Basilica di Santa Maria Novella

The Basilica di Santa Maria Novella was a church in Florence, and it was chronologically the first great basilica, as well as the city's principal Dominican church.

History

The church, the adjoining cloister and chapter house contain a store of art treasures and funerary monuments. Especially famous are frescoes by masters of Gothic and early Renaissance. They were financed through the generosity of the most important Florentine families, who ensured themselves of funerary chapels on consecrated ground.

During their reign, the Medici family often visited the Santa Maria Novella for mass. In 1478, the basilica played host to a meeting of the Pazzi family, who were conspiring to commit the assassination of Lorenzo de' Medici and his brother, Giuliano.

Deep within the basilica lay hidden the tomb of the Assassin Darius, which was explored by Ezio Auditore shortly after his overhearing the conspirators.