Basilica of the Holy Cross

Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross) is known as "The Pantheon of Florence" because it where many famous Italians are entombed including Michelangelo (who was raised in this neighborhood), Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini, and Ghiberti.

The basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world. Its most notable features are its sixteen chapels, many of them decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils,[a] and its tombs and cenotaphs. Legend says that Santa Croce was founded by St Francis himself.

Michelangelo, who died in Rome in 1564, was buried here beneath a monument with allegorical figures of Sculpture, Architecture and Painting, designed by Giorgio Vasari. Michelangelo’s tomb served as the model for others, such as the tomb of Galileo, who died in 1642.