Description of the attraction
Basilica of San Francesco is one of the most famous churches in Arezzo, famous for its frescoes on the theme of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord by Pietro della Francesca.
There was once another church in Arezzo dedicated to Saint Francis, but it was destroyed by enemy armies. Therefore, in 1290, the commune turned to the Franciscan order with a request to build a new temple in the city. For these purposes, a certain Ildino Cacciaconti presented the order with a building in Arezzo, which he himself could not use, since he was in exile. It is believed that the architect of the church was Giovanni da Pistoia, whose name appears in 14th century parchment. In the same 14th century, a resident of Arezzo Monna Tessa donated a certain amount of money to the temple for finishing the facade, since it remained unfinished, but these funds were only enough for finishing the basement - in this form the Basilica of San Francesco has survived to this day. In the 15th century, a number of chapels were built on the left side of the church, and a bell tower was erected around 1600. In front of the church building is Piazza San Francesco with monuments to the mathematician Vittorio Fossombroni and Pasquale Romaneli.
Inside, the temple of San Francesco consists of a single nave, with chapels to the left and niches to the right. The main altar is square. Below the church is a small lower church - Chiesa Inferiore, which today is partly used as an exhibition space.
The interior of the temple is decorated with several works of art, and the work of Pietro della Francesca in the main chapel of the Capella Maggiore deserves special attention. There are also creations by other masters - the stained glass window of Guillaume de Marchillata, images of saints by Andrea del Castagno, paintings by Spinello Aretino and Luca Signorelli. In the 15th century, by order of the wealthy Bicci family, the creation of a fresco cycle in the church began, on which Bicci de Lorenzo first worked, and then Pietro della Francesca began to work on it. The frescoes were completed around 1465 and restored in 1992. The main plot of the cycle is the story of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, which was lost after Calvary, and after one and a half thousand years, it was miraculously found and taken to Constantinople.
