Brunelleschi's Chapel

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Brunelleschi's Chapel In no other time was Roman influence in architecture more profound than in 15th century Florence. Filippo Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel revived interests for Roman architecture. Like Masaccio's The Holy Trinity, the Pazzi Chapel implemented numerous classical architectural elements. Like Masaccio's frescoe, the chapel is a highlight of the Renaissance. The chapel, however, was a Roman avatar. It is for this reason that Brunelleschi's is considered as an important example of the influence of Roman architecture in the Renaissance; Roman influence is most visible in the chapel's hemispherical dome, Corinthian columns, pilasters, and pedimented entrance. The Pazzi chapel marked a momentous return to classical rudiments. It has a central dome "reminiscent of the lines of Rome's Pantheon" (Cunningham 274). It has an oculus just like the Pantheon. Furthermore, although smaller in scale, the dome of the chapel is also hemispherical in shape and austere in design. Likewise, the chapel's twelve-ribbed dome approached the floor below it in the same respect as the Pantheon; completed after Brunelleschi's death, the chapel dome caps a severe rectangular base in the same way the Pantheon dome covers an ascetic circle. (Tractenberg). The chapel's dome, however, is itself capped with a cylindrical cupola "with delicate lantern" added in 1462 (Italy Field Study). Although they differ in base, both domes were framed according to circles. The image above illustrates the resemblance between the Pantheon's and Pazzi chapel's dome. The image on the left is the architectural plan of the Pazzi Chapel. The one on the right is that of the Roman Pantheon. If one is to draw a near perfect circle that fills the interior of the dome, as... ... middle of paper ... ...:: SIAT :: Simon Fraser University." SFU Home Page - SFU- Simon Fraser University. Simon Fraser University. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. "Pazzi Chapel." The Museums of Florence. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. Pedimented Entrance. Digital image. Bluffton. Web. 4 Feb. 2012. "Roman Colosseum - Rome, Italy - Great Buildings Architecture." Architecture Design Architectural Images Drawings History and More - ArchitectureWeek Great Buildings. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. Spiegel, Frances. "Trier and the Porta Nigra: Roma Secunda – the Romans’ Second Home | Suite101.com." Frances Spiegel | Suite101.com. 11 May 2011. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. Temple of Mars Ultor. Digital image. The Imperial Forums. Intranet.arc.miami.ed. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. "The Greater Frame." ExtraordinaryBookOfDoors. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. Trachtenberg, Marvin, and Isabelle Hyman. Architecture: From Prehistory to Post-Moderni. 286-87. Print.

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