Star of David on a Church

I saw a picture of a Star of David on the Santa Croce church in Florence. This arose my curiosity and I started searching who's behind this rare phenomenon. I read that it was designed between 1853 and 1863 by a Jewish architect from Ancona, Niccolo Matas [1798 - 1872].

Matas had wanted to be buried with his peers but because he was Jewish, he was buried under the porch and not within the walls. Another interesting note is that the large Star of David which dominates the top of the facade is in recognition of the Jewish community's support for the construction of the building.