Santa Maria Novella: Masaccio's Trinity and the painted chapels
Most people see only the back of this church, from the station forecourt. The front, on its own square, is one of the great façades of the Renaissance, and behind it is a small history of Florentine painting from Giotto to Filippino Lippi.
- What it is
- Church
- Time to allow
- 1 to 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Ticket
- Best time
- Late morning, when the light comes through the east windows
Florence this week
Why Santa Maria Novella is worth it
The Dominicans built the church in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and the rich families of the quarter filled it with chapels. In 1470 Leon Battista Alberti finished the front for the Rucellai, in green and white marble, joining the tall nave to the low aisles with two great scrolls. Churches all over Europe copied the idea.
On the left wall of the nave is the painting that changed everything after it. Masaccio's Trinity, of about 1427, shows a chapel that seems to open into the wall behind a crucified Christ: the first time a painter used the new science of perspective to full effect. At the foot lies a skeleton with a line of warning: I was once what you are, and what I am you will become.
Hanging in the middle of the nave is the Crucifix Giotto painted as a young man, with a body that has weight. Behind the altar, Ghirlandaio covered the Tornabuoni Chapel with the lives of the Virgin and of John the Baptist, set in the streets and bedrooms of Florence in the 1480s and peopled with the family that paid for them.
What to see
Masaccio's Trinity
Stand about six metres back, where the painter meant you to stand, and the vault recedes. He was about twenty-five when he painted it and died a year or so later.
The Tornabuoni Chapel
Ghirlandaio and his workshop painted it between 1485 and 1490. The women in gold brocade calling on Saint Anne are portraits of the women of the banker's family.
Giotto's Crucifix
More than five metres high, hung where it was first meant to hang, above the nave.
The Strozzi Chapel and Brunelleschi's Crucifix
Filippino Lippi's frescoes of saints and monsters, wild and crowded, to the right of the altar. To the left, in the Gondi Chapel, is the only wooden sculpture known by Brunelleschi.
The Spanish Chapel
Off the Green Cloister: a chapter house frescoed in the 1360s by Andrea di Bonaiuto, with the Dominicans as black and white dogs guarding the flock of the faithful.
The friars' pharmacy
Round the corner in Via della Scala, the perfumery the Dominicans opened to the public in 1612 still sells soaps and scents in frescoed rooms. It is free to walk through.
How to do it well
- The visitors' entrance is through the old cemetery on the right of the façade. The ticket covers the church, the cloisters and the museum.
- The hours for visitors change with the day of the week and with services, and the church closes early some afternoons. Check the day on its own site.
- Shoulders and knees must be covered.
- Allow an hour, and a quarter of an hour more for the pharmacy.
- If you have a train to catch, this is the one great sight within three minutes of the platforms.
Where it is
Address
Piazza di Santa Maria Novella 18, opposite the railway station
Nearest station
Santa Maria Novella station, two minutes on foot
Museums and sights nearby
- Medici Chapels350 m
- Florence Cathedral550 m
- Accademia Gallery800 m
- Ponte Vecchio800 m
Distances are in a straight line.
Tickets and tours: Santa Maria Novella
Santa Maria Novella: common questions
- What is Santa Maria Novella famous for?
- Its marble façade by Alberti, Masaccio's fresco of the Trinity, Giotto's painted Crucifix and Ghirlandaio's frescoes in the Tornabuoni Chapel.
- Do you need a ticket for Santa Maria Novella?
- Yes, to visit. The ticket covers the basilica, the cloisters, the Spanish Chapel and the museum. The church is open without charge for prayer and for services.
- How long does Santa Maria Novella take?
- About an hour for the church and the cloisters.
- How much time do you need for Santa Maria Novella?
- Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.
What visitors say about Santa Maria Novella
Rating from Google
Things to do near Santa Maria Novella
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 10Stand among Michelangelo's tombs in the Medici Chapels350 m awayMonument, 45 to 75 minutes, ticket
- 15Eat your way through the Mercato Centrale350 m awayWalk, 1 to 2 hours, free to enter, pay for what you eat
- 17Find the Medici in the Chapel of the Magi500 m awayMonument, 45 to 75 minutes, ticket
- 3Climb Brunelleschi's dome on the Duomo550 m awayChurch, 2 to 3 hours, cathedral free, ticket for the dome
Artists to see near Santa Maria Novella
The museums nearest to here, and the most famous artists on show in each.
Medici Chapels, 350 m away
Florence Cathedral, 550 m away
Where to eat near Santa Maria Novella
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Cantinetta Antinori4.5Restaurant, Via de' Tornabuoni250 m away
- Buca Lapi4.5Restaurant, Via de' Tornabuoni250 m away
- Buca Mario4.4Restaurant, Santa Maria Novella250 m away
- Trattoria Sostanza4.5Trattoria, Santa Maria Novella300 m away
Hotels near Santa Maria Novella
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- The Place Firenze4.5Five-star hotel, Santa Maria Novella200 m away
- Helvetia & Bristol4.7Five-star hotel, Palazzo Strozzi400 m away
- The Excelsior4.7Five-star hotel, Piazza Ognissanti400 m away
- The St. Regis Florence4.8Five-star hotel, Piazza Ognissanti450 m away