San Pancrazio, Florence

San Pancrazio
Façade of the church of San Pancrazio, showing the columns and architrave removed from the Rucellai Chapel
Basic information
Province	Florence
Region	Tuscany
Country	Italy

Coordinates: 43°46′18.61″N 11°14′59.91″E / 43.7718361°N 11.2499750°E / 43.7718361; 11.2499750

San Pancrazio is a church in Florence, Italy, in Piazza San Pancrazio, behind Palazzo Rucellai. With the exception of the Rucellai Chapel, it is deconsecrated and is home to the museum dedicated to the sculptor Marino Marini. The Rucellai Chapel contains the Rucellai Sepulchre or Tempietto del Santo Sepolcro. Since February 2013 it has been possible to visit the chapel from within the Marini museum.

The church was built in the early Christian age, and is documented from 931; according to the historian Giovanni Villani, it was founded by Charlemagne. The adjoining monastery was created in 1157. The church was restored and enlarged from the 14th century. The cloister houses a fresco by Neri di Bicci.

Giovanni di Paolo Rucellai commissioned Leon Battista Alberti to build him a tomb in the family chapel in the church.Giorgio Vasari wrote of it in 1568:

For the same Rucellai family Leon Battista [Alberti] made in the same way [i.e., with architraves supported by columns] in San Pancrazio a chapel supported by large architraves placed on two columns and two pilasters, cutting through the wall of the church, which is difficult, but safe. Thus this work is among the best that this architect did. In the middle of this chapel is a sepulchre of marble, very well made, in shape oval and oblong, and similar, as can be read on it, to the sepulchre of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem.