Santa Trinita is a church in central Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. It is the mother church of the Vallumbrosan Order

Vallumbrosan Order

The Vallumbrosan Order is a Roman Catholic religious order, technically a Benedictine congregation, which derives its name from the motherhouse, Vallombrosa , situated c...

 of monks, founded in 1092 by a Florentine nobleman. Nearby is the Ponte Santa Trinita

Ponte Santa Trinita

The Ponte Santa Trìnita is a Renaissance bridge in Florence, Italy, spanning the Arno. The Ponte Santa Trìnita is the oldest elliptic arch bridge in the world, the three flattened ellipses giving the structure its celebrated elegant appearance...

 over the river Arno.

The church is famous for its Sassetti Chapel

Sassetti Chapel

The Sassetti Chapel is a chapel in the basilica of Santa Trinita in Florence, Italy. It is especially notable for its frescoes of the Stories of St. Francis, considered Domenico Ghirlandaio's masterwork.-History:...

, containing notable frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio

Domenico Ghirlandaio

Domenico Ghirlandaio was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Among his many apprentices was Michelangelo.-Early years:Ghirlandaio's full name is given as Domenico di Tommaso di Currado di Doffo Bigordi...

, ranked amongst 15th century painting's masterworks.

Even though the Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

 word for "trinity" is trinità, with an accent indicating stress on the last vowel, the Florentine

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

 pronunciation puts the stress on the first vowel, and the name is therefore written without an accent; sometimes, it is accented as trìnita to indicate the unusual pronunciation.

History

The current church was constructed in 1258–1280 over a pre-existing 11th century church. Multiple reconstructions occurred thereafter. The Mannerist façade (1593–1594) was designed by Bernardo Buontalenti

Bernardo Buontalenti

Bernardo Buontalenti, byname of Bernardo Delle Girandole was an Italian stage designer, architect, theatrical designer, military engineer and artist.-Biography:Buontalenti was born in Florence....

. The relief over the central door of the Trinity was sculpted by Pietro Bernini

Pietro Bernini

Pietro Bernini was an Italian sculptor. He was the father of one the most famous artists of Baroque, Gian Lorenzo Bernini....

 and Giovanni Battista Caccini

Giovanni Battista Caccini

Giovanni Battista Caccini was an Italian sculptor from Florence, who worked in a classicising style in the later phase of Mannerism....

. The 17th century wooden doors were carved to recall saints of the Vallumbrosan order. The Column of Justice in the Piazza outside, originates from the Baths of Caracalla

Baths of Caracalla

The Baths of Caracalla in Rome, Italy were Roman public baths, or thermae, built in Rome between AD 212 and 216, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla.- History :...

, and was a gift to Cosimo I de' Medici by Pope Pius IV

Pope Pius IV

Pope Pius IV , born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was Pope from 1559 to 1565. He is notable for presiding over the culmination of the Council of Trent.-Biography:...

. It was used in 1565 to commemorate the Battle of Montemurlo.

The Santa Trinita Maestà

Santa Trinita Maestà

The Santa Trinita Maestà is a painting by the Italian medieval artist Cimabue, dating to c. 1280-1290. It is housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, central Italy.-History:...

by Cimabue

Cimabue

Cimabue , also known as Bencivieni di Pepo or in modern Italian, Benvenuto di Giuseppe, was an Italian painter and creator of mosaics from Florence....

 was once at the high altar of the church, and was later moved to a side chapel. It is now exhibited at the Uffizi

Uffizi

The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...

.

Chapels

The church has approximately 20 chapels, which contain a noteworthy amount of artworks. The most significant are the Sassetti

Sassetti Chapel

The Sassetti Chapel is a chapel in the basilica of Santa Trinita in Florence, Italy. It is especially notable for its frescoes of the Stories of St. Francis, considered Domenico Ghirlandaio's masterwork.-History:...

 and the Bartolini Salimbeni Chapel, which contain frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio

Domenico Ghirlandaio

Domenico Ghirlandaio was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Among his many apprentices was Michelangelo.-Early years:Ghirlandaio's full name is given as Domenico di Tommaso di Currado di Doffo Bigordi...

 and the 15th century artist Lorenzo Monaco

Lorenzo Monaco

Lorenzo Monaco was an Italian painter of the late Gothic-early Renaissance age.-Biography:...

 respectively. Francesco Sassetti had been a manager of the Medici

Medici

The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...

 bank. The Ghirlandaio frescoes use as backgrounds the then contemporary Florentine city views.

Side	Chapel #	Chapel name and artworks
R	1 (nave near facade)	The Gianfigliazzi chapel remodeled around 1630 by Gherardo Silvani Gherardo Silvani Gherardo Silvani was an Italian architect and sculptor, active mainly in Florence and other sites in Tuscany during the Baroque period....  contains a 14th century crucifix (Crocifisso della Providenza) and a fresco of St. Mary of Egypt & St. Zosimus (c. 1400)’
R	2	The Davizzi chapel remodeled c. 1642 by Matteo Nigetti Matteo Nigetti Matteo Nigetti was an Italian architect and sculptor. He is considered the most important Baroque architect in Florence.... .
R	3	The Cialli-Sernigi chapel contains a Madonna with Saints by Neri di Bicci Neri di Bicci Neri di Bicci was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. A prolific painter of mainly religious themes, he was active mainly in Florence and in the medium of tempera. His father was Bicci di Lorenzo. His grandfather, Lorenzo di Bicci was also a painter in Florence, a pupil of Spinello...  and unfinished detached murals of Mystic marriage of St. Catherine by a follower of Spinello Aretino Spinello Aretino Spinello Aretino was an Italian painter, the son of a Florentine named Luca, who had taken refuge in Arezzo in 1310 when exiled with the rest of the Ghibelline party.-Biography:... .
R	4	Bartolini-Salimbeni Chapel, containing frescoes of Life of the Virgin (1420s) by Lorenzo Monaco Lorenzo Monaco Lorenzo Monaco was an Italian painter of the late Gothic-early Renaissance age.-Biography:...  and assistants. An Annunciation altarpiece is also by Lorenzo Monaco.
R	5	The Ardinghelli chapel contains a 15th century Man of Sorrows and a tabernacle (1505–15) by Benedetto da Rovezzano.
R	6 (far wall after transept exit)	The Sassetti chapel Sassetti Chapel The Sassetti Chapel is a chapel in the basilica of Santa Trinita in Florence, Italy. It is especially notable for its frescoes of the Stories of St. Francis, considered Domenico Ghirlandaio's masterwork.-History:...  has murals of St. Francis and Prophecies of Christ’s Birth (1482–1485), as well as altarpiece of Adoration of the Magi (1485) painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio Domenico Ghirlandaio Domenico Ghirlandaio was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Among his many apprentices was Michelangelo.-Early years:Ghirlandaio's full name is given as Domenico di Tommaso di Currado di Doffo Bigordi... . Over the entrance is a scene of the Sybil informing emperor Augustus of the coming of Christ. One of the panels depicts the Miracle of St. Francis in resuscitating a boy who had fallen from Palazzo Spini http://www.wga.hu/html/g/ghirland/domenico/5sassett/frescoes/6resurr.html. The Francis Receiving the Order from Pope Honorius is sited in the Piazza della Signoria Piazza della Signoria Piazza della Signoria is an L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio.... .
R	7 (far wall)	The Doni chapel was decorated between 1608-40 by Ludovico Cigoli.
	8	The center chancel hold an altarpiece by Mariotto di Nardo Mariotto di Nardo Mariotto di Nardo was an Italian painter. He was the son of the sculptor Nardo di Cione.His style belongs to the Florentine Gothic, and shows the influence of Spinello Aretino and Lorenzo Monaco....  depicting the Trinity (1406).
L	1 (nave)	The Strozzi chapel was rebuilt by Giovanni Caccini and contains damaged murals by Bernardino Poccetti Bernardino Poccetti Bernardino Poccetti , also known as Barbatelli, was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker in etching .... . The altarpiece is now in the Uffizi Gallery. Fra Angelico Fra Angelico Fra Angelico , born Guido di Pietro, was an Early Italian Renaissance painter described by Vasari in his Lives of the Artists as having "a rare and perfect talent"... 's Deposition, begun by Lorenzo Monaco Lorenzo Monaco Lorenzo Monaco was an Italian painter of the late Gothic-early Renaissance age.-Biography:...  for the chapel, is now at the National Museum of San Marco San Marco, Florence San Marco is the name of a religious complex in Florence, Italy. It comprises a church and a convent. The convent, which is now a museum, has three claims to fame: during the 15th century it was home to two famous Dominicans, the painter Fra Angelico and the preacher, Girolamo Savonarola... .
L	2	The Bombeni chapel was remodeled by Nigetti, and holds Mystic marriage of St Catherine of Siena by Antonio del Ceraiolo Antonio del Ceraiolo Antonio del Ceraiolo was an Italian painter, active in Florence in a Renaissance style, between 1520 and 1538. He was a pupil of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, and then Lorenzo di Credi....  and St. Jerome and Annunciation by Ridolfo Ghirlandaio.
L	3	The Davanzati chapel contains an Annunciation (c. 1450-60) by Neri di Bicci Neri di Bicci Neri di Bicci was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. A prolific painter of mainly religious themes, he was active mainly in Florence and in the medium of tempera. His father was Bicci di Lorenzo. His grandfather, Lorenzo di Bicci was also a painter in Florence, a pupil of Spinello...  and a mural of Disputation of St. Catherine by a follower of Maso di Banco Maso di Banco Maso di Banco was an Italian painter of the 14th century, who worked in Florence, Italy. He was a pupil of Giotto di Bondone. Maso's name and work are known to us from the autobiography of Lorenzo Ghiberti, I Commentari, which identifies frescoes in the chapel of the Holy Confessors at Santa... .
L	4	The Compagni chapel has a Coronation of Virgin (c. 1400) and a San Giovanni Gualbert and Vallombrossan saints (1455) painted by Neri di Bicci Neri di Bicci Neri di Bicci was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. A prolific painter of mainly religious themes, he was active mainly in Florence and in the medium of tempera. His father was Bicci di Lorenzo. His grandfather, Lorenzo di Bicci was also a painter in Florence, a pupil of Spinello... .
L	5 (transept)	The Spini chapel houses a Magadalen by Desiderio da Settignano Desiderio da Settignano Desiderio da Settignano, real name Desiderio de Bartolomeo di Francesco detto Ferro was an Italian sculptor active during the Renaissance.-Biography:...  and finished by Benedetto da Maiano Benedetto da Maiano Benedetto da Maiano was an Italian sculptor of the early Renaissance.Born in the village of Maiano , he started his career as companion of his brother, the architect Giuliano da Maiano. When he reached the age of thirty he started training under the sculptor Antonio Rossellino... .
L	6 (transept)	The Chapel of Maddona dello Spasimo has a Christ of the road to calvary by school of Cosimo Rosselli Cosimo Rosselli Cosimo Rosselli was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento, active mainly in his birthplace of Florence.-Biography:Born in Florence, at the age of fourteen he became a pupil of Neri di Bicci, and in 1460 he worked as assistant to his cousin Bernardo di Stefano Rosselli... .
L	7 (transept)	The Chapel of San Giovanni Gualberto was designed by Caccini.
L	8 (transept)	The Chapel contains a Trinity adored by Saints Catherine & Mary Magdalen (c. 1485) painted by Francesco Granacci Francesco Granacci Francesco Granacci was an Italian painter of the Renaissance.Born at Villamagna di Volterra, he trained in Florence in the studio of Domenico Ghirlandaio, and was employed painting frescoes for San Marco on commission of Lorenzo de'Medici... .
L	9 (far wall)	The Scali chapel has a fresco cycle by Giovanni dal Ponte and Smeraldo di Giovanni. The tomb of the bishop Benozzo Federighi completed by Luca della Robbia Luca della Robbia Luca della Robbia was an Italian sculptor from Florence, noted for his terra-cotta roundels.Luca Della Robbia developed a pottery glaze that made his creations more durable in the outdoors and thus suitable for use on the exterior of buildings. His work is noted for its charm rather than the drama... http://www.wga.hu/html/r/robbia/luca/federigh.html.
L	10 (far wall)	Usimbardi chapel rebuilt by Cigoli Cigoli Lodovico Cardi , also known as Cigoli, was an Italian painter and architect of the late Mannerist and early Baroque period, trained and active in his early career in Florence, and spending the last nine years of his life in Rome.Lodovico Cardi was born at Villa Castelvecchio di Cigoli, in Tuscany,... in 1602.