Scrovegni Chapel
Padua
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
The Scrovegni Chapel is a small church known by the surname of its patron, Enrico degli Scrovegni. Once a private oratory for the family palace, it is world-famous for the extraordinary cycle of frescoes painted by Giotto in the early 14th century. The Florentine master painted the entire interior surface, covering about 700 m² with a cohesive iconographic and decorative design. The cycle narrates the History of Salvation, including the Stories of the Life of the Virgin and Christ along the nave and triumphal arch, the Allegories of Vices and Virtues on the lower walls, and culminating in the magnificent Last Judgement on the counter-façade.
THIS PLACE IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
The Scrovegni Chapel represents a crucial moment in the history of art. Giotto’s work marks a major pictorial revolution, destined to profoundly influence the 14th century and beyond. His innovations are particularly evident in two areas: first, in the representation of space, with the introduction of perspective and the three-dimensional rendering of scenes—anticipating Renaissance theories by more than a century.
Moreover, the chapel fuses art and science in a unique way: the depiction of Halley’s Comet in the Adoration of the Magi was the result of Giotto’s direct observation of the comet in 1301, and is linked to his studies in optics at the University of Padua. Its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List underscores its exceptional significance.