From outside, Rome's only Gothic church appears relatively restrained, but go inside and you'll discover its interior is sumptuous even by local standards. Under the soaring, star-studded blue ceiling you'll find some superb 15th-century frescoes by Filippino Lippi and the tombs of several luminaries, including three popes and the pious Dominican artist Fra’ Angelico. Also buried here is St Catherine of Siena whose headless body lies under the main altar – her head is in Siena.
To the left of the altar is the basilica's main draw, Michelangelo’s Cristo Risorto (Christ Bearing the Cross; 1520). This 2m-high sculpture depicts a physically imposing Jesus carrying a cross while wearing some judiciously placed bronze drapery. This wasn't actually part of the original composition, but was added to preserve Christ's modesty after the Council of Trent (1545–63).