Florence - Florence and Tuscany - page 142

Behind the main altar itself are the highlights of the interior - Domenico Ghirlandaio's
series of frescoes in the Cappella Maggiore. Relating the lives of the Virgin Mary, these vi-
brant frescoes were painted between 1485 and 1490, and are notable for their depiction of
Florentine life during the Renaissance. They feature portraits of Ghirlandaio's contempor-
aries and members of the Tornabuoni family, who commissioned them.
To the far left of the altar, up a short flight of stairs, is the Cappella Strozzi di Mantova,
covered in wonderful 14th-century frescoes by Niccolò di Tommaso and Nardo di Cione.
The fine altarpiece (1354-57) here was painted by the latter's brother Andrea, better
known as Andrea Orcagna.
From the church, walk through a side door into the serenly beautiful Chiostro Verde
(Green Cloister; 1332-62), part of the vast monastical complex occupied by Dominican
friars who arrived in Florence in 1219 and settled in Santa Maria Novella two years later.
The tranquil cloister takes its name from the green earth base used for the frescoes on
three of the cloister's four walls. On its north side is the spectacular Cappellone degli
Spagnoli (Spanish Chapel), originally the friars' chapter house and named such in 1566
when it was given to the Spanish colony in Florence. The tiny chapel is covered in ex-
traordinary frescoes (c 1365-67) by Andrea di Bonaiuto. The vault features depictions of
the Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost, and on the altar wall are scenes of the Via Do-
lorosa, Crucifixion and Descent into Limbo. On the right wall is a huge fresco of The Mil-
itant and Triumphant Church - look in the foreground for a portrait of Cimabue, Giotto,
Boccaccio, Petrarch and Dante. Other frescoes in the chapels depict the Triumph of Chris-
tian Doctrine, 14 figures symbolising the Arts and Sciences, and the Life of St Peter.
By the side of the chapel, a passage leads into the Chiostro dei Morti (Cloister of the
Dead), a cemetery existent well before the arrival of the Dominicans to Santa Maria
Novella. The tombstones embedded in the walls and floor date to the 13th and 14th cen-
turies.
On the west side of the Chiostro Verde, another passage leads to the 14th-century Cap-
pella degli Ubriachi and a large refectory featuring ecclesiastical relics and a 1583 Last Sup-
per by Alessandro Allori. Both are currently closed for renovation.
There are two entrances to the Santa Maria Novella complex: the main entrance to the
basilica or through the tourist office opposite the train station on Via de' Partzani; Firenze
Card holders are obliged to use the latter.

Chiesa d'Ognissanti
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