The Church of Santa Maria Novella is located in Florence, Italy. Based from historical records the church is the first great basilica in Florence. It is also the cities principal Dominican church. The church belongs to the Roman Catholics. It was constructed during the Renaissance.
The church was designed by two men, Fra Sisto Fiorentino and Fra Ristoro da Campi. Construction of the church began in 1246. It was finished in 1360 under the supervision of Lacopo Talenti. The architectural style of the building is Gothic-Renaissance. During this time there were many buildings being built with round arches.
The interior of the church was based on a basilica design. The ceiling is vaulted on the inside. There are also columns that were influenced by the Classical era of Greek and Roman times. The stained glass windows are from the 14th and 15th centuries. The pulpit in the church has a very important historical significance, because the first attack on Galileo Galilei, which then lead to his indictment.
The Filippo Strozzi Chapel was situated on the right side of the main altar. In the chapel there are a series of frescoes that depict the lives of the James and Phillip the Apostles. Behind the altar there is a tomb of Filippo Strozzi. The choir contains another series of famous frescoes that were made by Michelangelo. The stained glass windows were made by the artist Alessandro Agolanti.
Architecture in the church was also done by the Giorgio Vasari. He did the first remodeling the church. He added many chapels between the columns. The church was one of the most elegant in the city of Florence. The chapels in the church had many relics of the Apostles and several Saints.
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