RENAISSANCE

ARCHITECUURE IN ITALY
SUBMITTED BY:
RAHUL
THANVEER
GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITION
 Renaissance architecture first started in Italy in the earlier 15th century and
later on spread over the countries of Western Europe.
 It demonstrated a conscious revival and development of certain elements
of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture.
 Stylistically, Renaissance architecture followed Gothic architecture and
was succeeded by Baroque architecture.
 Developed first in Florence, with Filippo Brunelleschi as one of its innovators,
the Renaissance style quickly spread to other Italian cities.
 The countries which came under its direct influence are France , Germany ,
Belgium , Holland , Spain and England.
 Orderly arrangements of columns, pilasters and lintels, as well as the use of
semicircular arches, hemispherical domes, niches and aedicules replaced
the more complex proportional systems and irregular profiles of medieval
buildings.
HISTORICAL CONDITION
 In earlier 16th century, small countries united together and formed one
kingdom. The extension was depended largely upon colonialisation.
 New countries were discovered.
 New materials were invented such as gun powder, mariner’s compass and
telescope.
 The trade between east and west was blocked due to seize of
Constantinople, Syria and Egypt by Turks.
 So new trade routes were discovered which in tern helped to establish new
colonies.
 Trade and commerce brought wealth to Europe from abroad.
 France , Germany , Belgium , Holland , Spain and England came under its
historical influence which affected their architecture.
CHARACTERSTIC FEATURES:
 It is the revival of ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
 After the fall of feudal system, the mode of living changed too and brought
new buildings in common use.
 People realised the beauty of classic style.
 Greek ,Roman and Italian workmen were employed for reviving the classic
architecture.
 Scuola Grande di San Marco, Venice
 The renaissance made several contributions such as massive rusticated
masonry walls accurately laid in horizontal courses.
 Large size stone blocks were used to dignify the construction.
 Wall angles were rusticated to give an appearance of strength.
 Pointed arches of gothic style were now replaced by round or semi-circular
arches.
 Richly moulded openings were placed with due regard to symmetry and
were spanned by semi-circular arches
 Doorways were not proportional to the human scale.
 Windows were small and divided by vertical mullions and horizontal
transoms but with no painted glass.
 The buildings were arranged with special regard to symmetry.
 The church interiors were planned on square base covered with barrel and
cross vaulting without ribs , over a central large dome.
 Naves were divided into few bays , thus providing roominess.
 Towers were rarely used.
 Timber roofs were never left open but covered with plaster in the form of
stucco which produced considerable effect on the design.
 5 orders DORIC , IONIC ,CORINTHIAN , COMPOSITE and TUSKAN were
standardised and used both constructively as well as decoratively.
 Columns and entablature appeared in novel combination in buildings
designed to meet the requirement of the day.
 Architecture became the art of
free expression which further laid
the foundation of modern
architecture.
 In this style, design of domes also improved much. Romans had not given
much attention to the construction of domes which were only semi-
spherical then. But now domes were placed over square and polygonal
plans and also raised a cylindrical drum enriched by colonnades. This
feature made the dome to appear as a grand dominating feature.
 Domes were painted with coloured frescoes.
 Mouldings were roman in character . Projecting horizontal cornices ,
casting deep shadows, together with balconies exhibited horizontally.
 Baluster, not known to romans became
chief material for decoration.
 Ornamentation was based on classical mythology and pagan subjects.
 Cornices , capitals , friezes , shafts , pediments were enriched with delicate
carvings.
 Statues were neither proportional to human scale nor an integral part of
buildings
 Fresco paintings in place of stained glass were used for coloured mural
decoration.
TYPICAL EXAMPLES
 Italy

 Bergamo, Colleoni Chapel

 Brescia, Palazzo Della Loggia

 Dome of khairo-Italian scilia

 Florence

 Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore (by Filippo Brunelleschi)

 Ospedale degli Innocenti (by Filippo Brunelleschi)

 Sagrestia Vecchia (by Filippo Brunelleschi)

 Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze (by Filippo Brunelleschi)

 Santo Spirito (by Filippo Brunelleschi)

 Pazzi Chapel at Basilica di Santa Croce (by Filippo Brunelleschi)

 Palazzo Medici (by Michelozzo)

 Palazzo Pitti (unknown architect)

 Palazzo Strozzi

 Façade of Santa Maria Novella (by L.B. Alberti)

 Palazzo Rucellai (by L.B. Alberti)

 Uffizi (by Giorgio Vasari)

 Rimini, Tempio Malatestiano (by Leon Battista Alberti)

 Mantua

 Sant'Andrea (by Leon Battista Alberti)

 Palazzo Te (by Giulio Romano)

 Urbino, Palazzo Ducale (by Luciano Laurana)

Florence Cathedral's Dome, Italy
 Brunelleschi’s dome is the largest masonry dome ever built and it is the
coverage of the Cathedral of Florence, Italy.
 Brunelleschi's dome, 45 meters wide, was originally a wooden dome built by
Arnolfo di Cambio.
 The basilica is one of Italy's largest churches, and until development of new
structural materials in the modern era, the dome was the largest in the
world.
 The exterior walls are faced in alternate vertical and horizontal bands of
polychrome marble from Carrara (white), Prato (green), Siena (red),
Lavenza and a few other places.
 The cathedral of Florence is built as a basilica, having a wide central nave
of four square bays, with an aisle on either side.
 The chancel and transepts are of identical polygonal plan, separated by
two smaller polygonal chapels.
 The whole plan forms a Latin cross.
 The nave and aisles are separated by wide pointed Gothic arches resting
on composite piers.
Cathedral Of Pisa
 The heart of the Piazza del Duomo is the Duomo, the medieval cathedral of
the Archdiocese of Pisa, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta (St. Mary of the
Assumption).
 The cathedral has two aisles on either side of the nave. The transept consists of
three aisles. The church is known also as the Primatial, the archbishop of Pisa being
a Primate since 1092.
 Its construction began in 1064 by the architect Buscheto. It set the model for the
distinctive Pisan Romanesque style of architecture. The mosaics of the interior, as
well as the pointed arches, show a strong Byzantine influence.
• The facade, of grey marble and white stone set with discs of coloured marble.
• he massive bronze main doors were made in the workshops of Giambologna,
replacing the original doors destroyed in a fire in 1595.
 The original central door was of bronze, made around 1180 by Bonanno Pisano, while
the other two were probably of wood. However, worshippers have never used the
façade doors to enter, instead entering by way of the Porta di San Ranieri (St. Ranieri's
Door), in front of the Leaning Tower, built around 1180 by Bonanno Pisano.
 Above the doors are four rows of open galleries with, on top, statues of Madonna with
Child and, on the corners, the Four evangelists.
 At the east end of the exterior, high on a column rising from the gable, is a modern
replica of the Pisa Griffin, the largest Islamic metal sculpture known, the original of which
was placed there probably in the 11th or 12th century, and is now in the Cathedral
Museum.
 The interior is faced with black and white marble and has a gilded ceiling and
a frescoed dome. It was largely redecorated after a fire in 1595, which destroyed most
of the Renaissance art works.
 The granite Corinthian columns between the nave and the aisle came originally from
the mosque of Palermo, captured by the Pisans in 1063.
 The pulpit is supported by plain columns (two of which are mounted on lion's sculptures)
on one side and by caryatids and a telamon on the other: the latter represent St.
Michael, the Evangelists, the four cardinal virtues flanking the Church, and a bold,
naturalistic depiction of a naked Hercules.
 A central plinth with the liberal arts supports the four theological virtues.
Baptistery
 It was built in Romanesque style by an architect known as Diotisalvi.
 the top storey and the dome were added in Gothic style by Nicola Pisano and Giovanni
Pisano.
 It is the largest baptistery in Italy, with a circumference measuring 107.25 m. Taking into
account the statue of St. John the Baptist (attributed to Turino di Sano) atop the dome, it
is even a few centimetres taller than the Leaning Tower.
 The portal, facing the façade of the cathedral, is flanked by two classical columns, while
the inner jambs are executed in the Byzantine style. The lintel is divided into two tiers, the
lower one depicting several episodes in the life of St. John the Baptist, and the upper one
showing Christ between the Madonna and St. John the Baptist, flanked by angels and
the evangelists.
 The immensity of the interior is overwhelming, but it is surprisingly plain and lacking in
decoration. It has notable acoustics also.
 The octagonal baptismal font at the centre dates from 1246 and was made by Guido
Bigarelli da Como. The bronze sculpture of St. John the Baptist at the centre of the font is
a remarkable work by Italo Griselli.
 Campanile
 The campanile (bell tower), commonly known as the Leaning
Tower of Pisa, is located behind the cathedral. The last of the
three major buildings on the piazza to be built, construction of the
bell tower began in 1173 and took place in three stages over the
course of 177 years, with the bell-chamber only added in 1372.
 Five years after construction began, when the building had
reached the third floor level, the weak subsoil and poor
foundation led to the building sinking on its south side. The
building was left for a century, which allowed the subsoil to
stabilise itself and prevented the building from collapsing.
 In 1272, to adjust the lean of the building, when construction
resumed, the upper floors were built with one side taller than the
other. The seventh and final floor was added in 1319. By the time
the building was completed, the lean was approximately 1
degree, or 80 cm (2.5 feet) from vertical. At its greatest, measured
prior to 1990, the lean measured approximately 5.5 degrees. As of
2010, the lean was reduced to approximately 4 degrees.
 The tower stands approximately 60 m high, and was built to
accommodate a total of seven main bells