HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE- II

UNIT 4 : LATE MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE : ITALY

History of Architecture- II
SYLLABUS
UNIT 1
▪ Introduction, Early Christian Architecture – Influences & Arch. Character
▪ Early Christian Architecture- Basilica church with examples
▪ Early Christian Architecture- Baptistery & Tombs
▪ Byzantine Architecture- Influences & Arch. Character, Santa Sophia
▪ Byzantine Architecture- S. Vitale and S. Marks, Venice

UNIT 2
▪ Romanesque- Italy- Influences & Arch. Character
▪ Romanesque- Italy- Pisa Cathedral and S. Michele
▪ Romanesque- France- Influences & Arch. Character
▪ Romanesque- France- Angouleme Cathedral & Abbey – aux-hommes

UNIT 3
▪ Romanesque- Britain- Influences & Arch. Character
▪ Romanesque- Peterborough Cathedral
▪ Gothic Architecture in Britain- Influences & Arch. Character
▪ Gothic Architecture in Britain-Salisbury Cathedral and West Minister Abbey
SYLLABUS
History of Architecture- II
SYLLABUS
UNIT 4
▪ Gothic Architecture in France- Influences & Arch. Character
▪ Gothic Architecture in France-Notre dame Cathedral, Amiens Cathedral
▪ Late Medieval Architecture in Italy- Influences & Arch. Character
▪ Late Medieval- Italy-Milan Cathedral, S. Maria del Fiore, Doge’s Palace

UNIT 5
▪ Renaissance Architecture in Italy, France, Britain- Introduction, Architectural Character,
Examples
▪ Baroque Architecture in Italy, France, Britain- Introduction, Architectural Character,
Examples

SYLLABUS
History of Architecture- II
 LATE MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE: ITALY

GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
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 LATE MEDEIVAL (ITALY) / ITALIAN GOTHIC –
INFLUENCE AND ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• Italian designers adapted Gothic architecture to suit the local conditions.

• Therefore many variations can be seen as compared to French or English Gothic.

• The main influences are :

CLIMATE ARCHITECTURAL GEOLOGICAL

HERITAGE

RELIGION SOCIETY &

POLITICS

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RELIGION
• The Gothic style was brought to Italy by the Cistercian monks, who brought it from France.
• The Dominican and the Franciscan orders also built in the Gothic style.
• The monks from these orders built new churches in this style.
• The feature of Gothic architecture was slowly introduced by changing components of the
building design such as the introduction of a window or vault etc.

SOCIETY & POLITICS

• Rival cities and families also compete to build churches which became symbols of wealth,
power and civic pride.

• Inspite of these influence, the Gothic style was never fully imbibed into Italian church
architecture. No church was exclusively built in the Gothic style of Northern Europe. Rather
features and elements of the Gothic style were borrowed and adapted to suit the local
conditions.

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PLANNING Widely spaced

nave arcade
• Planning shows Roman and
Etruscan influence.
• Wide spacing is maintained
between the columns in the
arcade.
• Triforium is usually omitted.
• Clerestorey became less important.
• Vaulting in the nave was usually
done in square compartments and
the aisle vaulting in rectangular
ones.
• Higher arcades sometimes included
the nave and aisles in one
composition making the entire
church look like one hall.

Milan Cathedral
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WINDOWS AND OPENINGS

• Bright and brilliant skies necessitated smaller

openings and thicker walls to keep out the
harsh sun and reduce the amount of glare.
• Therefore features such as tall windows,
traceries (except in Venice) and stained
glass were avoided .
• Stained glass was also avoided because of
a preference for mosaics and frescos on the
interiors.( Roman tradition)
• Windows would often be topped by semi—
circular arches.
• Pointed arches would have a moulded
keystone.

Openings In French Gothic

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Openings In Italian Gothic

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WALLS, BUTTRESSES & VAULTING

• Thicker walls (a Romanesque tradition) were

used which could take the load of the
internal vaults.
• The absence of larger openings or traceries
also ensured that the thick masonry walls
could support the loads.
• This eliminated the need for flying buttresses.
• The Italian Romanesque vaulting also
reduced the lateral forces acting on the
sides of the building thereby reducing the
need for buttresses.
• However buttresses would sometimes be
concealed under the aisle roof.
• Instead tie rods were used and became
especially useful in earthquake prone zones.
Milan Cathedral- Interior showing tie rods

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ROOFS

• Low pitch roofs that are not very prominent

or easily visible from the ground.
• Externally, roofs appear flat.
• Sloping roofs above the aisles were masked
by screen walls on the western façade.

Western Façade- Siena Cathedral

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FACADES

• Facades are usually treated as separate components

and have no relation to the structure behind.
• Locally available stone was used quite liberally along
the façade, usually in bands of coloured marbles.
• The most prominent feature is usually the dome above
the crossing.

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ORNAMENTATION

• The interiors were usually finished in stones of

various colours.
• The piers in the arcade were formed by grouping
four pilasters together.
• Round piers were used in the interior similar to
ancient Roman tradition.
• The columns capitals of windows would be square
or Corinthian.
• Since buttresses are not prominent, pinnacles are
also rarely seen.
• Moulded bricks are also used on the exterior.

Siena Cathedral-Interior
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 LATE MEDEIVAL (ITALY) / ITALIAN GOTHIC – EXAMPLES

1) MILAN CATHEDRAL
2) DOGE’S PALACE
3) FLORENCE CATHEDRAL

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MILAN CATHEDRAL
• Largest Gothic cathedral in Italy.
• Started in 1387 and essentially finished by
1572. However construction continued till
1858.
• Flying buttresses were not added till the
19th century.
PLANNING
• The plan follows a Latin cross plan and
consists of a broad nave with double
aisles.
• The bays in the aisle are square and that
of the nave are rectangular.
• An aisled transept projects outside by one
bay and ends with apses on both sides.
• The apse is octagonal with ambulatory.
• The crossing has a domical vault 65m
(215') above ground level.
• The façade of the domical vault was
completed at the beginning of 19th Domical vault
century.
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STRUCTURAL SYSTEM & CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

• The vaulting is taken care of by a double
vaulting system of barrel vaults, and cross/groin
vaults or domical vaults.
• Domical vaults are used above the aisles and in
a modified form above the nave.
• Wrought iron tie rods lend additional support.
• The roof above the vaulting was of marble slabs.

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Domical Groin/cross vault

vault

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MILAN CATHEDRAL
INTERIORS –ORNAMENTATION & STRUCTURE
• The proportions of the section was based on the equilateral triangle.
• The height of the nave was 3x the height of the outer aisle and 1.5x
the height of the inner aisle.
• The nave arcades due to its enormous height (80') ordinary columns
were not found suitable the capital was made with niches with full-
scale statues.
EXTERIOR
• The verticality is dominant in the exterior.
• The three magnificent traceried windows in apse 20. 7m x 8. 5m (68' x
28') are the finest of their type in Italy.
• Even though pointed arch was adopted, the window area including
clearstorey was comparatively less.
• The building façade is cladded with Candoglia (a type of white
marble)marble with its characteristic rosy surface.
• The exterior is a gleaming mass of marble with lofty traceried windows,
panelled buttresses, flying buttresses and pinnacles crowned with
statues.
• The whole when seen together gives the effect of a lace like
intricacy. LATE MEDEIVAL ARCHITECTURE
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 LATE MEDEIVAL (ITALY) / ITALIAN GOTHIC – EXAMPLE : MILAN CATHEDRAL
MILAN CATHEDRAL

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MILAN CATHEDRAL

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DOGE’S PALACE

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DOGE’S PALACE, VENICE

• In Venice, a more decorative version of Italian Gothic

developed with influences from northern Europe and the
East (trade with Europe and Byzantine).
• The Doge’s palace or duke’s palace was one of the
grandest of the Civic Architecture of the period.
• Started in 9th century. Several times rebuilt and
completed during renaissance.
• The overall proportions are horizontal making the form
look boxy.
• However, the façade of about 500' long has open
arcades in lower 2 storeys giving an airy and light effect
o the exterior.
• A courtyard on the interior has the same effect.
• The 3rd storey was rebuilt after fire in 16th century.

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DOGE’S PALACE, VENICE
• The upper storey has white and rose coloured marble facing with a
geometrical pattern and pierced with large ornate windows.
• This reduces the heaviness of the upper storey and complements the
delicate patterns of the lower arcades.
• The parapet with arched pinnacle like lace work is interesting.
• The lower arcade columns are cylindrical and directly raised from
ground without base whereas the upper arcade columns are slender
with parapet and Corinthian capital has typical Gothic arches.
• The whole building with columns, pointed arches, capitals and solid
wall with arches is a lacy network of arcades has horizontality is
unique and can be termed even as Venetian Gothic architecture.

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S. MARIA DEL FIORE OR FLORENCE CATHEDRAL

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S. MARIA DEL FIORE OR FLORENCE CATHEDRAL

PLANNING
• Designed by Arnolfo di cambio has Italian character
without vertical features of N.Gothic
• It embraces both Gothic and renaissance features.
• Began in 1296 and after Amolfo's death (in 1302), in 1334
Giotto was appointed and followed by Pisano,
Francesco Tolenti, Brunelleschi etc.
• The plan is peculiar Latin cross with 3 octagonal domed
apses including that of transepts.
• The large nave is 60' x 270' long which forms impressive
approach to another impressive feature i.e the
octagonal dome placed above the crossing.
• The dome is 138'-6" in diameter is a renaissance feature
with a lantern on top and leads to 3 apses with 5
radiating chapels each.
• There is no triforium but circular clear storey windows are
provided.

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S. MARIA DEL FIORE OR FLORENCE CATHEDRAL- DOME

• The cathedral was expanded in 1350’s and the
nave and apses were made larger.
• This posed a problem in the construction of the
dome above as suitable structural systems such as
vaults were not in place for its construction.
• The span of the dome was to be similar to that of
the Pantheon.
• In 1418, Brunelleschi won a competition to build
the dome.
• He proposed a system that could be placed on
the existing drum.
• He used a double shell system of outer and inner
domes held together by 24 curving ribs made of
brick and horizontal stone and chain hoops that
were locked together with iron.
• The brick was lad in a herringbone pattern that
locked itself in place.

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S. MARIA DEL FIORE OR FLORENCE CATHEDRAL

EXTERIOR
• The exterior is note worthy for its colourful marble
and panelling, traceried windows, absence of
buttresses and pinnacles and horizontality than
vertical elements.
• The west façade was destroyed in 1588 and
renovated in 1875 with coloured marble,
sculptures and mosaics etc. and completed in
1887.
• The campanile or bell tower is free standing and
at the western façade.
• It was designed by Giotto and is square in plan of
45' sides and 275' high and built in red and white
marble.
• Only lower part was Giotto's design later changed
by Pisano, Talenti etc.

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