, sustained over the main gable by two angels; flanked, on the two lesser gables, by the Alpha and Omega; and reappearing many times elsewhere in the general decoration. The modern reliefs over the doors represent, on the left, the Discovery of the True Cross (Sarrocchi); in the centre, the Adoration of the Cross (Dupré); on the right, the Cross appearing in Heaven to Constantine, and so imposing itself as the symbol of the official religion of the Roman Empire, (Zucchi). Observe the fine Renaissance work of the doorways, with the Alpha and Omega again displayed. High up on the front, over the rose window, is the monogram IHS, introduced by the great Franciscan saint, San Bernardino di Siena. His original example is preserved within. The right side of the church is enclosed by the former buildings of the monastery.
Now, enter the church. The interior is at first sight bare and simple to the degree of positive disappointment. The Franciscans, vowed to poverty, were not a wealthy body. Begin by walking up the centre of the nave, to observe the simple aisles (with no side chapels), the short transepts, the impressive but by no means large Gothic choir (of Arnolfo’s period), and the ten chapels, built out from the transept, as in continuation or doubling of the choir, all of which are characteristic features of this age of Italian Gothic. Each of these chapels was the property of some great mediæval family, such as the Bardi or the Peruzzi. Observe also the plain barn-like wooden roof, so different from the beautiful stone vaulting of northern cathedrals. Architecturally, this very simple interior is severe but interesting.
Now, go down again to the door by which you entered, and proceed along the right aisle, to observe the various objects it contains in detail.
I will dwell upon the monuments very briefly, as mere excrescences upon the original building.
Michael Angelo Buonarotti is buried below on the right; died at Rome, 1564. The general design of the monument is by Vasari; bust by Battista Lorenzi; figure of Architecture by Giovanni dell’Opera; Painting by Lorenzi; Sculpture by Cioli. Pretentious and feeble.
By the pillar on the left, a *Madonna and Child (Madonna del Latte), part of the monument of Francesco Nori, by Antonio Rossellino, fifteenth century, is extremely beautiful.
On the right is Dante’s cenotaph. The poet is buried at Ravenna.
To the left, on a column, stands the famous *pulpit, by Benedetto da Majano, said to be the most beautiful in Italy, though far inferior in effect to that of Niccolò Pisano at Pisa. Its supports are of delicate Renaissance work. The subjects of the reliefs (Franciscan, of course) are, the Confirmation of the Franciscan order, the burning of immoral books, St. Francis receiving the Stigmata, Death of St. Francis, and Martyrdom of Franciscan Saints. Notice the hand holding out the Holy Cross from the pulpit, here more appropriate than elsewhere. The statuettes beneath represent Faith, Hope, Charity, Courage, and Justice.
On the right, opposite it, is the monument of Alfieri, erected for his mistress, the Countess of Albany, by Canova.
Here also are memorials of Macchiavelli, died 1527: monument erected in 1787; and Lanzi, the historian of art.
A fresco, by Andrea del Castagno, with St. John the Baptist, as patron saint of Florence, and St. Francis, as representing the present church and order, alone now remains of all the frescoes of the nave, cleared away by the Goths of the seventeenth century.
INTERIOR OF SANTA CROCE.
Near it is an exquisite * *Annunciation by Donatello, of pietra serena, gilt, in a charming Renaissance frame; perhaps the most beautiful object in the whole church. Notice the speaking positions of the angel and Our Lady, the usual book and prie-dieu, and the exquisite shrinking timidity of the Madonna’s attitude. This is worth all the tombs put together.
Over the door is the Meeting of St. Francis and St. Dominic. Compare with the Della Robbia at the Hospital of San Paolo, near Santa Maria Novella.
A beautiful Renaissance tomb of Leonardo Bruni, by Bernardo Rossellino, presents a model afterward much imitated, especially at Venice.
Turn the corner into the right transept. The first chapel on your right, that of the Holy Sacrament, is covered with much-defaced frescoes by Agnolo Gaddi. Recollect that this church is the great place for studying the early Giottesque fresco-painters: first, Giotto; then his pupil, Taddeo Gaddi; next, Taddeo’s pupils, Agnolo Gaddi and Giovanni da Milano. (See Kugler.) On the right wall are represented the lives of St. Nicholas (first bay) and St. John the Baptist (second bay). The most distinct of these frescoes are, first, St. Nicholas appearing in a storm at sea (or, restoring the nobleman his drowned son); and, second, the Baptism of Christ; but some of the others can be faintly recognised, as at the top, the figure of St. Nicholas throwing the three purses of gold as dowries into the window of the poor nobleman with three starving daughters. (See Mrs. Jameson.) The walls here show well the way in which these frescoes were defaced by later additions. On the left wall are frescoed the lives of St. John the Evangelist and St. Anthony, also by Agnolo Gaddi. The scene of the Temptation of St. Anthony is the best preserved of these. Against the pilasters stand life-sized terra-cotta statues of our Franciscan lights, St. Francis and St. Bernardino, by the Della Robbia. On the left wall is the monument of the Countess of Albany.
TADDEO GADDI. — PRESENTATION OF THE VIRGIN.
At the end wall of the right transept is a good Gothic
monument of the fourteenth century with reliefs of Christ, the Madonna and St. John, and a Madonna and Child in fresco above, and exquisite little *sculptured angels of the school of Pisa. The chapel of the right transept, known as the Cappella Baroncelli, contains admirable * *frescoes from the life of the Virgin, by Taddeo Gaddi. These should all be carefully studied. On the left wall, beginning from above (as always here), in the first tier, Joachim is expelled by the High Priest from the temple, his offering being rejected because he is childless; watching his flocks, he perceives the angel who foretells the birth of the Virgin. Notice the conventional symbolical open temple. (Read the legend later in Mrs. Jameson.) In the second tier, on the left, is the meeting of Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate; the servant behind carries, as usual, the rejected offering. On the right is the Birth of the Virgin, the child, as always, being washed in the foreground. Observe closely the conventional arrangement, which will reappear in later pictures. In the third tier, on the left, is the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple by St. Joachim and St. Anna; the young Madonna stands on a single flight of steps (wrongly restored above). Carefully study all the details of this fresco, with its Romanesque or early Gothic architecture and round arches, for comparison with the Giovanni da Milano of the same subject, which we will see later. (At three years old, the Virgin was consecrated to the service of God by Joachim and Anna.) On the right is the Marriage of the Virgin; the High Priest joining her hand to Joseph’s, whose staff has budded, in accordance with the legend. (All were placed in the Holy of Holies, as in the case of Aaron; and he whose staff budded was to wed the Virgin.) Observe the disappointed suitors breaking their staffs, etc. All the incidents are stereotyped. This picture should be carefully noted for comparison both with the Giovanni da Milano here, and with other representations of the Sposalizio elsewhere (e. g. the Raphael at Milan). I strongly advise very long and close study of these frescoes (some of which are imitated directly from Giotto’s in the Madonna dell’Arena at Padua), for comparison both with those originals and with the later imitations by Giovanni da Milano. They cast a flood of light upon the history and evolution of art. Each figure and detail will help you to understand other pictures you will see hereafter. It is a good plan to get photographs of the series, published by Alinari in the Via Tornabuoni, and look at the one series (Gaddi’s), with the photographs of the other (Giovanni’s) in your hands. You cannot over-estimate the importance of such comparison. In the two Presentations, for example, almost every group is reproduced exactly.
On the window wall, above, is an Annunciation on the left; on the right is a Visitation; notice the loggia in the background. These are also most illustrative compositions. In the second tier, on the left, the angel appears to the shepherds; on the right is the Nativity. In the third tier, on the left, the Star appears to the Wise Men; on the right is the Adoration of the Magi. Notice the ages of the Three Kings, representing, as always, the three ages of man, and also the three old continents — Europe, Asia, Africa. Observe the very Giottesque Madonna and Child. This fresco should be compared with the Giotto at Padua.
On the right wall is a fresco by Mainardi: the Madonna ascending in a mandorla, escorted by angels from her tomb, which is filled with roses, drops the Sacred Girdle (Sacra Cintola), now preserved at Prato, to St. Thomas below. (Go to Prato to see it, in order to understand the numerous Sacra Cintola pictures in Florence; and read in Mrs. Jameson, under head, St. Thomas.)
To the left of this chapel is the door leading to the Sacristy. At the end of the corridor is the Cappella Medici, erected by Michelozzo for Cosimo de’ Medici. It contains many beautiful objects. On the right wall is a *marble ciborium, by Mino da Fiesole, with charming angels and an inscription: “This is the living bread which came down from heaven;” also a Giottesque Coronation of the Virgin with four saints — conspicuous among them, Peter and Lawrence. Over the tomb of Lombardi are a beautiful *Madonna and angels of the school of Donatello. On the end wall is our patron, St. Francis with the Stigmata. Over the altar is an exquisite * *terra-cotta of the school of Della Robbia, attributed to Luca, a Madonna being crowned by angels, and attended on the left by St. John the Baptist as representing Florence, and on the right by St. Lawrence (for Lorenzo de’ Medici), St. Francis (for this Franciscan church), and St. Louis of Toulouse, the great Franciscan bishop. On the left wall is a famous Coronation of the Virgin, by Giotto, tender in execution, but in his stiffest panel style. It is regarded as a touchstone for his critics. Very graceful faces; crowded composition. Beyond it, notice the Madonna and Child by the Della Robbia, and, over the doorway, a Pietà, by the same, in a frame of fruit. Notice these lovely late fifteenth century majolica objects, frequent in Florence. All the works in this very Franciscan chapel of the Medici, indeed, deserve close inspection. Notice their coat of arms (the pills) over the arch of the altar and elsewhere. It will meet you often in Florence.
CHAPTER III.
THE SACRISTY AND THE CHAPELS.
Returning along the corridor, to the right, you come to the Sacristy, containing many curious early works, all of which should be noted, such as the Crucifix bowing to San Giovanni Gualberto as he pardons the murderer of his brother, in the predella of an altar-piece by Orcagna, to the left as you enter. The right wall has frescoes of the Passion, by Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, of which the Resurrection, with its sleeping soldiers, mandorla (or almond-shaped glory), and red cross on white banner, is highly typical. Study all these for their conventional features. Notice also the fine roof, and the intarsia-work of the seats and boxes.
A beautiful iron railing of 1371 separates the Sacristy from the Cappella Rinuccini, containing on the left wall, *frescoes of the life of the Madonna by Giovanni da Milano, the close similarity of which to those by his master, Taddeo Gaddi, already observed, should be carefully noticed. The subjects are the same; the treatment is very slightly varied, but pointed arches replace the round ones. At the summit is Joachim expelled from the Temple. In the second tier, on the left, the angel appears to Joachim, and Joachim and Anna meet at the Golden Gate; on the right is the Birth of the Virgin; study the attitudes and note the servant bringing in the roast chicken, St. Anne washing her hands, etc., of all which motives (older by centuries) imitations occur in such later representations of the same scene as Ghirlandajo’s at Santa Maria Novella. In the third tier on the left, is the Presentation in the Temple, with Gothic instead of Romanesque arcade and the steps indicating how those in the Taddeo Gaddi originally ran. (Do not omit to compare these two by means of photographs.) On the right is the Marriage of the Virgin. These two last are specially favourable examples for observing the close way in which Giottesque painters reproduced one another’s motives. I advise you to spend some hours at least in studying and comparing the frescoes of this chapel and the Baroncelli.
On the right wall are scenes from the life of Mary Magdalen, to whom this chapel is dedicated. At the summit she washes the feet of Christ; notice the seven devils escaping from the roof. In the second tier, on the left, is Christ in the house of Mary and Martha; observe Martha’s quaintly speaking attitude; on the right is the Resurrection of Lazarus. In the third tier, on the left, are Christ and the Magdalen in the garden, with the women and angels at the tomb; on the right is a miracle of the Magdalen in Provence (see Mrs. Jameson): she restores to life the wife of a nobleman of Marseilles — a very long story. This fresco is to my mind obviously by another hand: it lacks the simplicity and force of Giovanni. Observe also the fine altar-piece, with the Madonna and Child, flanked by St. John the Baptist and St. Francis, as representing Florence and the Franciscan order; then, St. John the Evangelist, and Mary Magdalen, patroness of the chapel; and, in the predella, scenes from their lives.
Emerge from the Sacristy. Now take the chapels in line with the choir. The first chapel contains faded frescoes, said to be of the age of Cimabue (more likely by a pupil of Giotto), representing the combat of St. Michael and the Devils, which seem to have suggested the admirable Spinello
Aretino of the same subject in the National Gallery in London.
The second chapel is uninteresting; the third chapel, of the Bonaparte family, tawdry.
The fourth chapel, the Cappella Peruzzi (called, like the others, after the family of the owners), contains the famous frescoes by Giotto, from the lives of the two St. Johns. On the left wall is the life of St. John the Baptist, the patron of Florence. In the upper tier, the angel appears to Zacharias. In the second tier, on the right, is the Birth of the Baptist; on the left he is presented to Zacharias, who writes down “His name is John.” In the third tier, Herodias’s daughter receives his head, and presents it to her mother. The attitude of the player, and the arrangement of the king’s table reappear in many later compositions. Look out for them hereafter. On the right wall is the life of St. John the Evangelist. At the summit he has the vision of the Apocalypse in a quaintly symbolical isle of Patmos. In the second tier he raises Drusiana, an admirable opportunity for the study of Giotto’s style of drapery. The St. John in this fresco already contains premonitions of Masaccio and even of Raphael. In the third tier, he is taken up into heaven by Christ in clouds, accompanied by the Patriarchs: a magnificent dramatic composition. These frescoes, which represent the maturest work of Giotto’s manhood, should be closely studied in every detail. Spend many hours over them. Though far less attractive than his naïve earlier work in the Madonna dell’Arena at Padua, they yet display greater mastery of drawing and freedom of movement. Do not let one visit suffice for them. Compare them again and again with photographs from the Arena, and look out for imitations by later painters. Do not overlook the altar-piece, by Andrea del Sarto. It represents the two great plague-saints — San Rocco and St. Sebastian. The Franciscans were great nursers of the plague-stricken, and this altar was one where vows were offered for recovery.
