Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The
Legend of the True Cross
Almost from the start of Christianity, the cross upon which Jesus was cru-
cified was thought to possess mystic powers, as if sanctified by the spirit
of God. Crusaders sought it out almost as fiercely as the Holy Grail, and
enough alleged pieces of the True Cross appeared throughout Europe to
create not only a few crosses, but Noah's ark, the tower of Babel, and a
boardwalk around Jerusalem.
The legend, as detailed in della Francesca's fresco, goes like this—top
to bottom, right to left:
1.
Seth, the son of Adam, plants a sprig of the tree of knowledge in his
dead father's mouth.
2.
(diagonally from the top) Workmen for King Solomon take part of the
tree to use for a bridge.
3.
King Solomon constructs the bridge, which the Queen of Sheba recog-
nizes as holy and prophesies that the wood will be used to crucify Jesus.
4.
(diagonally from 3) Constantine has a vision of the cross. Constantine
holds out a minicross while leading his troops in battle.
5.
(across from 4) The Annunciation, in which an angel tells Mary she
will bear the son of God. Doesn't really have anything to do with the
cross legend, but an Annunciation painting is always nice.
6.
Judas is tortured by being lowered into a well until he tells where the
cross is.
7.
(to the left of 6) St. Helena (and her trusty dwarf) directs her peo-
ple to dig up the cross, and it promptly causes the miracle of resur-
recting a man.
8.
(below 7) A dramatic battle scene shows Heraclius defeating the
Persian king Chosroes, who stole the cross and will be beheaded on
the right.
9.
(above 8) Heraclius returns the cross with great acclaim to
Jerusalem, where people wear clothes oddly similar to those of 15th-
century Tuscany.
church,
€
6 for entry to chapel; 9am-7pm, Nov-Mar and weekends closes 6pm).
The fresco, painted on 12 panels in the 1450s, details the long story of the wood
of the cross that crucified Jesus (see “The
Legend of the True Cross,
” above). Its
fame derives from its vivid colors, the use of perspective, and the realistic (for that
time) setting of the scenes. The tourist board recommends calling the above num-
ber or using the website to make ticket reservations to view the fresco, but on my
last visit there were few tourists, and I was able to enter easily. There is an official
30-minute time limit for viewing the fresco.
Arezzo's
Duomo
(Piazza del Duomo;
%
0575-23991; daily 7am-12:30pm
and 3-6:30pm)
gets short shrift in the shadow of Francesca's mural, but it's worth
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