The Basilica di Santa Trinita is a Roman Catholic church which is located (surprisingly!) in Piazza Santa Trinita, just a few steps away from the bridge over the Arno River of the same name. The church was constructed in place of a pre-existing church from the 11th century. Although multiple reconstructions occurred over the centuries, the main construction took from 1258 to 1280. Originally, the church was designed in a Romanesque style, but then was later restored and enlarged in Gothic style. The façade of the church, designed by Bernardo Buontalenti in 1593, was constructed much later and only took a year to complete.

The Church of Santa Trinita belonged to the Strozzi family and was then passed on to the Medici family. The Colonna di Giustizia (Column of Justice) in the Piazza outside the church, a gift to Cosimo I de’ Medici from Pope Pius IV, was erected to commemorate the defeat of Siena in the Battle of Montemurlo (1565).

Perhaps you pass this church almost every day on your way to class without realizing that the real highlight is not the facade but the treasures hidden inside. The church contains nearly twenty chapels, the most notable being the Sassetti and Bartolini Salimbeni chapels.

Sassetti Chapel

Sassetti himself was a wealthy Florentine and part of the Medici Family banking entourage. As such he sought out the acclaimed artist Domenico Ghirlandaio to fresco his chapel. The cycle of frescoes extends over three walls of the chapel, and includes six scenes depicting the stories of St Francis. The portraits of Sassetti and his wife, as the donors of the chapel decoration, hold a central position, flanking the altarpiece. However, if you look carefully, Ghirlandaio portrayed many members of Florentine society in the scenes of the frescoes.

The altarpiece, Adoration of the Shepherds painted in 1485, is recognized as one of Ghirlandaio’s greatest works of art.

Opening Hours

Monday to Saturday from 8:00am to 12:00pm & from 4:00pm to 6:00pm
Sunday from 8.00am to 10:45am  & from 4:00pm to 6:00pm

Mass schedule: daily at 7.30am and 6.30pm, on Sundays also at 11am

Price: Free entry!

Adoration of the Shepherds

How To Get There

Piazza di Santa Trinita, Florence 50123