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CHAPTER XXI.
SANTA CROCE.
THE CLOISTER.—THE PAZZI CHAPEL.
ANTA CROCE has been frequently the scene of politice
meetings, as well as used for the delivery of orations o
morals and philosophy ; and not seldom severe denunciation
were thundered from its pulpit against the rivals of the Frar
ciscans—the Dominicans of San Marco and Santa Mari
Novella.
Outside the church, to the south, are arcades, within whic
are old frescoes representing scenes from the life of St. Franci
by scholars of Taddeo Gaddi (c. 1300-1366) of no great meri
but interesting from the representation of the Cathedral o
Florence and other buildings as they appeared in early day
A flight of steps from the church leads down to the cloiste
which was built by Arnolfo di Cambio (1232-1310); it w.
for many years divided in two, but has been recently restore
to its primitive condition.
In the cloister, outside the entrance to the southern aisle,
a monument which was brought here from the interior of th
church, when the central choir was destroyed. It was erecte
to Gastone della Torrè da Milano, Bishop of Aquileia, and is
fine monument in the old Tuscan style, attributed to Agostir
da Sienna. Gastone was the son of Corrado della Torre, Loi
of Milan, and in 1308 he was created archbishop of that ci
by Pope Clement V. His family was unfortunate ; he himse
suffered imprisonment, and was then sent into exile. In 13