Monday 28 September 2015

My 3 day Italy trip - Firenze, Church of Santa Maria Novella - Cappella Maggiori frescoes and stained glass windows, Cappella Gondi and Cappella Gaddi -The 19th of September 2015



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Having got off at the Central train station we risked visiting the Gothic church of Santa Maria Novella, well known for containing some of the most important works of Art in Florence. It is said to have been built by the Dominicans from 1279 to 1357.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We walked in through the side walls' entrance of the old cemetery into the courtyard and then the main nave, whose piers spaced closer at the east end created the illusion of an exceptionally long church. I started visiting it from the right hand-side and photographing anything that caught my attention.





















The Capella Maggiori was particularly impressive with its frescoed ceiling and walls by Domenico Ghirlandaio depicting scenes from both the life of Sain John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary.
 





Mary visits Saint Elizabeth


























St. Joaquim is driven from the temple (left). The birth of Mary (right).










The Massacre of the innocents (left). The wedding of Mary and John (right).








 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We then walked into the Cappella Gondi with a wooden crucifix dating from the early 16th century and a frescoed ceiling depicting the four Evangelist attributed to the Florentine school dating from 1270-1280.








From it we walked into the Gaddi Cappella with an amazingly beautiful frescoed ceiling with stories from the life of Saint Jerome with the Virtues and other allegorical figures. 



















The ressurection of the daughter of Jairus dating from 1570-72









(To be continued)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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