Basilica di Santa Trinita is a Gothic church on Via del Parione in central Florence, near Via de’ Tornabuoni and the Arno. Its 16th-century Mannerist façade gives way to a high-vaulted interior lined with side chapels. The main reason to step inside is the Sassetti Chapel, where Domenico Ghirlandaio’s frescoes tell the story of St. Francis and include portraits of Florentines from his own time. Look in the Bartolini Salimbeni Chapel too for work by Lorenzo Monaco. Small coins can illuminate some artworks.
A church shaped by several eras
Santa Trinita began as an 11th-century church and was rebuilt in Gothic form in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Its exterior changed again in the late 16th century, when Bernardo Buontalenti designed the Mannerist façade. Inside, the central nave, vaulted ceiling and side aisles retain a Gothic character.
The building was altered over time, and its chapels preserve evidence of the families and artists who shaped it. Look from one chapel to the next: the artworks differ in style and subject, and the spaces connect religious devotion with family memory and patronage.
Ghirlandaio in the Sassetti Chapel
The Sassetti Chapel is to the right of the high altar. Domenico Ghirlandaio painted its fresco cycle on the life of St. Francis in the 1480s. The scenes include details of contemporary Florentine life, with portraits of prominent citizens set among the religious stories. The chapel’s Adoration of the Shepherds altarpiece is also by Ghirlandaio.
Some of the chapel artworks are difficult to see in the dim light. Illumination machines in several chapels take €1 or €2 coins and provide light for a few minutes. Bring coins if you want to use them; an attendant near the entrance may be able to exchange notes.
Look beyond the main chapel
The Bartolini Salimbeni Chapel gives a different view of Florentine art. It contains work by Lorenzo Monaco depicting episodes from the life of the Virgin Mary, in an earlier style than Ghirlandaio’s Renaissance frescoes.
The church also has a crypt. A coin-operated light is needed to see below, and the lighting machine has been reported out of order, so access to a lit view is not assured. For a broader sense of the building’s history, look for traces of its earlier church in the crypt.
Preguntas frecuentes
When is Basilica di Santa Trinita open?
It is listed as open from 4 to 7 pm on Monday and Wednesday through Sunday. It is closed on Tuesday.
Where is the Sassetti Chapel?
It is to the right of the high altar inside the basilica.
Do you need coins to see the frescoes?
Some chapels have coin-operated illumination machines. Bring €1 or €2 coins if you want extra light for viewing the artworks.
What should I look for besides the Sassetti Chapel?
Visit the Bartolini Salimbeni Chapel for Lorenzo Monaco’s scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, and look for the Gothic nave and vaulted ceiling.
