Florenza Duomo Research Paper

The authors aims were to educate the reader upon the history of the Dome and to show how it was built, why it was an amazing feat, and why Filippo was an ingenious architecture. King achieved his aims very well. Through out the book, he expressed the importance of Filippo and everything that he did. King tells about how Filippo built and designed the Dome. He supported the claim that Filippo was before his time, and that no one could duplicate his work; “A proud Florentine, Michelangelo claimed that he could equal it, Filippo’s dome but never surprises it. In fact, he did not even equal it…” (Page 163)

Sitting right in the middle of Italy, in the small town of Assisi, sits one of the most grand and beautiful churches to ever have been built. Breaking ground in 1228, architect Maestro Jacopo Tedesco was set to design and build a masterpiece that would represent the life of Saint Francis but also house the remains of the one of the most important figures within Catholicism. Brother Elias, being one of Saint Francis’s trusted followers was put in charge of overseeing the construction by the Pope. He also helped with the overall look and design of the church mainly emphasizing on the lower basilica. The church was built on two levels. First being the lower basilica. This would act as a crypt or tomb that would house the remains of Saint Francis.

During all of this Brunelleschi not only built the dome in the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral (what today is still the biggest dome in the world), but mechanical marvels of worker platforms and lifts that managed to carry workers and hundreds pounds of materials hundreds feet in the air over the course of 28 years with only a single death. This showed how Brunelleschi was a mastermind in architecture and how he revived it.

The structure, approved and paid for by the city council, was a feat of amazing architecture on the part of Fillippo Brunelleschi. This was the largest dome created in that time and it was Brunelleschi’s ingenious design that won the commission against Ghiberti and other artists. The Church’s possession of grand cathedrals like this one served to demonstrate to the people the greatness of the faith and the power of God. There was a religious aspect to the construction of the immense cathedrals and basilicas; the people were paying homage to their god and constructing churches they felt were worthy for him. However, it was also somewhat political, as the grandeur of the churches was displayed to all the people in the city. No one could question the Catholic church’s might and colossal influence after viewing a cathedral such as the

In the fifteenth-century, the evolution of patronage begin, since power, and money influenced the creation of great artworks. One hand it flourished the Italian architectural collections other hand, notable designers as Brunelleschi, and Donatello designed and experimented with their creations. For example, Brunelleschi creation for the Medici family, which known as the Dome of Florence Cathedral (Fig 12-12). As it has been mentioned in the book he was the founder of the dome and it was one of the Gothic inspired and cost effective creation from that time period. Artist Donatello also made a contribution in the art world in a fascinating way since his work was inspired by as it has been mentioned in the book by the classical forms which

The first thing that one’s eyes lay on is the amazing trade mark of marble stone from the architect Rafael Guastavino. The façade out of this building shows Spanish Renaissance architecture at its very best. The brick work could not be copied and is no longer done in this day and age. This herringbone pattern is also the trademark that Guastavino uses in all the buildings that he created (Carrasco, Mercè Piqueras). On the top of the church stands the churches Saint; Saint Lawrence. He holds a gridiron; which is the method by which he was martyred (saintlawrencebasilica.org). Saint Lawrence is flanked by Saint Steven, the very first martyr, who holds a stone; which was the method of his martyrdom. On the opposite side, Guastavino’s favorite saint, stands Aloysius Gonzaga. He was a young seminarian at the time of the plague that died assisting other people (Swain, Elisabeth). The inside of this building contains no structure, but yet in the last one hundred years there was never one tile that was lost. Inside the church one can’t help but notice the many banners hanging around the perimeter. The banners on the eastside of the building are the coated coats of arms of all the popes who have reined since

The motivation behind Brunelleschi’s Dome originated from the desire to show-off Florence, Europe’s financial and cultural wealth. Later, the large dome was added to display that the church was the most beautiful and best that was ever been built.

The Church of San Vitale located in Italy is an early Christian church completely made up of bricks, which was built and completed between 538-548. It has an octagonal plan, with a two-story ambulatory enclosing a central space. There is a narthex, or entrance porch attached to the west side of the building at an angle, while a small choir and chancel, or extended

An example of the Medici support to artists involves The Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. The dome of the chapel was built so large that no architect knew how to complete the rooftop structure and was a humiliating point in Florentine history. A contest to see who could develop a solution to complete the dome was won by a Florentine engineer named Brunelleschi, who felt he had found the solution. With the successful completion of the chapel, support from Cosimo de Medici and the holy consecration performed by the Pope, a great structure was once again a source of pride to the Florentines and the

By the time the Scientific Revolution was ignited, the people began to lean towards more realistic views on life, and many would reject religious practices altogether. Attempting to compete with the rapid trends, the main church of Florence Italy, Florence Cathedral, hired modern architect, Filippo Brunelleschi, to build a dome over the church. I strongly believe this modernized architectural genius constructed the roofing to form a dome shape as a form of exemplification. Exemplification method frequently occurs when wanting to gain a higher position of power, because the Church was losing support of their “subjects”, they were willing to go to extremes to gain that power. Similarly to the Kings, the church found small ways to connect themselves

Brunelleschi’s Dome is a great specimen of architecture created by the architect Brunelleschi. This building has a great bit of detail contributed to it which signifies its importance to the Renaissance. This building covers the Florence Cathedral and was the biggest dome in the world at that time.

A distinctive feature of Florence's skyline is the dome of the cathedral (Duomo), Santa Maria del Fiore. The building itself, located due north of the Piazza della Signoria, was begun by the sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296. Numerous local artists continued to work on it during the following century and a half. The painter Giotto designed its sturdy bell tower (campanile) in 1334. Yet, the massive octagonal cupola (1420-36) that truly dominates both the church and the city was the proud achievement of Filippo Brunelleschi, master architect and sculptor. Opposite the cathedral stands the Baptistery; the building dates from the 11th century but was believed by Florentines to be a surviving Roman monument when they commissioned for it a series

Finding a solution to build an artistic roof that would fully cover the interior, and keep the outdoor elements from entering, instead of having a massive whole in their cathedrals was the motivation that led to Brunelleschi’s invention of the dome that is used on a few cathedrals in Florence.

Completed in 1660, eighteen years after the initial planning stages, Francesco Borromini’s Saint Ivo alla Sapienza came to be known as an archetypal example of High Roman Baroque architecture. Its idiosyncratic floor plan and spiraling tower that sits atop the church’s dome became a topic of much speculation and debate but also an iconic fixture in Rome’s skyline. The controversy over S. Ivo usually ranged over interpretations of Borromini’s intentions in the planning of the church all the way to the minute details on ornamentations and the mantic or spiritual or theoretical meanings they might have had, if any. But to understand the Saint Ivo Alla Sapienza, one needs to understand the political and economic and en vogue culture and climate of 17th century Rome and the fact that the construction took places over three papal reigns, that of Urban VIII Barberini, Innocent X, and Alexander VII. The S. Ivo was actually an addition to a centuries old school of learning, the Archiginnasio - later known as the University of Rome or Sapienza [wisdom,] founded by Boniface VIII in the late 13th century but had remained without a proper chapel or library since. Borromini, was then still an apprentice to Bernini but through papal connections became the appointed architect charged with

First, we visit St. Peter’s Basilica and Adjoining Piazza in Rome. The beautiful structure still used today, initially was brought to fruition by Donato Bramante as a temple shaped like a Greek cross. Quickly Pope Paul V rejected the design, deeming the Greek cross to be pagan-like. He commissioned Carlo Maderno to make some changes to the floor plan, adjusting the look into a Latin cross. The florid baroque styles are seen entering the Apse and Alter, which “symbolized the power and richness of the church” (392). The sculptures throughout, specifically in the Apse, are dramatic and real, shunning classical styles.