Cronaca, Simone, Il (1457-1508)

Florentine architect. Most of his works are in Florence, though he did spend the years 1475-85 in Rome, where he gained an understanding of classical architecture. His Church of San Salvatore al Monte, near Florence, which he built at the end of his life, is a model of classical simplicity and restraint, and was praised by Michelangelo.

Cronaca was born in Florence. In 1495 he built the Sala del Consiglio (now Sala dei Cinquecento) of the Palazzo Vecchio to accommodate the council instituted by Savonarola on the lines of the Venetian Maggior Consiglio. He continued the work of Benedetto da Maiano on the Palazzo Strozzi; probably designed the Palazzo Guadagni; and executed the design by Giuliano da Sangallo for the vestibule and sacristy of the Church of Santo Spirito in Florence.