At
the Alter
Cimabue's Crucifix floats suspended above the
altar.
Early
Multimedia
The actual tomb, holds a member of the Bardi family
from the 1930s. The fresco above shows the occupant's resurrection.
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Even
swathed in scaffolding, Santa Croce could
not completely hide its charms, which included colorfully
soaring stained glass windows and exquisite frescos (many
by master Giotto).
Every available inch of this church was decorated
in some way, which could certainly result in the kind
of sensory overload I had been warned against.
Stained
glass Saints and Stories
Not only beautiful and uplifting, the pictures serve
a practical purpose, as spiritual teaching tools for the illiterate
masses.
Apparently a 19th century French writer visiting
Santa Croce experienced this great art overwhelm,
and gave the syndrome a name: Stendhal's Disease.
Symptoms of the "disease" include sweating, dizziness,
and even fainting.
It's rumored that about a dozen people each
year come down with cases so severe that treatment is sought.
How many suffer from less serious bouts is unknown,
but judging from my own experience I would
guess it to be extremely common.
With no one to catch me, I did my best to fight the effects
of Stendhal's, and managed to stay on my feet. But
looking around I noticed many who had not been on their feet
in centuries...
Next:
Santa Croce's Famous Dead |
