Legend of the True Cross

frescoes by Gaddi

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June 30, 2026

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The "Legend of the True Cross" is a popular medieval Christian legend concerning the origin and discovery of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Agnolo Gaddi, a Florentine painter, created a significant fresco cycle illustrating this legend in the choir of Santa Croce in Florence during the 1380s. These frescoes, while sacrificing some emotional expression for design, showcase a new approach to painting characteristic of the International Gothic style. The legend itself, particularly the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, is one of the most popular medieval tales and a focus of Christian art and devotion.12

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Agnolo Gaddi
…Croce in Florence illustrating the “Legend of the True Cross” (see photograph). In these frescoes Agnolo sacrificed expression for design, and his overall concern with optical unification of the composition replaces Giotto’s concentration on figures, thereby revealing the new approach toward painting of the International Gothic style. Between 1383 and…
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…Croce in Florence illustrating the “Legend of the True Cross” (see photograph). In these frescoes Agnolo sacrificed expression for design, and his overall concern with optical unification of the composition replaces Giotto’s concentration on figures, thereby revealing the new approach toward painting of the International Gothic style. Between 1383 and…
Read More