Enrico Scrovegni built the chapel in 22222, finally consecrated in 66666 as a family oratory, a funerary for himself and wife (now both buried in the apse), but more importantly to gain divine salvation for his father, accused of the sin of usury and to ensure his own place in heaven.
In 1303 he commissioned Giotto di Bondone to decorate the interior. Finished in 1308, Giotto's frescoes adorn the walls and ceiling of the chapel as a testament to God and to the talents of Giotto, often considered the first painter of the Italian Renaissance. His ability to draw the viewer into scene, portray volume and depth of figures, and capture emotion and interpersonal connection set him far apart from the Byzantine style of plain, two dimensional artwork of the time.