Churches: Basilica of Santa Maria Novella (Part 3 of 3)

The tour of Santa Maria Novella continues.

Adjacent to the basilica are multiple cloisters. One of the cloisters is called the Cloisters of the Dead.  In addition to tombs of the departed faithful, there are many surviving frescoes on the walls and ceilings.   The location was used for religious services while the basilica was being constructed.  Some of the art is damaged or destroyed, but enough art remains to get a sense of how it once looked. 

The Chapel of St. Anne in the Cloisters of the Dead

Pop Quiz:   Who was St. Anne?

In another part of Santa Maria Novella, we saw the Spanish Chapel and its amazing frescoes which have survived and some of which have been restored.  Below are two photos from the Spanish Chapel.

Back inside the basilica is a large clock in an apse.  (Since Dominicans are dedicated to preaching, they can preach for a very long time. We suppose someone could look over to the side to check whether the homily is running too long.)

An interesting architectural detail is illustrated in the photo below--interlocking black and white triangles with round tips.  Susan recalls from her Dominican retreat that this black and white detail is historically Dominican.  The same interlocking triangles appear in many places in the basilica. 

M.C.  Escher called and said I like those interlocking shapes.

Finally, in the basilica, we saw a meridian line, like the one in Bologna in Saint Petronius.  After looking at it, we realized we were late for lunch. 

The northern end of the meridian line, the Winter Solstice

The meridian line runs north to south through the nave of the church.  The church is a bit off center. 

The southern end of the meridian line, the Summer Solstice

Thanks for joining our tour.   We are heading to lunch now.