This cathedral contains the tombs of two artistic greats – Michelangelo and Galileo. The cathedral itself is really attractive with huge canvas paintings on both main walls, plus some fabulously decorated chapels. Your entry fee also covers the cloisters, a really pretty Renaissance chapel, and a museum. If you haven’t got time to enter Santa Croce, we’d still recommend calling by to see the marble frontage of the church and the Piazza di Santa Croce which is lined with bars and trattorias. This is an extract from our free Florence City Guide.
The tomb of Michelangelo at Santa Croce Cathedral, Florence
Santa Croce is one of those churches that doesn’t look much on the outside but is a real surprise when you get inside! Before we entered we even debated whether it would be worth the adult entrace fee of 5 Euros (2011 prices) but we can assure you that it is. The most striking part of the cathedral is the area of painted chapels to the right of the altar.
The frescoes in one of the chapels at Santa Croce, Florence
The frescoes in this part of the church are truly beautiful and once you start to look at the pictures and what they depict, you’ll end up standing for a long time just marvelling at them. Also, if you head through the door at this point you’ll find a vestry or robing room which is lined with historic books and again is beautifully decorated. You return from this area into the main body of the church where you can look at the two tombs mentioned above and also the large oil paintings which line both main walls.
The walls of Santa Croce cathedral are lined with paintings
When you exit the church, you’ll find a pretty grassed area and then the entrance to the Renaissance chapel. This chapel is so peaceful to sit in and the ceiling really drew our attention. Next you come to a courtyard where you’ll find the entrance to the museum.
The attractive courtyard by the entrance to the Santa Croce museum
Inside the museum you’ll find more paintings and artworks that belong to the church along with examples of restoration of the building over the years. The museum ends in another chapel where you’ll also find several large oil paintings of superb quality. We particularly liked this one…
One of the huge paintings in the museum at Santa Croce, Florence
LOCATION & CONTACT
Santa Croce Basilica is open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm and on Sundays from 1pm to 5.30pm. Adult admission is 5 Euros (2011 prices). We’ve marked the location of Santa Croce correctly on the map below, however Google haven’t!
Address: Santa Croce Basilica, Piazza Santa Croce 16, Florence, Italy
Tel: +39 055 246 61 05
MORE ON SANTA CROCE BASILICA
Hotels near Santa Croce – Best price guarantee from Hotel.com
Florence Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tour – Stops at Santa Croce
Florence Full Day Tour - Includes a visit to Santa Croce piazza
More Florence Tours – From our Tours & Activities pages
Florence Guide Books – Amazon.co.uk (UK)
Florence Guide Books – Amazon.com (USA & Canada)
