The Dominican Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is the oldest church in Florence. It's Gothic in style even if the facade by Leone Battista Alberti in black and white marble gives it a Renaissance appearance. Above all, the church owes its celebrity to its magnificent frescos: in particular there's the Madonna by Cimabue. This artist is considered to be the founding father of Tuscan painting as he led the way in casting off Byzantine style. You'll also see works by Giotto, Brunelleschi, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Benedetto da Maiano, Masaccio, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi and Andrea Orcagna. In the cloister there are frescos by Paolo Uccello. This church provides us with a majestic panorama of the greatest Florentine artists of the 13th to 16th centuries.