HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

INTRODUCTION

RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE
- The period between the early 15th century in the different regions of Europe demonstrated a
conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought
and material culture.

Italy of the 15th century, and the city of Florence in particular, was home to the Renaissance. It
is in Florence that the new architectural style had its beginning, not slowly evolving in the way
that Gothic grew out of Romanesque, but consciously brought to being by particular architects
who sought to revive the order of a past "Golden Age". The scholarly approach to the
architecture of the ancient coincided with the general revival of learning. A number of factors
were influential in bringing this about.

THREE PHASES
(01) Renaissance (ca. 1400-1500): also known as the Quattrocento and sometimes Early
Renaissance the first tentative reuse of classical ideas.
(02) High Renaissance (ca. 1500-1525) - the full-blooded revival of classicism.
(03) Mannerism (aka Late Renaissance. c. 1520-30 onwards) when architecture became much
more decorative and the reuse of classical themes ever more inventive.

(01) QUATTROCENTO
- In the Quattrocento, concepts of architectural order were explored and rules were formulated.
The study of classical antiquity led in particular to the adoption of Classical detail and
Ornamentation.

FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI
- one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance

Brunelleschi’s work:
BASILICA DI SAN LORENZO
- San Lorenzo, early Renaissance-style church designed by Brunelleschi and constructed in
Florence from 1421 to the 1460s, except for the facade, which was left uncompleted.
- The Basilica is located in Piazza San Lorenzo No. 9, surrounded by a complex of shopping
streets and the well-known former San Lorenzo market in Florence, Italy.
- The church of San Lorenzo, Brunelleschi and perfected his austere geometric style, inspired
by ancient Rome and completely different from the florid Gothic style that prevailed in his time.
- Its main feature was the dominance of mathematical proportions, marked by a spatial module
based on the cubic form, with orthogonal straight lines and flat planes.

FLORENCE CATHEDRAL
- The Duomo, also called Florence Cathedral or Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Roman
Catholic church in Florence, Italy. When it was consecrated in 1436, it was the world’s largest
church,
- The cathedral of Florence is built as a basilica, in keeping with Roman and Byzantine styles,
which were then adapted to the forms of Classical Antiquity, which so inspired Renaissance
architects. It has a wide central nave comprising four square bays, with an aisle to either side.
- The chancel and transepts follow an identical polygonal plan, separated by two smaller
polygonal chapels. The overall plan forms a Latin cross, while the aisles and nave are
separated by wide pointed Gothic arches supported by composite piers.

LEONBATTISTA ALBERTI
- An Italian humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, and
cryptographer; he epitomized the Renaissance Man.

Alberti’s work:
BASILICA OF SAINT'ANDREA
- The basilica of Sant'Andrea was built in 1472 on the site of an old 11th-century church. Built
according to Leon Battista Alberti's plans
- The Basilica was first built to receive pilgrims for the Christian feast of the Ascension.
- Sant’Andrea is built of bricks, though they are mostly concealed by painted stucco. The patron,
Ludovico Gonzaga, estimated that at least 2 million bricks were needed. The bricks were baked
in onsite kilns, making the church far less expensive and faster to built than a building made
with stone, which had to be quarried, transported, and finished.

SANTA MARIA NOVELLA

- Santa Maria Novella, English New St. Mary, Italian Gothic-style church of the Dominicans in
Florence. It was planned by two Dominican brothers, Sisto and Ristoro, and construction began
c. 1278 and was completed in 1350, except for the facade, which was completed by Leon
Battista Alberti in proto-Renaissance style (1456–70).
- THE MARBLE FACADE OF SANTA MARIA NOVELLA IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
EXAMPLES OF THE FLORENTINE RENAISSANCE, DESPITE HAVING BEEN INITIATED IN
PREVIOUS PERIODS. IT WAS ONLY FINALLY COMPLETED IN 1920.
- Alberti’s greatness proved the glue necessary for a "modern" solution using a rigid Gothic
structure, i.e. the ability to harmonize nobly the existing elements with the new style.
- The facade reflects the influences of then recently rediscovered geometric and mathematical
studies applied to nature and art that were a part of the revival of Platonic philosophy which
found its center in the Florence of the day. Triangles, circles, squares, rectangles and attached
geometrical figures cover the architectural landscaped designed by the brilliant architect to form
a wonderful series of harmonic relationships.

(02) HIGH RENAISSANCE

- During the High Renaissance, concepts derived from classical antiquity were developed and
used with greater surety. The most representative architect is Bramante (1444-1514) who
expanded the applicability of classical architecture to contemporary buildings. His San Pietro in
Montorio (1503) was directly inspired by circular Roman temples. He was, however, hardly a
slave to the classical forms and it was his style that was to dominate Italian architecture in the
16th century.

DONATO BRAMANTE
- an Italian architect, who introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High
Renaissance style to Rome.

Bramante’s work:
SAN PIETRO IN MONTORIO
- The building has a memorial, intended to exalt the figure of Saint Peter as the Roman Pontiff.
- The circular building is the figure that evokes the reality of the divine cosmos (Creation) and
the conceptual expression of the “Sacred” and represented the ideal city of Plato.
- The architecture tends to characterize the trend of eliminating unnecessary and decorative
items and also finding a monumentality that is based on simplicity and harmony, the essence of
architecture of ancient Rome, which is represented in works such as the Colosseum and the
theater Marcelo and which is also based on architectural theory of S. XV by Alberti.

RAPHAFI
- Raffaello da Urbino, known as simple as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the
Renaissance.

Raphael’s work:
SCHOOL OF ATHENS
- The architecture in The School of Athens by Raphael is reminiscent of Italian Renaissance
architect Donato Bramante's plan for the new St. Peters, architecture inspired by grandiose
Roman architecture.
- The incorporation of Classical motifs and models is therefore one of the distinguishing features
of Italian Renaissance art. Raphael's The School of Athens incorporates this humanistic interest
in both its subject matter and its style, thereby reflecting the culture of the High Renaissance.

PALAZZO PANDOLFINI
- is a palace in Florence built in the style of the late renaissance. Commissioned by Cardinal
Niccolò Pandolfini, the architect Raffaello Sanzio designed the building between 1513 and 1514
before work began in 1516.
- Its location is at Via San Gallo at the centre of the town. It overlooks the Salvestrina and Via
Cavour garden entrance.
- The building has been designed into a two-storey and form a specific angle. It applies a unique
style of curved tympanum and triangular windows. The Upper floor windows are designed with a
balcony that is flanked by semi-columns.
- This is enhanced by the use of dub stone in the construction. The semi-columns and
balustrade equip the first floor. The building also has an inscription around its wall.

PIRRO LIGORIO
- an Italian architect, painter, antiquarian, and garden designer. Ligorio's most important creation
was "The Bomarzo Gardens: the monsters park'

Ligorio’s work:
BOMARZO PARK
- The Sacred Grove of Bomarzo (Central Italy), usually known as Monsters Grove, is a unique
historic garden and comprising allegoric sculpture on huge rock block. These are the result of a
quaternary geological and geomorphological activity, developing from the deposition of volcanic
ignimbrite from Cimino apparatus topping plio-pleistocene marine clay, and the subsequent
erosion from the Tiber river evolution.
- The park of Monsters of Bomarzo was realised in 1552 as “Villa of Wonders” to be the only
one of it’s kind in the world. It was devised by the architect Pirro Ligorio

(03) MANNERISM
- During the Mannerist period, architects experimented with using architectural forms to
emphasize solid and spatial relationships. The Renaissance ideal of harmony gave way to freer
and more imaginative Rhythms.

MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI
- Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet. Generally considered one of the
greatest artists ever. He worked in Florence and Rome. Michelangelo receives his formal
education from the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio and the sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni. In
Florence Michelangelo becomes acquainted with Classical antiquity, which will have an
enormous influence on his work. Via Lorenzo de'Medici Michelangelo meets some of the
greatest scientists of his days

Buonarroti’s work:
CAPITOLINE HILL
- Out of Rome's seven hills, Capitoline Hill is the smallest, but most significant.
- The centerpiece of Capitoline Hill is the masterfully designed Piazza del Campidoglio.
Palazzos or splendid buildings resembling palaces frame the square on three sides. Each of
their facades were also designed by Michelangelo. The center building is the city hall of Rome
called the Palazzo Senatorio which actually sits on top of the ruins of the Tabularium. The
buildings to the right and left of city hall are museums

ST. PETERS BASILICA

- Standing tall as a mark of Rome and the entire Christendom, St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican
is a Renaissance masterpiece. Built over the Tomb of St. Peter.
- St. Peter's Basilica was built in Baroque style architecture. It follows the style of the Roman
Pantheon, but Michelangelo modified the final design to include the supporting piers to hold the
massive dome. The core plan of Bramante was to match the Basilica to a Latin cross.
- The interior was opulent with marbles, Renaissance-era sculptures as well as artefacts. After
Bernini built the Baldacchino and St. Peter's chair to complete the structure, St. Peter's Chair,
the Church has become a textbook symbol of the renaissance.
GIULIO ROMANO
- a pupil of Raphael, assisting him on various works for the Vatican. Romano was also a highiy
inventive Designer.

Romano’s work:
PALAZZO DEL TE
- is a museum and a cultural center in Mantua, northern Italy, as well as a masterpiece of
Renaissance art and architecture designed and decorated by Italian artist Giulio Romano in the
early 16th century.
- A key theme running through the external architecture and pictorial decoration within is the
illusion of ruination or collapsing structures. The inner courtyard of the Palazzo has subtle
examples of this, which play on classical architectural motifs of stability.
- Along the frieze above the columns, which runs around the cortile, some of the triglyphs
(stones marked with three lines) appear to have slipped out of position, while others remain in
line.

CHARACTERISTICS
- RENAISSANCE STYLE PLACES EMPHASIS ON SYMMETRY, PROPORTION, GEOMETRY,
AND THE REGULARITY OF PARTS AS THEY ARE DEMONSTRATED IN THE
ARCHITECTURE OF CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY AND IN PARTICULAR ANCIENT ROMAN
ARCHITECTURE, OF WHICH MANY EXAMPLES REMAINED. ORDERLY ARRANGEMENTS
OF COLUMNS, PILASTERS, AND LINTELS, AS WELL AS THE USE OF SEMICIRCULAR
ARCHES, HEMISPHERICAL DOMES, AND NICHES REPLACED THE MORE COMPLEX
PROPORTIONAL SYSTEMS AND IRREGULAR PROFILES OF MEDIEVAL BUILDINGS.

PLAN
- THE PLANS OF RENAISSANCE BUILDINGS HAVE A SOUARE. SYMMETRICAL
APPEARANCE IN WHICH PROPORTIONS ARE USUALLY BASED ON A MODULE WITHIN A
CHURCH THE MODULE IS OFTEN THE WIDTH OF AN AISLE.

COLUMNS AND PILASTERS

- THE ROMAN ORDERS OF COLUMNS ARE USED: TUSCAN, DORIC, IONIC. CORINTHIAN
AND COMPOSITE. THE ORDERS CAN EITHER BE STRUCTURAL, SUPPORTING AN
ARCADE OR ARCHITRAVE, OR PURELY DECORATIVE, SET AGAINST A WALL IN THE
FORM OF PILASTERS. DURING THE RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTS AIMED ITO USE
COLUMNS, PILASTERS AS AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM.

ARCHES
- ARCHES ARE SEMI-CIRCULAR OR (IN THE MANNERIST STYLE) SEGMENTAL. ARCHES
ARE OFTEN USED IN ARCADES. SUPPORTED ON PIERS OR COLUMNS WITH CAPITALS.
- ARCHES AND DOMES WERE POPULAR. THIS WAS AGAIN TAKEN FROM ROMAN AND
GREEK ARCHITECTURE