Santa Croce is offering the visitors a unique gift: until April 23, every Saturday, there will be special visits to see the frescoes of the Bardi Chapel before the opening of the restoration site which will last three years!
Giotto has a strait connection with St. Francis, whose life was rigorous and fascinatingly narrated by the artist in his works inside Santa Croce, where a path was designed for this once in a lifetime experience, focused on the intense relationship between Giotto and the basilica, specially at the Bardi, Peruzzi and Baroncelli Chaples.
This last one holds the majestic polyptych depicting the Coronation of the Virgin between angels and saints, one of the three works signed by the artist.
The special visits are free, last about 30 minutes and are held on Saturdays at 11 am and 3 pm, with a maximum of 20 participants.
Booking is mandatory, and the visitors can do it online or at the ticket office of the monumental complex, based on the availability of places. The guided tour service is free and does not include the entrance ticket, which is free for residents of the Municipality of Florence.
The Bardi Chapel
The chapel is dedicated to St. Francis and the name come from its patrons, the Bardi, powerful bankers of the Florentine society of the 13th and 14th centuries. The architectural structure dates back to the first phase of construction of the current church, from 1295 to 1310.
It is believed that the decoration was commissioned by Ridolfo de ‘Bardi to Giotto, who painted it, certainly after 1317 and perhaps by 1321, summarizing the Stories of St. Francis in seven scenes: three per wall, to which is added the panel with the Stigmata above the arch visible only from the transept.
The restoration of the “Stories of St. Francis” is a unique opportunity to learn the secrets of Giotto and his choices regarding the techniques of mural painting.
Photo: Giotto, “St. Francis preaching before the sultan (Trial by fire)”, scene from the “Stories of St. Francis”, c. 1317-1321, fresco. Florence, Santa Croce, right transept, Bardi chapel