Church of the Cross in Anghiari

With its simple façade in Renaissance style softened by the elegant portico and the gentle bell gable, the Church of the Cross stands out at the top of the nearly 7-km-long 14th-century straight road that connects Anghiari and Sansepolcro.

This church was originally dedicated to Saint Francis, as it was built on the spot where the Saint, returning from the Sacred Mount of La Verna, planted a wooden Cross in 1224, right at the junction of the three paths that linked Anghiari with La Verna, Arezzo and Assisi. Even today, under the loggia, a Crucifix reminds us of his passage.

The religious building was founded at the end of the 15th century by the Confraternity of Santa Maria al Borghetto and only in 1537 did it assume the title of Church of the Cross.

The single nave of the interior reflects the simplicity of the façade, but enriched by stone altars and interesting paintings dating back to the 17th century, mostly in Mannerist and Baroque style. Among these artworks is the Invention of the Cross, attributed to the Florentine master Francesco Curradi, and the Immaculate Conception by Federico Zuccari’s collaborator, Domenico Cresti known as Il Passignano.

A Church, a Cross, a Saint. Another corner of Tuscany to discover and enjoy.