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| Basilica of San Francesco, Arezzo | |
|---|---|
 Façade of the church | |
 Basilica of San Francesco, Arezzo | |
| 43°27′52.20″N11°52′50.88″E / 43.4645000°N 11.8808000°E /43.4645000; 11.8808000 | |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Francis of Assisi |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Fra Giovanni da Pistoia |
| Groundbreaking | 1290 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Florence |
| Diocese | Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro |
TheBasilica of San Francesco is a late Medieval church inArezzo,Tuscany,Italy, dedicated toSt Francis of Assisi. It is especially renowned for housing in thechancel the fresco cycleLegends of the True Cross byPiero della Francesca.
San Francesco is the second church built by theFranciscans in Arezzo, an earlier church being located outside the city walls and destroyed during theOccupation. The building work on San Francesco was begun around 1290. The decoration of its façade was never realised.
The interior presents as a large church of simple unadorned design with a wide singlenave, flanked on the left side by some chapels and, on the right side, by some niches. The tall groin-vaulted chancel is of square plan.[1]
Beneath the church is a smallerChiesa inferiore or "Lower Church" as at Assisi, with a nave and two aisles, now used as exhibition hall.
At the chancel entrance is suspended a very large painted rood crucifix by one Master of San Francesco, a contemporary ofCimabue. It also contains aMaesta or "Madonna in Majesty" byGuido da Siena.
The walls and particularly the niches on the right have some fresco decoration, which dates in part to the 14th century.
TheCappella Maggiore, (Major Chapel or chancel) houses one of the masterworks of ItalianEarly Renaissance, a fresco cycle byPiero della Francesca depicting theLegend of theTrue Cross.
The painting of the chancel began with a commission by the Aretine family Bicci, who called the painterBicci di Lorenzo to paint the large cross-vault. In 1452, at Bicci's death, only the fourEvangelists had been painted in the vault, as well as the triumphal arch with theLast Judgement and twoDoctors of the Church.
Piero della Francesca was called in to complete the work. According to a document, he did so in two stages, the works halted during 1458-1459, and completed in 1466.[2]
The frescoes occupy three levels on the side walls and the eastern wall, surrounding a large window. The theme of the fresco cycle is theGolden Legend byJacobus de Voragine. Piero della Francesca did not follow a chronological order, preferring to concentrate himself in the creation of symmetrical correspondences between the various scenes.
The episodes depicted are the following:
On the walls of the chancel arch are frescoes which depict: an angel,Cupid, St. Louis,St. Peter,St. Augustine andSt. Ambrose.
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