Philippe Brunelleschi is the Renaissance architect who changed the face of Florence. Brunelleschi Foundling Home Brunelleschi Innocent Shelter

The building of the Orphanage adorns one of the main squares of Florence - Santissima Annunziata, along with the church and monastery of Dei Servidi Maria.

In the appeal of the guild members to the city authorities it was said: "The orphanage called Santa Maria degli Innocenti; children will be accepted into it, which, contrary to the laws of nature, were thrown father and mother and who are popularly accepted call them "foundlings" "

The founding of this shelter for orphans and illegitimate children was associated with the civil life of the city, and not religious, as before, which responded to the new humanistic trends of the era. At the end of the 13th century, the General Council of the People in Florence entrusted the largest guild of silkworms and jewelers with the care of orphans. Despite the fact that the city already had hospitals - San Gallo on the northwest outskirts and Santa Maria della Scala on the southwest - a decision was made to build a new building for an infant shelter.

At the beginning of the 15th century, the commune, using the capital bequeathed for this purpose by the wealthy merchant Francesco Datini da Prato, bought a plot of land in the city, which was occupied by gardens and orchards. Brunelleschi, a member of this guild, was commissioned to develop the project of the Orphanage, which opened already in 1444. Along with him, Goro Dati, Francesco della Luna were elected to conduct the construction process; they were not architects and only exercised general supervision over the construction process and control over costs. This is not to say that all three had a good relationship.

Chronicler G. Dati in his "Chronicle" writes that in this new Ospedale will accept any child male and female, give to all breadwinners, support everyone and, when the girls grow up, they will be given in marriage, and the boys will be trained crafts, which will be a matter that deserves respect "

The difference between the Orphanage and medieval hospitals was that the latter usually combined the functions of a hospital, a hospice and an orphanage. The new building was intended only for children and for their upbringing up to 18 years of age. Upon leaving the orphanage, they mastered certain professions and specialties: girls mastered the skills of home economics, handicrafts and most often got married, boys could earn a living by crafts. The Orphanage had not only a nursery for babies, a school, various workshops, but also a church with a pharmacy. In accordance with Brunelleschi's design, the building looked like a one-story building, but it was not like that: the first floor went underground, that is, it was a basement. It is easy to see symbolism in the way the premises were distributed on these tiers. The premises below were intended for craft workshops, a dining room and other household premises, while above were premises for spiritual pastime and relaxation. Researchers suggest that such a plan was influenced by Plato's ideas about the education of ideal citizens for a perfect state.

Neither Brunelleschi himself nor his contemporaries attached much importance to the Foundling House for the master's creative biography, unlike today's scientists, who see in this project the beginning of the architect's own path and a manifestation of his independent style. Unfortunately, the graphic plans and the architectural layout of the house have been lost. Vasari in his "Life" only briefly mentions the Orphanage against the background of the main story about the construction of the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, which was carried out at the same time. However, the documentation related to the formal part of the construction has been preserved.

For the opening of the "men's courtyard" in 1445 a special ceremony was organized with the participation of the consuls of the merchant guild silk, Bishop Fiesole, papal legate and Jerusalem patriarch. About participation Brunelleschi in this event is not survived

Work on the acquired plot began in August 1419, and in 1420 the foundation was laid for the main portico - after permission was obtained to build a wide staircase in front of it, which went beyond the purchased plot and occupied part of the public land. A year later, they began to bring in columns, and where the chapel of the orphanage was supposed to be arranged, the first column was installed. At the same time, the name Filippo was first mentioned in connection with the receipt of a fee for the drawings of pilasters and the design of doorways. Over the following years, Brunelleschi's name appears repeatedly in documents, until 1427, when the main gallery with a portico was completed. From this year onwards and until the completion of the construction work, the management passes to Francesco della Luna. It is known that in June 1427 a ceremonial business breakfast was held, which was attended by "consuls and craftsmen and many merchants", representatives of the guild. It was decided to enlarge the original design as the building seemed too small for all the necessary needs. Brunelleschi, apparently, refused further work, and it was headed by della Luna, who not only expanded the project, but also made some changes to the already rebuilt part of it. During breakfast, the "drawing of the building, made on parchment by the painter Gerardodi Giovanni," was discussed and approved, which included additional rooms. In subsequent years, the building was repeatedly renovated and redesigned, up to the present day it is used for its direct purpose (only on the first floor there is a small museum dedicated to the history of the establishment of the Orphanage). In 1842, after a strong earthquake, it was necessary to replace all the columns in the portico, made according to drawings by Leopoldo Paschi. The facade was rebuilt in 1872 and in 1896. The last major restoration of the interior decoration dates back to the 1960s and 1970s. For the 600th anniversary of the architect, the inner courtyard, the so-called women's courtyard, on the right side of the building was reopened. But despite all the alterations, Brunelleschi's handwriting is invariably preserved in the building.

The architectural ensemble of the Orphanage is rather unusual. Very modest building materials were used for it: white plaster and local stone of a noble gray color, beautifully shading each other. Subsequently, medallions with blue glaze were added to this subtle color combination. In its typology, the Orphanage resembles the cloisters of medieval monasteries, which in turn are based on the layout of the Greco-Roman atriums or palestras. The composition of the building is a square, its front side is framed by a columnar portico with a gallery. The central part of the building is occupied by an open courtyard, which was intended for the rest of the male part of the staff, which is why it was conventionally called the "male courtyard". It, in turn, was surrounded by rows of covered galleries with order arcades and cross vaults. The second floor appeared after Brunelleschi left this project. Also, at the later stages of the construction of the Orphanage, the length of the central facade with a portico and a gallery was increased, and another courtyard was arranged in the inner room for the female part of the staff.

The most striking impression of the entire building is left by the front portico. It is raised on a stepped podium and consists of a colonnade with graceful arched lintels (ten spans in total). Behind them is a loggia, covered with a system of enfilade sailing vaults and three symmetrical doorways along the wall. On the sides, the facade is flanked by spans, but without arcades, which gives the whole structure a solid monumentality. The columns supporting the arcades are crowned with Corinthian capitals and rest on simple Attic bases. This solution is very reminiscent of Roman prototypes, and also follows the local traditions of the Tuscan Proto-Renaissance. Other decorative elements can be called an original feature, already characteristic of the creative genius of the Renaissance. On either side of the arcades rise two fluted pilasters, decorated with capitals of the same order as the main arcade. The decoration of the entire portico with an entablature is rhythmically combined with them, although, strictly speaking, this is not an entablature, but only its lower part - an architrave, which consists of three profiles, or ledges (the so-called fascia). It relies on archivolts of arches. On the sides the architrave breaks and goes down, thus forming the entire portico into a kind of "perspective" frame. This "frame effect" did not play any constructive role and had only a decorative value, the same is found in the treatment of the upper tier of the walls of the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence. According to Brunelleschi's biographers, this decision did not belong to Filippo, but to his assistant della Luna, and the master did not approve of such an orderly freedom, but the detail remained to decorate the building. Also noteworthy is the special "graphic" design of the architectural details of the facade: all articulations and details are emphasized by relief profiles, which reveals their structural role. Another interesting detail is a small special niche in the left wing of the loggia, where people could leave a foundling anonymously.

Manetti on deviations from Brunelleschi's project writes: “All this is a consequence of the arrogant self-confidence of the one who ordered it do. Experience has shown that in the buildings of Filippo nothing can be changed without breaking them beauty without spoiling them, without diminishing the usefulness and without increasing costs "

After Brunelleschi's death, the loggia received additional decor in the form of 14 polychrome majolica medallions made of glazed clay (1463-1466). They were created in the workshop of Luca della Robia, probably Andrea della Robia. The medallions, although they were not originally planned in the decor, organically fit into it. They were placed in the tympanum between the arches. Each one depicts babies swaddled to the waist. They have become very popular in the circle of international medical symbols. A copy of one of them is placed on the facade of the Westminster Children's Hospital in England, and since the 19th century, the so-called Florentine baby has even been a symbol of pediatrics in some countries.

Although it is believed that the Orphanage was damaged by later rebuildings, there is no doubt that Brunelleschi's original architectural design left its mark and caused a wave of imitations throughout Italy. Over the next few centuries (until the 17th century), all the other facades of the buildings on the square were rebuilt in imitation of the portico of Brunelleschi (the loggia of the Servi di Maria monastery, the portico of the Church of Santisimma Annunziata), thus forming a kind of columnar courtyard inside the city in place its area.

The first monument of the new style and the earliest work of Brunelleschi in the field of civil engineering is the Orphanage in Piazza Santissima Annunziata. At the first glance at this building, its essential and fundamental difference from the Gothic buildings is striking. The emphasized horizontality of the facade, the lower floor of which is occupied by a loggia that opens onto the square with nine arches, the symmetry of the composition, completed on the sides by two wider openings framed by pilasters - all give the impression of balance, harmony and peace. The clarity and simplicity of the compositional and spatial solution is also characteristic of the architecture of the gallery-enclosed courtyard of the building. Brunelleschi created a new type of civil architectural structure in the Orphanage (Ospedale degli Innocenti), combining a large number of public or residential premises located along the perimeter of a square courtyard. The orphanage was opened in 1445. It was built of bricks, the walls and vaults were plastered. Columns, archivolts, tie rods and ornament are made from local limestone. Terracotta bas-reliefs depicting swaddled babies by Andrea della Robbia.

Rome. Tempietto

Small, beautifully proportioned, round in plan, the temple in the courtyard of the Church of San Pietro in Montorio - this is Tempietto. The centric building has 16 Roman-Doric columns arranged in a circle, topped with an entablature and a balustrade. The building ends with a cylindrical drum topped with a dome. Without any decorations, the facade is drawn in one piece, and the details of the temple are clearly and strictly delineated. Tempietto, the most mature of the centric works, served as an important stepping stone towards the project of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Philippe Brunelleschi. Foundling Home in Florence. The first Renaissance building in the city. Early 20s. Humanist Leonardo Bruni proposed to build an Orphanage.

Lecture 3.1

15th century. Early revival. 1st half of the 15th century.

The time when the foundation of the Renaissance culture was laid in architecture, sculpture and painting.

Philippe Brunelleschi - architect 1377-1446. Gothic

Donatto Donatello - sculptor 1386-1466 gothic

Tomaso Masaccio - painter 1401-1428 was born in the 15th century.

Like the 3 whales on which the art of the Renaissance stands. Speak the first half of the 15th century.

They lived and worked primarily in Florence.

Florence is the cradle of Renaissance art. Serfdom was abolished in the Middle Ages. Independence. The Medici family, a family of money lenders (bankers) Οʜᴎ attracted creative people. War with Milan. (failed)

3 points

Sooner or later, most masters embark on the path of a new realistic Renaissance art. Even the old people.

All discoveries are not made intuitively, but on a scientific basis. Direct perspective and so on, the human body, proportions.

The old medieval is gradually disappearing.

The Brunelleschi building occupies only one side of the square, two other buildings appeared later, but their architecture is aimed at the facade of the orphanage, so that the result is an urban ensemble.

How to recognize the work of Brunelleschi - there are medallions by Andrea Della Robbia made in majolica technique. These medallions indicate the purpose of the building. Initially, there were none. It seems that Brunelleschi did everything, but in reality it was only an orphanage.

The building is not torn to the height, it is proportionate to the growth, it is not the vertical division that dominates, but the horizontal one. The building is connected to the ground. The building has 2 floors. 1st floor arcade a la antique. 2nd floor - the wall is cut with small rectangular windows. Not narrow lancet. Above each window is a triangular sandrick (ledge) similar to an antique pediment.

The building is restrained in color.

Unlike the Gothic, when the building seemed to be fenced off from the world, the building of Brunelleschi is wide open to the city.

Opening how it turned out: Brunelleschi's trick is light, the vault is open, the columns are thin, and the intercolumnia (the distance between the columns) are wide. He also loved the free, clean, uncluttered surface of the wall. He limited himself to only the console. This is Brunelleschi's signature move.

Florentine Church of San Lorenzo. Building of the Old Sacristy (old Sacristy). This is the tomb of the Medici family. This is the first Renaissance centric dome structure. San Lorenzo is a basilica. The left corner is the old sacristy. Drawn view.

The use of the order in the interior, not only outside, but also inside. Not columns and pilasters. Why do I need a warrant? Emphasizing the appearance of flesh. Bearing elements. Working. A wall appeared. She is now a bearing element. The order is proportional to human height. A person is very comfortable in this interior.
The horizontal is held by pilasters, nothing hangs. Everything is logical. Not one form is frozen. Medici family coat of arms - pills on the shield.
The central sacristy zone is occupied by a tombstone. Perception in motion. Like in gothic.

ARCHITECTURE FIRST HALF OF THE 15TH CENTURY, somewhere between 30-40 years. The old is still there.

The pilasters and entablature are dark and the wall is light. There is a lot of it and it seems to dissolve, and all this reminds of a Gothic frame system. The dome looks like ribs. The dome is a Renaissance shape. But ribs and rib color are analogous to Gothic.

Gothic rose. It hung, but Brunelleschi did not hang. But there is a nervousness effect.

Church of Santa Croce. Near the Pazza Chapel. G. Florence. Dome structure. The entrance to the chapel resembles a Roman triumphal arch. Umbrella domes are Brunelleschi's signature.

Dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiere. The cathedral was founded at the end of the 13th century. Conceived as a basilica with a huge dome. The Baptistelle is the baptismal San Giovani shrine of the city. And in this dome they decided to immortalize the actogon (the polygon on which the dome rests) of the baptisteli. For over 100 years, the cathedral was erected. Giotto began to build the companilla. In the 15th century, only the dome remained to be erected. Nobody knew how to build a dome. The drum is too thin. Brunelleschi was invited as an expert and said that it is possible to finish and suggested how to do it. The dome had to be light and strong at the same time. He proposed to build a dome of two shells connected by ribs vertically and horizontally. There are ribs underneath the brown tiles too. And there are horizontal ribs. The dome is almost hollow inside. There are like honeycombs. It's lightweight. There are almost 10 meters between the 2 shells. The higher the thinner the voids.

The inner shell has a lancet shape and the outer one is flatter. Covers the inner arrow. Inside there is a Gothic tent - outside there is a Renaissance dome. The outer shell covers the inner one from leaks. The thickness of the shells is different. The inner one is thicker. Brunelaesski even invented masonry. The space of the cathedral is gigantic. The inner shell of the dome is still a tent.
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Rocket flying skyward. The dome inside was painted in the 16th century. By Giorgio Vasari (the one who said that we live in the era of rhinoscimento)

The dome was completed in the 30s of the 15th century. Fanarik was not originally there. It was built after the death of Brunelaezchi in the 60s. According to the drawings of the master. Flashlight as a design lock. He also came up with the designs on which the workers worked. By floor.

Floors that hung in the air. Were deep into the masonry.

Michelangelo in the second half of the 16th century. Dome for comparison

Philippe Brunelleschi. Foundling Home in Florence. The first Renaissance building in the city. Early 20s. Humanist Leonardo Bruni proposed to build an Orphanage. - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Philippe Brunelleschi. Orphanage in Florence. The first Renaissance building in the city. Early 20s. Humanist Leonardo Bruni proposed to build an Orphanage." 2017, 2018.

Filippo Brunelleschi

BRUNELLESCHI, PHILIPPO (Brunelleschi, Filippo) (1377-1446), Italian architect, sculptor, inventor and engineer.

Brunelleschi born in 1377 in Florence in the family of a notary. From an early age, he showed an interest in drawing and painting and was very successful in this. While learning the craft, Filippo chose jewelry, and his father, being a reasonable man, agreed with this. Thanks to his studies in painting, Filippo soon became a professional in the jewelry craft.

In 1398 Brunelleschi joined Arte della Seta and became a goldsmith. However, joining the workshop did not yet give a certificate, he received it only six years later, in 1404. Prior to that, he had an internship in the workshop of the famous jeweler Linardo di Matteo Ducci in Pistoia. Filippo remained in Pistoia until 1401. From 1402 to 1409 he studied ancient architecture in Rome.

In 1401, participating in a sculptor competition (won by L. Ghiberti), Brunelleschi made a bronze relief "The Sacrifice of Isaac" (National Museum, Florence) for the doors of the Florentine baptistery. This relief, distinguished by its realistic innovation, originality and freedom of composition, was one of the first masterpieces of Renaissance sculpture.

The Sacrifice of Isaac 1401-1402, National Museum of Florence

After losing this competition to Lorenzo Ghiberti, he focused on architecture. Around 1409 Brunelleschi created a wooden "crucifix" in the church of Santa Maria Novella. There is an interesting story related to this crucifixion, given by Vasari.When Brunelleschi first saw the wooden "Crucifixion" of his friend Donatello, he immediately threw a short phrase: "A peasant on the cross." Donatello, feeling wounded and, moreover, deeper than he thought, because he was counting on praise, replied: “If doing a deed was as easy as judging him, then my Christ would seem to you to be Christ, and not a peasant; so take a piece of wood and try it yourself. " Philip, without another word, set to work, returning home, secretly from everyone, to work on the crucifix; and striving to surpass Donato at all costs ”. After many months, he brought his work to the highest perfection and one morning he invited Donato to his place for breakfast. First, the young people were together, and then Philip, under a plausible pretext, sent a friend with food to his apartment. "Go home with these things and wait for me there, I'll be right back." In Donato's house he saw a crucifix, which was so perfect that the young man dropped all the food in his hands with admiration, everything crumbled and shattered. So he stood in the middle of the room, unable to take his eyes off Philip's creation, when the owner returned to the house and said with a laugh: “What are you up to, Donato? What are we going to have breakfast with if you scattered everything? " “As for me,” Donato answered, “I got my share this morning: if you want yours, take it, but not more: it is given to you to make saints, and to me - men ". This crucifix is now in the church of Santa Maria Novella between the Strozzi chapel and the Bardi da Vernio chapel and is revered by the faithful as a shrine.

Later Brunelleschi worked as an architect, engineer and mathematician, becoming one of the founders of Renaissance architecture and the creators of the scientific theory of perspective. Brunelleschi began working as an architect in those years when in Florentine architecture, even within the framework of the Gothic style, a persistent attraction to more rational and simple forms was indicated.

For 16 years, during which the construction of the dome of the Florentine Cathedral was carried out (1420-1436), and until his death in 1446, Brunelleschi erected a number of buildings in Florence that gave architecture a fundamentally new impetus. In the parish church of San Lorenzo, which became the Medici family temple, he first erected the sacristy (completed in 1428 and is usually called the Old Sacristy, in contrast to the New, built by Michelangelo a century later), and then rebuilt the entire church (1422-1446). The Orphanage (Ospedale degli Innocenti, 1421-1444), the Church of Santo Spirito (begun in 1444), the Pazzi chapel in the courtyard of the Franciscan monastery of Santa Croce (begun in 1429) and a number of other remarkable buildings of Renaissance Florence are associated with the name of Brunelleschi.

Philippe had a large fortune, had a house in Florence and land holdings in its vicinity. He was constantly elected to the government bodies of the Republic, from 1400 to 1405 - to the Council del Pololo or Council del Commune. Then, after a thirteen-year break, since 1418 he was regularly elected to the Council of del Dugento and at the same time to one of the "chambers" - del Popolo or del Commune.
All construction activities of Brunelleschi, both in the city itself and outside, were carried out on behalf of or with the approval of the Florentine Commune. According to Philippe's projects and under his leadership, a whole system of fortifications was erected in the cities conquered by the Republic, on the borders of its subordinate or controlled territories. Large fortification works were conducted in Pistoia, Lucca, Pisa, Livorno, Rimini, Siena and in the vicinity of these cities. In fact, Brunelleschi was the main architect of Florence.
Dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore - the earliest of the largest works of Brunelleschi in Florence. The construction of the dome over the altar of the basilica, begun by the architect Arnolfo di Cambio about 1295 and completed mainly by 1367 by architects Giotto, Andrea Pisano, Francesco Talenti, it turned out to be a daunting task for medieval construction equipment in Italy. It was allowed only by Brunelleschi, a master of the Renaissance, an innovator, in whose person an architect, engineer, artist, theoretical scientist and inventor were harmoniously combined.

The Florentine dome really dominated the entire city and the surrounding landscape. Its strength is determined not only by its gigantic absolute dimensions, not only by its elastic power and at the same time by the ease of takeoff of its forms, but by the greatly enlarged scale in which the parts of the building that rise above the city buildings are solved - the drum with its huge round windows and covered with red tiles vault edges with powerful ribs separating them. The simplicity of its forms and the large scale are contrastingly emphasized by the relatively smaller dissection of the forms of the crowning lantern.

In the new image of the stately dome as a monument erected to the glory of the city, the idea of the triumph of reason, characteristic of the humanistic aspirations of the era, was embodied. Thanks to the innovative imaginative content, important urban planning role and constructive perfection, the Florentine dome was that outstanding architectural work of the era, without which no dome would be inconceivable. Michelangelo over roman St. Peter's Basilica, nor the numerous domed temples in Italy and other European countries dating back to him.
Before starting work, Brunelleschi drew a full-size plan of the dome. He took advantage of the Arno Shallows near Florence. The official start of construction work was marked on August 7, 1420 with a ceremonial breakfast.
Since October of this year, Brunelleschi began to receive a salary, albeit a very modest one, since it was believed that he provided only general management and was not obliged to visit the construction site regularly.

In parallel with the construction of the cathedral in the same 1419, Brunelleschi began to create complex of the Orphanage, which became the firstborn of the architectural style of the early Renaissance.

Orphanage (Ospedale degli Innocenti) in Florence. 1421-44

In fact, Brunelleschi was the chief architect of Florence; he almost did not build for private individuals, fulfilling mainly government or public orders. In one of the documents of the Florentine Signoria, which dates back to 1421, he is called: "... a man of a keen mind, gifted with amazing skill and ingenuity."

In the plan of the building, which is designed in the form of a large square courtyard built around the perimeter, framed by light arched porticos, techniques are used that go back to the architecture of medieval residential buildings and monastic complexes with their cozy courtyards protected from the sun. However, in Brunelleschi's work, the entire system of rooms surrounding the center of the composition - the courtyard - has acquired a more orderly, regular character. The most important new quality in the spatial composition of the building was the principle of "open plan", which includes such elements of the environment as a street passage, a courtyard connected by a system of entrances and stairs to all the main premises. These features are reflected in its appearance. The facade of the building, divided into two floors unequal in height, in contrast to medieval buildings of this type, stands out for its exceptional simplicity of forms and clarity of proportional structure.

Ospedale degli Innocenti (Orphanage). Loggia. Started around 1419

Interior of the Church of San Lorenzo

The interior of the old sacristy is the first example of a centric spatial composition in the architecture of the Renaissance, reviving the system of a dome that covers a square room in plan. The inner space of the sacristy is distinguished by great simplicity and clarity: the room, cubic in proportions, is covered with a ribbed dome on sails and four supporting arches resting on the entablature of pilasters of the full Corinthian order. Darker colored pilasters, archivolts, arches, rims and edges of the dome, as well as connecting and framing elements (round medallions, window frames, niches) stand out in their clear outlines against the light background of plastered walls. This combination of order, arches and vaults with the surfaces of load-bearing walls creates a feeling of lightness and transparency of architectural forms.

(Help for "dummies" in architectural names : entablature-the upper part of the structure, usually lying on columns, a constituent element of the architectural order; pilaster- a flat vertical protrusion of rectangular cross-section on the surface of a wall or pillar. Has the same parts (trunk, capital, base) and proportions as the column, usually without thickening in the middle part - entasis; archivolt- (from Latin arcus volutus - framing arc) - decorative framing of the arched opening. The archivolt distinguishes the arc of the arch from the plane of the wall, sometimes becoming the main motive for its processing .; Corinthian order - - one of the three main architectural orders. It has a high column with a base, a fluted trunk, and a lush capital, consisting of an elegant carved pattern of acanthus leaves, framed by small volutes. Orders Architectural - (from Lat. Ordo - order) - a system of constructive, compositional and decorative techniques, expressing the tectonic logic of post-beam construction (the ratio of bearing and bearing parts). Bearing parts: a column with a capital, a base, sometimes with a pedestal.) I'm not sure what has become clearer, tk. I was even more confused by such a certificate.

Nave, begun around 1419, Florence, San Lorenzo

In 1429, representatives of the Florentine magistrate sent Brunelleschi near Lucca to supervise the work associated with the siege of the city. After inspecting the area, Brunelleschi proposed a project. Brunelleschi's plan was that, by erecting a system of dams on the Serchio River and raising the water level in this way, open the sluices at the right time so that water rushing through special canals flooded the entire area around the city walls, forcing Lucca to surrender. Brunelleschi's project was implemented, but suffered a fiasco, the water gushing, flooding not the besieged city, but the besieging camp, which had to be hastily evacuated.
Perhaps Brunelleschi was not to blame - the Council of Ten made no claims against him. However, the Florentines considered Philippe to be the culprit for the failure of the Lucca campaign, they did not give him a pass on the streets. Brunelleschi was desperate.
In September 1431 he drew up a will, apparently fearing for his life. There is an assumption that at this time he left for Rome, fleeing shame and persecution.
In 1434, he defiantly refused to pay a contribution to the workshop of masons and woodworkers. It was a challenge to the guild principle of work organization, thrown down by the artist, who realized himself as an independent creative person. As a result of the conflict, Philippe ended up in a debt prison. The conclusion did not force Brunelleschi to submit, and soon the workshop was forced to yield: Philippe was released at the insistence of the Opera del Duomo, since construction work could not continue without him. It was a kind of revenge taken by Brunelleschi after the failure of the siege of Lucca.
Philippe believed that he was surrounded by enemies, envious people, traitors who tried to bypass him, deceive, rob him. It is difficult to say whether it really was so, but this is how Philippe perceived his position, such was his position in life.
The mood of Brunelleschi, no doubt, was influenced by the act of his adopted son - Andrea Lazzaro Cavalcanti, nicknamed Buggiano. Philippe adopted him in 1417 as a five-year-old child and loved him like a family, raised him, made him his student, assistant. In 1434, Buggiano ran away from home, taking all the money and jewelry. From Florence he left for Naples. What happened is not known, it is only known that Brunelleschi forced him to return, forgave and made him his only heir.
When Cosimo Medici came to power, he very decisively dealt with his rivals Albizzi and with all who supported them. In the elections to the Soviets in 1432, Brunelleschi was for the first time out of the vote. He stopped taking part in the elections and gave up political activity.
Back in 1430, Brunelleschi began construction of the Pazzi Chapel, where the architectural and constructive techniques of the sacristy of the Church of San Lorenzo found their further improvement and development.

Pazzi Chapel_1429-circa 1461

Here are some pictures of the Pazzi Chapel from the inside.

This chapel, commissioned by the Pazzi family as their family chapel and serving also for the gatherings of the clergy from the Santa Croce convent, is one of Brunelleschi's finest and most striking works. It is located in a narrow and long medieval courtyard of the monastery and is a rectangular room stretching across the courtyard and closing one of its short end sides.
Brunelleschi designed the chapel in such a way that it combines the transverse development of the interior space with a centric composition, while from the outside the facade solution of the building with its domed completion is emphasized. The main spatial elements of the interior are distributed along two mutually perpendicular axes, which gives rise to a balanced building system with a dome on sails in the center and three branches of a cross unequal in width on its sides. The absence of the fourth was made up for by a portico, the middle part of which is highlighted by a flat dome.
The interior of the Pazzi Chapel is one of the most characteristic and perfect examples of the peculiar use of the order for the artistic organization of the wall, which is a feature of the architecture of the early Italian Renaissance. With the help of the order of pilasters, the architects dismembered the wall into supporting and carried parts, revealing the forces of the vaulted ceiling acting on it and giving the structure the necessary scale and rhythm. Brunelleschi was the first who at the same time managed to truthfully show the bearing functions of the wall and the conventionality of order forms.

The last cult building of Brunelleschi, in which a synthesis of all his innovative techniques was outlined, was the oratorio (chapel) of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence (founded in 1434). This building was not finished.

Oratorio (chapel) of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence

In Florence, a number of works have survived, revealing, if not the direct participation of Brunelleschi, then, in any case, his direct influence. These include Palazzo Pazzi, Palazzo Pitti and Badia (abbey) in Fiesole.
None of the large constructions started by Philippe were completed by him, he was busy at all, he supervised everyone at the same time. And not only in Florence. At the same time, he built in Pisa, Pistoia, Prato - he traveled to these cities regularly, sometimes several times a year. In Siena, Lucca, Volterra, Livorno and its environs, in San Giovanni Val d "Arno, he headed the fortification work. Brunelleschi sat on various councils, commissions, gave advice on issues related to architecture, construction, engineering; he was invited in Milan in connection with the construction of the cathedral, asked his advice on the strengthening of the Milan castle.He traveled as a consultant to Ferrara, Rimini, Mantua, carried out an examination of marble in Carrara.

Brunelleschi described very accurately the environment in which he had to work throughout his life. He carried out the orders of the commune, the money was taken from the state treasury. Therefore, the work of Brunelleschi at all its stages was controlled by various kinds of commissions and officials appointed by the commune. Each of his proposals, each model, each new stage in construction was tested. He was again and again forced to participate in competitions, to receive the approval of the jury, which, as a rule, consisted not so much of specialists as of respected citizens, who often did not understand the essence of the issue and settled their political and private scores during the discussions.

Brunelleschi had to reckon with the new forms of bureaucracy that had developed in the Florentine Republic. His conflict is not a conflict between the new man and the remnants of the old medieval order, but the conflict between the man of the new era and new forms of organization of society.

Brunelleschi died on April 16, 1449. He was buried in Santa Maria del Fiore.

In preparing the post, the following materials were used:

If you notice inaccuracies or errors in the post, I will be very grateful if you let me know about them. The post is not intended for professionals, which I am not, but serves as an acquaintance with the work of the great Florentine architect, sculptor, inventor and engineer.

Lived: 1377 - 1446
Perhaps, in no other area of the artistic culture of Italy, the turn to a new understanding was to such a degree associated with the name of one genius master, as in architecture, where Brunelleschi was the founder of a new trend.

Presunto ritratto di Brunelleschi, Masaccio, San pietro in cattedra(1423-1428), Cappella Brancacci, Firenze

Filippo Brunelleschi was born in 1377 in Florence. Manetti tells about Brunelleschi's childhood and early adolescence: “As is customary among wealthy people and as it is in most cases done in Florence, Filippo learned from an early age to read, write and count, as well as a little Latin. His father was a notary and thought that his son would do the same, because among those who did not intend to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a priest, few at that time studied Latin or who were forced to learn it.

Filippo was very obedient, diligent, timid and bashful, and this served him more to his advantage than threats - at the same time he was ambitious when it was necessary to achieve anything. From an early age, he showed an interest in drawing and painting and was very successful in this.

When his father decided, according to custom, to teach him the craft, Filippo chose jewelry, and his father, being a reasonable man, agreed with this.

Thanks to his studies in painting, Filippo soon became a professional in the jewelry craft and, surprisingly to everyone, was very successful. In rabble, and smalt, and in relief on stone, and in carving, cutting and polishing of precious stones, he in a short time became an excellent master, and so it was in everything he undertook, and in this art and in every other he sought much more success than it seemed possible at his age. "

Sacrificio di Isacco, Brunelleschi

In 1398 Brunelleschi joined the Arte della Seta and became a goldsmith. In this workshop, which was engaged in the production of silk fabrics, gold and silver threads were also spun. However, joining the workshop did not yet give a certificate, he received it only six years later, in 1404. Prior to that, he had an internship in the workshop of the famous jeweler Linardo di Matteo Ducci in Pistoia. Filippo remained in Pistoia until 1401. When a competition was announced for the second doors of the Florentine Baptistery, he apparently already lived in Florence, he was twenty-four years old.

Northern doors of the Florentine baptistery
Lorenzo Ghiberti

A trip to Rome with Donatello, where both masters studied the monuments of ancient art, was of decisive importance for Brunelleschi in choosing his main business. But his life was associated not only with architecture, but also with politics. Filippo had a large fortune, had a house in Florence and land holdings in its vicinity. He was constantly elected to the government bodies of the Republic, from 1400 to 1405 - to the Council del Popolo or Council del Commune. Then, after a thirteen-year break, from 1418 he was regularly elected to the Council del Dugento and at the same time to one of the "chambers" - del Popolo or del Commune, and did not miss almost a single meeting.

Giovanni Bandini

All construction activities of Brunelleschi, both in the city itself and outside, were carried out on behalf of or with the approval of the Florentine Commune. According to Filippo's designs and under his leadership, a whole system of fortifications was erected in the cities conquered by the Republic, on the borders of its subordinate or controlled territories. Large fortification works were carried out in Pistoia, Lucca, Pisa, Livorno, Rimini, Siena and in the vicinity of these cities. Florence was surrounded by a wide ring of fortresses. Brunelleschi fortified the banks of the Arno, built bridges. He is involved in a complicated relationship with the dukes of Milan. In short intervals of truce he was sent to Milan, Mantua, Ferrara - apparently, not only in connection with his professional duties, but also with a diplomatic mission.

Mura di Lastra a Signa
Brunelleschi

If, before the competition for the construction of the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Brunelleschi remained a "private" person, free in the choice of activities and entertainment, now he became a state man, whose life was scheduled by the clock. He worked on several sites at once, supervising large groups of foremen and workers. In parallel with the construction of the cathedral in the same year 1419, Brunelleschi began to create a complex of the Orphanage.

Orphanage

The dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the earliest of Brunelleschi's largest works in Florence. The construction of the dome over the altar part of the basilica, begun by the architect Arnolfo di Cambio around 1295 and completed mainly by 1367 by the architects Giotto, Andrea Pisano, Francesco Talenti, was an overwhelming task for the medieval construction techniques of Italy. It was allowed only by the master of the Renaissance, an innovator, in whose person an architect, engineer, artist, theoretical scientist and inventor were harmoniously combined.

Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore

Before starting work, Brunelleschi drew a full-size plan of the dome. He took advantage of the Arno Shallows near Florence. The official start of construction work was marked on August 7, 1420 with a ceremonial breakfast. A treat was lifted up a spiral staircase to the drum of the cathedral: a cask of red wine for the workers and craftsmen, a fiasca of white trebbiano for the leadership, and a basket of bread and melons.

Santa Maria del Fiore

Since October of this year, Brunelleschi and Ghiberti began to receive salaries, albeit very modest, since it was believed that they provided only general management and were not required to visit the construction site regularly.

Santa Maria del Fiore

The difficulty in erecting the dome was not only in the enormous dimensions of the covered span (the diameter of the dome at the base is about 42 meters), but also in the need to erect it without scaffolding on a high octagonal drum with a relatively small wall thickness. Therefore, all efforts of Brunelleschi were aimed at maximally lightening the weight of the dome and reducing the expansion forces acting on the walls of the drum. Lightening the weight of the vault was achieved by the device of a hollow dome with two shells, of which the thicker lower one is the load-bearing, and the thinner upper one is protective. The rigidity of the structure was provided by a frame system, the basis of which was made up of eight main bearing ribs located at eight corners of an octahedron and interconnected by stone rings encircling them. This major innovation in the construction technique of the Renaissance was complemented by a characteristic Gothic technique - giving the vault a lancet shape.

Alberti's instinct of the artist understood and appreciated this daring idea, saying that Filippo "erected his huge structure above the heavens," that is, above the heavens. This was precisely the plan of Filippo, for the implementation of which he fought until the last day - to create a second, man-made heaven, "unheard of and unprecedented", a huge heavenly structure, facing as a challenge to the heavens and competing with the heavens.

Santa Maria del Fiore

Saint Paul's Cathedral

Bound by the medieval parts of the cathedral, Brunelleschi in his dome, naturally, could not achieve a complete stylistic correspondence of new and old forms. So the firstborn of the early Renaissance architectural style was the Orphanage in Florence.

Orphanage

The tectonic principles developed in the Orphanage, expressing the originality of Brunelleschi's order thinking, were further developed in the old sacristy (sacristy) of the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence (1421-1428). The interior of the old sacristy is the first example of a centric spatial composition in the architecture of the Renaissance, reviving the system of a dome that covers a square room in plan. The inner space of the sacristy is distinguished by great simplicity and clarity: the room, cubic in proportions, is covered with a ribbed dome on sails and four supporting arches resting on the entablature of pilasters of the full Corinthian order. Darker colored pilasters, archivolts, arches, rims and edges of the dome, as well as connecting and framing elements (round medallions, window frames, niches) stand out in their clear outlines against the light background of plastered walls. This combination of order, arches and vaults with the surfaces of load-bearing walls creates a feeling of lightness and transparency of architectural forms.

Sacristy of the Church of San Lorenzo

Simultaneously with the rebuilding of the Church of San Lorenzo Brunelleschi worked on less important construction sites - in the Barbadori Chapel in the Santa Felicita Church on the other side of the Arno and in the Palazzo Barbadori.

Barbadori Chapel

Perhaps Brunelleschi was not to blame - the Council of Ten made no claims against him. However, the Florentines considered Filippo to be responsible for the failure of the Lucca campaign, they did not give him a pass on the streets. Brunelleschi was desperate. In September 1431 he drew up a will, apparently fearing for his life. There is an assumption that at this time he left for Rome, fleeing shame and persecution.

Barbadori Chapel

However, all this did not prevent Filippo three years later to "enter the battle again without fear of risk." In 1434, he defiantly refused to pay a contribution to the workshop of masons and woodworkers. It was a challenge to the guild principle of work organization, thrown down by the artist, who realized himself as an independent creative person. As a result of the conflict, Filippo ended up in a debt prison. The conclusion did not force Brunelleschi to submit, and soon the workshop was forced to yield: Filippo was released at the insistence of the Opera del Duomo museum, since construction work could not continue without him. It was a kind of revenge taken by Brunelleschi after the failure of the siege of Lucca.

Barbadori Chapel

Filippo believed that he was surrounded by enemies, envious people, traitors who tried to bypass him, deceive, rob him. It is difficult to say whether it was really so, but this is how Filippo perceived his position, such was his position in life.

Barbadori Chapel

The mood of Brunelleschi, no doubt, was influenced by the act of his adopted son - Andrea Lazzaro Cavalcanti, nicknamed Buggiano. Filippo adopted him in 1417 as a five-year-old child and loved him like a family, raised him, made him his student, assistant. In 1434, Buggiano ran away from home, taking all the money and jewelry. From Florence he left for Naples. What happened is unknown, it is only known that Brunelleschi made him return, forgave him and made him his only heir. Apparently, Buggiano was not the only one to blame for this quarrel.

Barbadori Chapel

Having come to power, Cosimo Medici very decisively dealt with his rivals Albizzi and with all who supported them. In the elections to the Soviets in 1432, Brunelleschi was for the first time out of the vote. He stopped taking part in the elections and gave up political activity.

Barbadori Chapel

Back in 1430, Brunelleschi began construction of the Pazzi Chapel, where the architectural and constructive techniques of the sacristy of the Church of San Lorenzo found their further improvement and development. This chapel, commissioned by the Pazzi family as their family chapel and serving also for the gatherings of the clergy from the Santa Croce convent, is one of Brunelleschi's finest and most striking works. It is located in a narrow and long medieval courtyard of the monastery and is a rectangular room stretching across the courtyard and closing one of its short end sides.

Pazzi Chapel

Brunelleschi designed the chapel in such a way that it combines the transverse development of the interior space with a centric composition, while from the outside the facade solution of the building with its domed completion is emphasized. The main spatial elements of the interior are distributed along two mutually perpendicular axes, which gives rise to a balanced building system with a dome on sails in the center and three branches of a cross unequal in width on its sides. The absence of the fourth was made up for by a portico, the middle part of which is highlighted by a flat dome.

Pazzi Chapel

The interior of the Pazzi Chapel is one of the most characteristic and perfect examples of the peculiar use of the order for the artistic organization of the wall, which is a feature of the architecture of the early Italian Renaissance. With the help of the order of pilasters, the architects dismembered the wall into supporting and carried parts, revealing the forces of the vaulted ceiling acting on it and giving the structure the necessary scale and rhythm. Brunelleschi was the first who at the same time managed to truthfully show the bearing functions of the wall and the conventionality of order forms.

Pazzi Chapel

In 1436 Brunelleschi began work on the project for the Basilica of San Spirito. The basilica has a peculiar plan: the side aisles with adjoining semicircular chapels form a single continuous row of equal cells, bypassing the church along the entire perimeter, with the exception of the western facade. Such a construction of chapels in the form of semicircular niches is of significant constructive importance: the folded wall could be extremely thin and at the same time, well perceived the expansion of the sail vaults of the side naves.

Basilica of San Spirito

Oratorio Santa Maria degli Angeli

The question of Brunelleschi's role in the creation of a new type of city palace is extremely complicated by the fact that the only work of this kind, for which the authorship of the master is documented, is the unfinished and badly damaged Palazzo di Parte Guelfa. However, even here Brunelleschi showed himself quite vividly as an innovator, breaking with the medieval tradition much more decisively than most of his contemporaries and successors. The proportions of the building, its division and shape are determined by the system of the classical order, which is the most remarkable feature of this building, which represents the earliest example of the use of the order in the composition of the urban Renaissance palazzo.

Palazzo di Parte Guelfa

Palazzo Pitti

None of the large construction projects started by Filippo was completed by him, he was busy at all, he supervised everyone at the same time And not only in Florence. At the same time, he built in Pisa, Pistoia, Prato - he traveled to these cities regularly, sometimes several times a year. In Siena, Lucca, Volterra, Livorno and its environs, in San Giovanni Val d "Arno, he headed the fortification work. Brunelleschi sat on various councils, commissions, gave advice on issues related to architecture, construction, engineering; he was invited in Milan in connection with the construction of the cathedral, asked his advice on the strengthening of the Milan castle.He traveled as a consultant to Ferrara, Rimini, Mantua, carried out an examination of marble in Carrara.

Milan castle

Brunelleschi's death mask

Brunelleschi's grave

Text by Dmitry Samin