Chancel chapels seen from the west

This picture shows the interior of the Franciscan church of Santa Croce in Florence, with the high altar area in the centre, with a fresco cycle of 1385-87 by Agnolo Gaddi. To the left of the main Chancel Chapel, is the Tosinghi-Spinelli Chapel, while to the right the Bardi Chapel with Giotto's frescoes can be seen.

Agnolo Gaddi's portrayal of the Legend of the True Cross in the chancel was derived from a collection of the thirteenth-century religious writings by Jacopo da Voragine known as the Golden Legend. The frescoes provided the pictorial model which the Franciscans followed for the next century (see the fresco cycle of Piero della Francesca in Arezzo).