{"id":30098,"date":"2026-03-25T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/areademo.beculture.it\/?p=30098"},"modified":"2026-01-26T17:44:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T16:44:43","slug":"leggenda-della-vera-croce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/areademo.beculture.it\/en\/leggenda-della-vera-croce\/","title":{"rendered":"The Leggenda della Vera Croce and the sublime art of Piero della Francesca in Arezzo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Leggenda della Vera Croce<\/em> in the Cappella Bacci of the Basilica of San Francesco<\/a> in Arezzo is one of the most spectacular and innovative fresco cycles of the Renaissance<\/strong>, and one of Piero della Francesca\u2019s absolute masterpieces. The chapel has now been fully converted into a museum and can now be visited in small groups: inside, the great artist\u2019s painting reveals its beauty in full, thanks also to the masterful restoration that, after fifteen years, has restored its colours and expressive power. But what does it represent, and what makes this work so groundbreaking?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Origin and subject of the work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Commissioned to decorate the Cappella Bacci \u2014the basilica\u2019s main chapel\u2014between 1452 and 1466<\/strong>, Piero della Francesca executed, together with a number of assistants (probably including Giovanni da Piamonte), the frescoes that still cover the walls of the space today. Across the three full-height registers, he depicted the most significant episodes of the Leggenda della Vera Croce<\/em>, drawn from the Legenda Aurea<\/em><\/strong>, a collection of hagiographic biographies composed around 1265 by the bishop of Genoa, Jacopo da Varazze, and still widely known in the fifteenth century. The subject was perfectly in line with the context in which the artist worked. In fact, the Franciscans\u2014custodians of the basilica and traditionally devoted to the Cross\u2014had already adopted it in various other churches. Their bond with Rome <\/strong>and the papacy was also evident: the latter had sided with them in favour of a crusade against the imminent Turkish threat. Furthermore, according to tradition, Arezzo had converted to Christianity very early, during the reign of Constantine<\/strong>. Within the framework of the Leggenda<\/em>, Piero inserts explicit references to all these themes, achieving a balance that reconcile narrative demands with the pressing concerns of his own time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"leggenda
Storia della Vera Croce<\/em>, Piero della Francesca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A complex and varied narrative<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Among the distinctive features of this imposing fresco cycle is the arrangement of the various scenes. They do not follow a chronological sequence, nor are they organised according to the classic reading order (top to bottom, left to right). Instead, they are positioned on the three walls (right, left, and central) according to thematic and iconographic correspondences<\/strong>. Although this may seem unusual today, it was not at all unprecedented at the time: similar solutions can be found, with due variations, in Giotto<\/a>\u2019s frescoes for the Cappella Bardi (Florence, Santa Croce) or in Simone Martini<\/a>\u2019s frescoes in the cappella di San Martino (Assisi, Basilica Inferiore di San Francesco).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The novelty lies above all in the painterly execution<\/strong>, the composition, and the interplay of light and colour\u2014qualities that only Piero\u2019s hand could achieve while constantly evolving his visual language. The two lunettes at the top provide clear evidence: the sky, densely clouded on the right, brightens markedly in the one on the left; the depiction of the trees, more summary on one side, becomes precise and detailed on the other; the volumes and use of perspective grow increasingly sophisticated and functional to the narrative. And it is from one lunette to the next, all the way down to the Annunciazione<\/em>, that the story unfolds, articulated into ten episodes<\/strong> according to a precise reading order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scenes and how to read them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We begin with the left lunette\u2014which must be read from right to left\u2014where La morte e sepoltura di Adamo<\/em> is depicted. From here, the gaze descends to the register below where, now following the narrative in the opposite direction in a zig-zag pattern, we encounter the Adorazione del Sacro Legno e l\u2019incontro<\/em> tra Salomone e la Regina di Saba<\/em>. The sequence continues on the central wall, remaining on the same level to observe thetrasporto del Legno della Croce<\/em>. We then move down a register to admire the captivating<\/strong> Sogno di Costantino<\/em><\/strong>, which will be discussed later.
We next turn to the right wall, to the first of two battle scenes. Although damaged by time, it represents theVittoria di Costantino su Massenzio<\/em>. Despite the losses, Constantine\u2019s outstretched arm\u2014brandishing the Cross that puts the enemy to flight\u2014is still clearly visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sixth episode, also on the central wall but on the upper left level, depicts the tortura dell\u2019ebreo<\/em>. Here the architectural structure dominates the composition, just as it does in the episode below (the tenth and final one), the Annunciazione<\/em>. Before reaching it, however, we must look at another part of the story. In the middle of the left wall is the ritrovamento e il riconoscimento della Vera Croce<\/em>, whose background reveals a view of Arezzo in the distance<\/strong>. In the original narrative, this episode is set in Jerusalem: a poetic licence that underscores the symbolic bond between the Tuscan city and the sacred events. Just below, the Battaglia di Eraclio contro Cosroe<\/em>, unfolds: amid a gripping clash of men and horses, we also witness the execution of the pagan king.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We now return our gaze to the upper left lunette, where the esaltazione della Croce<\/em> is depicted: the Christian symbol<\/strong> stands out<\/strong> within the vaulted space and also as the concluding emblem of the cycle. With a decidedly more intimate yet no less solemn tone, the Annunciazione<\/em> ultimately closes the narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n