Cappella dei Pazzi

The Pazzi Chapel in the first cloister of Santa Croce is an early Renaissance building organised around a clear system of proportion. Grey pietra serena against white plaster, glazed terracotta reliefs and a domed central space give the chapel its distinctive interior.

Why it matters

Commissioned by Andrea de' Pazzi as a family chapel and chapter house for the Franciscan friars, the building expresses Renaissance ideas of geometry and architectural order. Its original appearance has remained unusually intact within the larger Santa Croce complex. The chapel's authorship has long been associated with Filippo Brunelleschi, though later scholarship has also proposed Michelozzo.

What to notice

The central square bay is covered by an umbrella dome, with barrel-vaulted wings on either side. Pietra serena outlines the arches, pilasters and entablature against the white plaster. A stone bench runs around the walls, beneath a frieze of medallions showing the Lamb of God and cherubim. Twelve glazed terracotta tondi of the Apostles by Luca and Andrea della Robbia, made between 1450 and 1470, line the lower walls. Four Evangelist tondi in the dome's squinches are attributed to Brunelleschi. The chancel's stained glass was designed by Alesso Baldovinetti, and its small dome bears a mid-fifteenth-century fresco depicting the constellations visible over Florence on 4 July 1442.

Context and history

A fire damaged this part of the convent in 1423. Brunelleschi is traditionally credited with the design, and he directed the worksite from the start of construction in 1443 until his death in 1446. Work continued afterward but stopped in 1478, when the Pazzi family was exiled following the conspiracy against the Medici. The porch, added in 1461, has been attributed to Michelozzo, Bernardo Rossellino or Giuliano da Maiano. The later work and decoration reflect the chapel's long construction history and the contributions of several artists.