Basilica of Santa Maria Novella

Santa Maria Novella stands in Florence as a Dominican church and one of Tuscany’s most important Romano-Gothic buildings. Its construction began in 1290 and lasted nearly two centuries, finally reaching completion in the 15th century. The church’s façade combines white and green marble in striking geometric patterns, with the upper section designed by Leon Battista Alberti in the Renaissance style. Inside, the vast nave stretches over 100 metres, its black-and-white polychrome arches creating an austere yet grand atmosphere. The church also holds two groundbreaking artworks: Giotto’s Crucifix, which redefined depictions of Christ on the cross, and Masaccio’s Holy Trinity, the first monumental Renaissance painting to use linear perspective. The church’s history reflects Florence’s wealth and artistic ambition. Wealthy families funded its construction and adornment, securing funerary chapels within its walls. The Dominicans began with a modest oratory in 1221, later expanding into a grand church outside the city’s medieval walls. Pope Eugene IV consecrated it in 1420, and in 1919 it was elevated to a minor basilica. The façade’s lower section, clad in marble from Prato, took over six centuries to finish, while Alberti’s upper design introduced classical proportions and innovative scrolls that influenced churches across Italy. Inside, visitors find a T-shaped basilica with a nave, two aisles, and a transept, its Gothic vaults and stained-glass windows dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The pulpit, commissioned by the Rucellai family and crafted by Brunelleschi’s workshop, marks a key moment in art history. Masaccio’s Holy Trinity remains a landmark of early Renaissance painting, while the tomb of the Blessed Villana and the Gaddi Chapel showcase later Florentine craftsmanship. The church’s astronomical instruments, added by Ignazio Danti, once helped refine the calendar, linking science and faith in its walls.