The Crucifix by Cimabue

This is one of Cimabue's early works, he painted it around 1265, before his journey to Rome in 1272. Cimabue, whose real name was Cenni di Pepo, was Giotto's master and was mainly famous for a later masterpiece: the crucifix in Santa Croce in Florence. But after the flood in 1966 in Florence, which partly destroyed the crucifix, this work has become more important. Here he brilliantly breaks away from the Byzantine style, not only in technique, but also in his more “humane” vision of the tragedy of Calvary: instead of a triumphant Christ, he paints a suffering Christ who carries the weight of the sin of man. He is, in fact, laying the basis for Giotto's great innnovations and announcing the Italian Renaissance style.  

For several years the cross has been over one of the entrance doors to the church but in 1917 the crucifix was first restored and then moved to the main chapel.

Years of careful monitoring had recently ascertained a bad state of conservation of  Cimabue's masterpiece: the wooden boards were deteriorating and  the painted surface was also lifting from the boards. Thus a further and thorough restoration was carried out and now the  cricifix has been given its original splendour and light.