Orphanage in Florence 1421 1444. Orphanage

The Orphanage Ensemble, the Pazzi Chapel, the Basilica of San Lorenzo, etc. What do we know about him and why do his buildings attract such close attention?

“Many, to whom nature has given small stature and a plain appearance, have a spirit full of such greatness, and a heart full of such boundless daring, that they never find peace in life unless they take on difficult and almost impossible things and do not bring them to the end marvelous to those who contemplate them."
Giorgio Vasari

If the city is great, then descendants have an irresistible desire to bask in the rays of its glory, since there is no better way to emphasize the significance of the new city than to liken it to one of the legendary capitals. So, after the recognition of Constantinople as the "Second Rome", several cities already proudly call themselves the "Third Rome". Russians are closest to the example of Moscow; Well, having a historically developed radial-circular layout, the capital of Russia may well apply to itself the expression that "all roads lead to Rome", and if the city does not have enough of its hills for final plausibility, then you can count the surrounding ones - if only they eventually it became seven.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was designed just in such a way that the entire population of the city (at that time - 90,000 people) could fit inside: something like a huge covered square. It turned out to be a really impressive building: length - 153 meters, width in the transept - 90 meters. It is the fourth largest church in the world, after St. Peter's in Rome, St. Paul's in London and the Duomo in Milan. By themselves, these numbers may not say anything, but as soon as you walk around the cathedral, it will immediately become clear how huge it is.

But there are also perfectly fair comparisons. From time immemorial, Greek Athens has been considered the "cradle of architecture", the ancient Hellenes left behind invincible architectural principles, which the Roman theorist Vitruvius combined with three words "benefit, strength, beauty". Many centuries later, in the small Tuscan city of Florence, local humanists revived the Greek canons, reworking them just enough so that a fundamentally new, revolutionary Renaissance style appeared on Earth, and Florence got the right to be called "new Athens".

The heyday of the newly revived style is the Quattrocento era, i.e. XV century, but the first buildings that run counter to the Romanesque and Gothic concepts of beauty appeared in Florence as early as the XIV century. Among the cramped medieval buildings, there arose (at first in scattered patches) structures of a new era. At first, these were unusual buildings of industrial manufactories, then the first guild houses appeared, and, finally, opposite the Baptistery of San Giovanni, Giotto's bell tower shot up to a height of 84 meters. Its construction began in 1334 next to the unfinished Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. When Giotto was asked to continue the construction of the Duomo, he preferred to direct his efforts to the construction of the bell tower, but he owns the main ideas of the tricolor marble decoration and octagonal pilasters*, which were later transferred to the entire Cathedral.

dome of the cathedral

The long-standing rivalry between Florence, Pisa, Siena and Lucca was expressed in different ways, but in the field of architecture the former lagged a little behind. Until the end of the 13th century, the ancient church of Santa Reparata was the main church building in Florence, while competitors have long acquired new large cathedrals. Only in 1294, the architect Arnolfo di Cambio received the task from the Guild of Arts to build a new majestic church on the site of the old one (it is interesting that during the construction of the Duomo, the first church was kept outside its walls for a long time, in which worship continued). The architect made a lot of efforts to justify the trust of fellow citizens, and laid the foundation for the cathedral, 169 m long and 42 m wide at the crossroads. At the time of completion (in 1434), this building was the largest in Europe.

The triumphant completion of construction falls on the end of the 15th century, and until that time the cathedral had been decapitated for a long time. Repeatedly, the Signoria of the city announced a competition for the project of erecting a dome, but since the time of Emperor Hadrian and the architect Apollodorus of Damascus (118-128), not a single architect has been able to build a structure equal to the Roman Pantheon in terms of the diameter of the dome. Many projects were presented to the city fathers, but the most ingenious among them was the proposal of one contestant: to fill the inside of the cathedral with earth mixed with silver coins. The originality of the idea was that after the completion of the construction of the dome on earthen formwork, the townspeople should have been let into the building, who, in search of money, would take out all the earth from the cathedral.

The queue to enter the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is huge, but for those who want to bypass it, there is a way. To do this, you need to find the entrance to the dome and the inscription Priority line - for 7 euros per person you go straight to the beginning of the queue to the dome, and then through a special entrance separately to the cathedral itself. 7 euros and you will not get sunstroke and save time to see something else in this beautiful city. The entrance fee to the cathedral is 8 euros. Cash desk only accepts cash

It is not known how long the competitions would have lasted, and how the construction of Santa Maria del Fiore would have ended, if in 1417 the representatives of the Opera del Duomo (the construction department of the cathedral) had not turned to the master Philippe Brunelleschi for advice. The architect not only agreed with all the fears of the builders, but additionally named many other difficulties that the main masters did not suspect. When the discouraged construction manager became convinced of the complete impossibility of ever erecting a grandiose dome, Philippe wittily remarked: “When everything is prepared, someone will certainly be found to erect a vault; since this building is sacred, then the Almighty Lord, for whom there is nothing the impossible will not leave us."

It was so pleasing to the Almighty that it was Philippe Brunelleschi who became the very person who was able to erect the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Having begun his architectural activity by solving the most significant and difficult task facing the builders of his native Florence, the former jeweler destroyed medieval building dogmas and brought architecture to a new level of development. At first, Brunelleschi's ideas seemed fantastic to many, but the architect managed to convince his colleagues and the city authorities of Florence that he was right. He began the construction of the dome without any scaffolding, which made it possible to significantly save on funds and materials, while the dome was supposed to become not spherical, but lancet, elongated. The eight ribs of the dome took on the entire main load.

The construction of the dome with a diameter of 42 meters was mostly completed by 1436, at the same time (March 25) the consecration of the cathedral by Pope Eugene IV took place. In 1471, after the death of Philippe, the "final touch" was made - the lantern of the dome of the cathedral crowned the ball with a cross. The construction of the cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary with a Lily flower in her hand, cost Florence 18 million golden florins and lasted 175 years.

The significance of Brunelleschi's pioneering role for the new architecture cannot be overestimated. Dedicating his treatise on painting to the Florentine architect, Alberti says that this "...great structure, rising to heaven, so vast that it overshadows all the Tuscan peoples and erected without any help from scaffolding or bulky scaffolding, is a most skillful invention that is truly , if I only correctly judge, is as incredible in our time as, perhaps, it was unknown and inaccessible to the ancients.

Educational home

Filippo Brunelleschi became famous as a builder who erected a dome on the octagon of a medieval cathedral, thereby changing the silhouette of his native city. But the layout of Florence remained unchanged; still narrow streets encircled the grandiose volume of the Duomo, which, breaking out of its tenacious embrace, strove upward to the clear sky of Tuscany. And the new principles of humanism demanded not only new forms, but also a completely different, freer space.

As an architect-urban planner, Philippe first appears in the creation of an ensemble of the Orphanage (Ospedale degli Innocenti, an orphanage of the innocent), which is completely unusual for medieval architecture.

It must be said that the Florentine authorities used to take care of abandoned children and the sick. As early as the end of the 13th century, the General Council of the People in Florence ordered the largest industrial guilds to organize shelters for their illegitimate babies. For these purposes, existing hospitals were used, which combined the functions of a hospital, a hospice and an orphanage. The Ospedale degli Innocenti complex became a new type of institution - the Orphanage. Within its walls, foundlings were not only accepted and fed; orphans lived there until the age of 18 and left the gates of the orphanage, having received an education and a specialty.

In 1410, the wealthy merchant Francesco Datini da Prato bequeathed a significant amount specifically for the construction of the Orphanage, nine years later the Arte della Sete silk-weaving guild redeems a large plot of land from a private person near the Santissima Annunziata church and on August 17 of the same year begins construction work . Three people were elected to manage the construction, of which only Philippe Brunelleschi was the architect, two other respected citizens of Florence were to oversee the work and control costs.

Naturally, Philippa was entrusted with drafting the project, but, unfortunately, the master did not like to draw, although he received 15 fiorini for drawings for individual elements of the building, so now no one undertakes to say exactly what was done in this building according to Brunelleschi’s plan, what belongs to his followers, and what was distorted during the restoration. However, the overall design of the ensemble certainly belongs to the first architect of the Renaissance.

The composition of this complex complex, which combines residential, utility and religious premises, is built around the central courtyard. The inner courtyard - an integral part of Italian residential buildings - was skillfully used by Brunelleschi to unite all the premises. The main façade of the building overlooking Piazza Santis sima Annunziata is decorated with a light and transparent loggia; the architect managed to give the ancient motif of the arched colonnade the appearance of a friendly, hospitable lobby.

By June 1427, a significant part of the ensemble had already been completed, but at that time the commission supervising the construction made a decision on a significant alteration of the Orphanage under construction. Insulted, Brunelleschi leaves the construction site, as he does not want to put up with ignorant proposals for a radical restructuring of the architectural complex he created, which is almost completed. The proud Florentine, as always, reacted sharply to another injustice, refusing further supervision of the construction of his offspring. However, it is known from documents that he was repeatedly approached for advice and consultation until 1445, when the Orphanage was solemnly opened. This event took place on January 25, and already on February 5, at eight o'clock in the evening, the first baby was brought to the porch of the new shelter - a girl who was named Agatha Smeralda at baptism.

The calm harmonious building of the Orphanage still attracts the attention of connoisseurs of beauty. The compositional concept, clearly reflecting the public purpose of the building, the simplicity of forms and the clarity of proportions make this firstborn of a new direction in architecture related to the architecture of ancient Greece. It is for this reason that Ospedale degli Innocenti is considered to be the first example of Renaissance architecture.

Pazzi Chapel

While considering the major works of maestro Brunelleschi, it would be unfair to ignore some of the master's works, small in size, but outstanding in value. Experts unanimously call the small Pazzi Chapel, a family chapel in the monastery of Santa Croce, the most characteristic of Brunelleschi and his most perfect work. As conceived by the architect, the courtyard of the monastery was to turn into an open-air church, and this small structure, commissioned by Brunelleschi by the Pazzi family, was to play the role of the main altar. Philippe's final plan was never to come true, but the master managed to achieve an amazing unity between the chapel and the monastery courtyard, emphasizing the independence of a small family chapel.

In this case, Brunelleschi acts not only as a master of a new direction, fluent in volume, but also as a designer who is able to competently organize the interior space. One of the achievements of Philippe in the field of interior, using the Pazzi Chapel as an example, should be considered the fact that he was able to achieve a completely unexpected impression with several tricks - the interior of the chapel seems much larger than it really is.

In the interior of the chapel, Brunelleschi uses a new technique to reveal the basis of the composition with the material and color of the order. When looking at the light, elegant decoration of the interior space of this building, it doesn’t even occur to me that just a few years ago, church buildings only suppressed and humiliated people who came to the temple, but here it became possible to communicate with God almost on an equal footing.

Simultaneously with the construction of the Duomo dome and the Orphanage, Brunelleschi rebuilt the old Basilica of San Lorenzo (the parish church of the Medici family), participated in the creation of projects for the Palazzo Parte Guelph and the Palazzo Pazzi, the Church of San Spirito and many others. Most of these projects were carried out after the death of the maestro by his students, but in all his works one can feel that indomitable spirit of an innovator-rebel, which allowed him to turn all existing ideas about architecture and offer the world a new human style of architecture.

It remains to add that, despite the fact that Maestro Brunelleschi quite often left his native city, most of his works are dedicated to Florence. This city was destined to become the "New Athens" and the "cradle of the Renaissance", so that the architect Filippo Brunelleschi can be considered a master who carved this cradle from stone.

* Pilaster - (from lat. Piles - pillar) - a flat vertical ledge of rectangular section on the surface of the wall. The pilaster has the same parts (stem, capital base) and proportions as the column.

Irina Nekhoroshkina. Italica No. 3 in 2000.

architect Filippo Brunelleschi. One of the first buildings in the Renaissance style, which had a huge impact on the development of Italian and all world architecture.

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One of the great spaces of the Renaissance is the Pazzi Chapel in the monastery of Santa Croce. We are in it, sitting on a bench that runs along the wall, because this building was originally used as a chapter house. That is the assembly hall for the monks of Santa Croce. They were sitting right where we are now. Right at the exit from the cloister. This is the traditional place for the assembly hall. Before us is a building that is a full-fledged example of early Renaissance architecture. Its author is Brunelleschi, although it was completed after his death. We see all the elements that we expect from Brunelleschi. The use of pietra serena, a greyish-green stone that accentuates the decorative elements on the walls. It also emphasizes the walls themselves, the space and the dominance of a certain geometric perfection. We immediately notice rectangles, squares, circles and semicircles, but as soon as I entered this chapel, I was overcome by the feeling that I was in an ancient Roman temple. Indeed, this chapel is very reminiscent of buildings with a central plan. Let's say something like the Pantheon. Its creator paid attention to a kind of geometric perfection and centrality that we really associate with the ancient world, so I think you're right. I think the architect tried very hard to create this classicism, to achieve this revival of the standards and ideas of ancient Rome. Pretty fluted pilasters, long walls, and a hemispherical dome with a round hole in the center and windows that cut through its sides, thanks to which this wonderful light enters the chapel. Its dome is sailing, and on the sails - triangular elements on which the dome rests, we see medallions. Terracotta, made by Luca della Robbia, who has recently perfected his ability to fire his work at a temperature high enough to form glazes. He used glazes in the modern sense of the word. This building really does feel central to the plan. The architect seemed to want to build something that was not a basilica. This is a chapter house, not a temple, and yet its creator had a desire to work with a centralized space, which became even more important in the High Renaissance, for artists such as Bramante or Leonardo da Vinci. When you enter this building, you get the feeling that you are in a completely built, ordered, designed environment. This space is rational, completely subordinate to the general concept of the project. We talk about it like it's central to the plan, but that's not entirely true. No. Its width is somewhat greater than its length, and if you look at the central dome, which clearly dominates the building, small barrel vaults are visible on either side of it. Brunelleschi took a rectangular space and made it as close as possible to a square topped with a dome, but with two small barrel vaults on either side... This is emphasized not only by the geometry of the vaults, but also by the geometry of the floor. The dome clearly lines up the space and creates this sense of classicism that embraces us.

Story

Construction

The institution was created as part of an extensive program of charitable initiatives of the Florentine oligarchy, aimed at improving the living conditions of citizens and the sanitary situation. The construction of the shelter was entrusted in 1419 to the architect Filippo Brunelleschi by the Florentine Guild of Arts. Arte della Seta. The monastic garden of the nearby church of Santissima Annunziata was chosen as the site for the construction of an orphanage. Until 1427, Brunelleschi directly supervised the work; then the first stage of construction was completed. In 1430 an extension was added to the south side of the building, and in 1439 the top floor was completed, but without the pilasters that Brunelleschi had provided. Later, a vaulted corridor was added on the left side of the loggia. Since the construction of the loggia was started earlier than the institution itself, the educational house was officially opened only in 1445. It became the first orphanage in Europe of such scale.

institution

The foster home was responsible for homeless children and provided them with the opportunity to integrate into society. His work reflected the social and humanistic views of Florence during the early Renaissance. The first foundling appeared there on February 5, 1445, ten days after the discovery. When children entered the orphanage, they were first cared for by wet nurses, but gradually they were weaned from breastfeeding. Boys were taught to read and write, and in the future they received knowledge according to their abilities. Girls, in turn, were considered the weaker sex, fragile and most vulnerable; teachers taught them sewing, cooking and other skills necessary for the future housewife. Upon graduation, the institution provided them with a dowry and gave them the opportunity to either get married or enter a monastery. In the 1520s, for pupils who did not choose either one or the other, a special extension was added to the southern part of the building from the side of Via de "Fibbiai".

Sometimes children were left in a bowl in front of the portico, but in 1660 it was removed. In its place, a spinning horizontal wheel was installed, which carried the baby inside the building, while the child's parent remained unnoticed; it allowed people to keep their children anonymous. This system worked until 1875, when the orphanage was closed.

Our days

Today, the Orphanage is still home to the most important charities in Florence. There are two nurseries, a motherhood school, three nurseries and one women's shelter, UNICEF offices. Today, the "Shelter of the Innocent" is also a national center for childhood and youth.

architectural features

At the center of the building is a square courtyard surrounded by an arcade with raised vaulting. The arches rest on columns of the Corinthian order, and in general the plan is made on the basis of a single module. Previously, there were loggias here.

The educational house in Florence is interesting in that it combines columns and load-bearing arches for the first time. The building reflects a clean and clear sense of proportion. The height of the columns is equal to the distance between them and the width of the arcade itself: this correct ratio forms a cube. The simple proportions of the building reflect a new era: a secular upbringing and the notion of order and clarity.

Brunelleschi provided in his projects a combination of classical

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 admitted which, contrary to the laws of nature, were thrown father and mother and whom the people accepted to call "foundlings"

The foundation of this orphanage for orphans and illegitimate children was connected with the civil life of the city, and not the religious life, as before, which corresponded 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 silk spinners and jewelers with the care of orphans. Despite the fact that the city already had hospitals - San Gallo on the northwestern outskirts and Santa Maria della Scala on the southwestern - it was decided to build a new building for the orphanage for babies.

At the beginning of the 15th century, the commune, using 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, who was a member of this guild, was commissioned to develop a project for the Foundling House, which opened already in 1444. Along with him, Goro Dati, Francesco della Luna were elected to lead the construction process; they were not architects and merely exercised general oversight of the building process and cost control. It cannot be said that all three have a good relationship.

Chronicler G. Dati writes in his Chronicle that in this "new Ospedale will accept any male and female child, give to all nurses, to support everyone, and when the girls grow up, they will be given in marriage and the boys will be educated crafts, which will be a deed worthy 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 housekeeping, needlework and most often got married, boys could earn a living by crafts. In the Orphanage there were not only nurseries for infants, a school, various kinds of workshops, but also a church with a pharmacy. In accordance with the plan of Brunelleschi, 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 the symbolism in the way the rooms were distributed on these tiers. The premises below were intended for craft workshops, a dining room and other household premises, while at the top there were premises for spiritual pastime, 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 Orphanage for the master's creative biography, unlike current scientists who see this project as the beginning of the architect's own path and a manifestation of his independent style. Unfortunately, the graphic plans and architectural layout of the house have been lost. Vasari in his "Biography" 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, 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 consuls of the guild of merchants silk, Bishop of Fiesole, papal legate and patriarch of Jerusalem. About participation Brunelleschi in this event no information preserved

Work on the purchased site begins in August 1419, in 1420 the foundation was laid for the main portico - after permission was obtained for the construction of a wide staircase in front of it, which went beyond the purchased site and occupied part of the public land. A year later, they began to bring the columns, and where the chapel of the shelter was supposed to be, the first column was installed. At the same time, the name of Filippo is mentioned for the first time 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 is repeatedly found in documents, until 1427, when the main gallery with a portico was completed. Starting from this year and until the completion of the construction work, the management passes to Francesco della Luna. It is known that in June 1427 a solemn business breakfast was held, which was attended by "consuls and masters and many merchants", representatives of the guild. It was decided to enlarge the original project, as the building seemed too small for all the necessary needs. Brunelleschi apparently abandoned 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 Giovanni Gherardodi”, was discussed and approved, which included additional rooms. In subsequent years, the building was repeatedly renovated and remodeled, up to the present day it is used for its intended purpose (only on the first floor there is a small museum dedicated to the history of the creation of the Orphanage). In 1842, after a strong earthquake, all the columns in the portico, made according to the drawings of Leopoldo Pasca, had to be replaced. The facade was rebuilt in 1872 and in 1896. The last major restoration of the interior decoration dates back to the 1960s-1970s. By the 600th anniversary of the architect, the internal, so-called women's courtyard on the right side of the building was reopened. But despite all the alterations, Brunelleschi's style 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 noble gray local stone, 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 Greco-Roman atriums or palaestras. The composition of the building is a square, its front side is decorated with a columned 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 "men's courtyard". He, in turn, was surrounded by more 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 interior for the female part of the staff.

The façade portico leaves the brightest impression of the entire building. 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 the 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 the sides 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 - the architrave, which consists of three profiles, or ledges (the so-called fasciae). It rests on the archivolts of the arches. On the sides, the architrave breaks and falls down, thus forming the entire portico into a kind of “perspective” frame. Such a "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 such a license was not approved by the master, but the detail remained to decorate the building. It should also be noted 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 anonymously leave a foundling.

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

Already after the death of Brunelleschi, 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 tympanums between the arches. Each depicts babies swaddled to the waist. They have become quite popular in the circle of international medical symbols. A copy of one of them is placed on the facade of the building 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 renovations, there is no doubt that Brunelleschi's original architectural design left its mark and caused a wave of imitation throughout Italy. Over the next few centuries (until the 17th century), all the other facades of the buildings in 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 columned courtyard inside the city on the spot its area.

In 1417, having returned completely to his homeland, Brunelleschi was considered an expert on architectonic issues and was immediately involved in the renewed work on the construction of the arch of the cathedral dome. It soon became clear that of all the views expressed, his views on the overlapping process were the clearest. Reading his objective, brief and quite illustrative opinion even now gives pleasure. But Brunelleschi's opinion met with stubborn resistance, and even if you do not believe the legend about this dispute, many things could still poison Brunelleschi's existence.
In this struggle, he came to the idea to show and develop his art. In 1419 the city entrusted him with the construction of the Orphanage - Ospedale dei Innocenti. This Orphanage is the first architectural work of the Renaissance. By chance, the first building turned out to be a secular building. But it is characteristic of the whole style that, in contrast to the ancient Christian and medieval, it was not specifically ecclesiastical. But the humane purpose of the construction is truly Christian. True, in this monumental guardianship for those born out of wedlock there is a taste of the extra-church, highly characteristic of those first generations of the Renaissance, for whom origin and genealogy were almost indifferent, but the ability and dignity of the individual mattered. So, the purpose of this building was philanthropic, but the forms should have been as antique as possible.

The facade, lower and upper floors are nine cubits wide. An open staircase of nine steps leads the entire (original) width of the building to the lower floor, which is hospitably spread out by a transverse gallery of nine arches. This monumental gallery has nothing to do with children being carried up the steps. Nine semicircular arches rest on stocky, slightly thicker columns. From the capitals to the rear wall of the galleries there are girth arches, which are picked up by consoles decorated with capitals. Thus, there are nine isolated compartments, each with its own globular vault, stretched like a swollen sail over the four high semicircles of these square rooms. Each of the squares is an independent whole, in contrast to the medieval cross vault, the caps of which connect rather than separate adjacent rooms.
Through the door in the back wall of the galleries one passes through a short corridor to the second gallery surrounding the square courtyard. This gallery is covered with cross vaults; The space therefore does not appear to be made up of separate square rooms, but, on the contrary, it seems to be a whole corridor divided into separate square rooms. Brunelleschi used both methods. The space of the courtyard is surrounded by arches supported by columns. Doors in the walls lead to symmetrically arranged rooms and halls. The doors of the central axes of the cross vaults are also strictly and symmetrical to the central axes of the hall. Outside and inside, everything is “natural”, no accidents are allowed, a well-thought-out plan affects everything.
The stairs are simple and not very emphasized; the rooms of the upper floor are located above the lower galleries, so that the wall with windows overlooking the courtyard and the square is above the arches.

Filippo Brunelleschi

BRUNELLESCHI, FILIPPO (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 interest in drawing and painting and did it very successfully. When learning the craft, Filippo chose jewelry, and his father, being a reasonable person, agreed with this. Thanks to his studies in painting, Filippo soon became a professional in the jewelry craft.

In 1398, Brunelleschi joined the 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 practiced 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 the competition of sculptors (won by L. Ghiberti), Brunelleschi completed the bronze relief "The Sacrifice of Isaac" (National Museum, Florence) for the doors of the Florentine Baptistery. This relief, distinguished by 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 his attention on architecture. Around 1409 Brunelleschi created a wooden "crucifix" in the church of Santa Maria Novella. An interesting story related by Vasari is connected with this crucifixion.When Brunelleschi first saw the wooden "Crucifixion" of his friend Donatello, he immediately threw a short phrase: "Peasant on the cross." Donatello, feeling hurt and, moreover, more deeply than he thought, since he was counting on praise, replied: “If doing a job was as easy as judging it, then my Christ would seem to you a Christ, and not a peasant; so take a piece of wood and try it yourself.” Philippa, without another word, began, returning home, secretly from everyone, to work on the crucifix; and, striving at all costs to surpass Donato. After many months, he brought his work to the highest perfection and one morning invited Donato to his place for breakfast. First, the young people are 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 the house, Donato saw a crucifix, which was so perfect that the young man from admiration dropped all the food that he held in his hands, everything crumbled and broke. So he stood in the middle of the room, unable to take his eyes off the creation of Philip, when the owner returned to the house and said with a laugh: “What are you up to, Donato? What will we have for breakfast if you spilled everything? “As for me,” answered Donato, “I received my share this morning: if you want yours, take it, but no more: you are given to make saints, and 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 believers as a shrine.

In the future, 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 to work as an architect in those years when in Florentine architecture, even within the framework of the Gothic style, there was a persistent attraction to more rational and simple forms.

During the 16 years during which the construction of the dome of the Florence Cathedral (1420-1436) was carried out, 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 a 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 educational house (Ospedale degli Innocenti, 1421-1444), the church of Santo Spirito (begun in 1444), the Pazzi family 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 Polo or the Council del Comune. 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.
All construction activities of Brunelleschi, both in the city itself and outside it, took place on behalf of or with the approval of the Florentine commune. According to the projects of Philippe 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. Major fortification works were conducted in Pistoia, Lucca, Pisa, Livorno, Rimini, Siena and in the vicinity of these cities. In fact, Brunelleschi was the chief architect of Florence.
Dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore - the earliest of Brunelleschi's major works in Florence. The construction of the dome over the altar part of the basilica, begun by the architect Arnolfo di Cambio about 1295 and completed mainly by 1367 by architects Giotto, Andrea Pisano, Francesco Talenti, for the medieval construction technology of Italy turned out to be an impossible task. It was resolved only by Brunelleschi, a master of the Renaissance, an innovator who harmoniously combined architect, engineer, artist, theoretician and inventor.

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

The new image of the majestic dome as a monument erected to the glory of the city embodied the idea of ​​the triumph of reason, characteristic of the humanistic aspirations of the era. Thanks to its innovative figurative 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 the Roman St. Peter's Cathedral, nor numerous domed temples in Italy and other European countries ascending to it.
Before starting work, Brunelleschi drew a life-size plan of the dome. He took advantage of the Arno Bank near Florence for this. The official start of construction work was celebrated on August 7, 1420 with a ceremonial breakfast.
Since October of this year, Brunelleschi began to receive a salary, however, a very modest one, since it was believed that he only carried out 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 Educational home complex, 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, he carried out mainly government or public orders. In one of the documents of the Florentine Signoria, which dates back to 1421, he is called: "... a husband of the most penetrating mind, gifted with amazing skill and ingenuity."

In terms 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, with Brunelleschi, the entire system of rooms surrounding the center of the composition - the courtyard - acquired a more ordered, regular character. The most important new quality in the spatial composition of the building was the "open plan" principle, which includes such elements of the environment as a street passage, a passage courtyard, connected by a system of entrances and stairs with all the main premises. These features are reflected in its appearance. The facade of the building, divided into two floors of unequal height, in contrast to medieval structures of this type, stands out for its exceptional simplicity of form and clarity of proportional structure.

Ospedale degli Innocenti (Founding House). Loggia. Started around 1419

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).

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. 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 on four girth arches, resting on an entablature of pilasters of the full Corinthian order. Darker in color pilasters, archivolts, arches, edges and edges of the dome, as well as connecting and framing elements (round medallions, window trims, niches) emerge with their clear outlines against the light background of the plastered walls. This combination of orders, 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 building, usually lying on the columns, an integral element of the architectural order; pilaster- a flat vertical ledge of rectangular section on the surface of a wall or pillar. It has the same parts (trunk, capital, base) and proportions as the column, usually without a thickening in the middle part - entasis; archivolt- (from lat. arcus volutus - framing arc) - decorative framing of an arched opening. Archivolt separates 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 trunk cut with flutes, and a magnificent capital, consisting of an elegant carved pattern of acanthus leaves, framed by small volutes. Orders Architectural - (from Latin ordo - order) - a system of constructive, compositional and decorative techniques that expresses the tectonic logic of a post-beam structure (the ratio of load-bearing and carried parts). Bearing parts: a column with a capital, base, sometimes with a pedestal.) I'm not sure what became clearer, because. This information has confused me even more.

Nave, begun around 1419, Florence, San Lorenzo

In 1429, representatives of the Florentine magistrate sent Brunelleschi to Lucca to supervise the work related to the siege of the city. After surveying the area, Brunelleschi proposed the project. Brunelleschi's idea was to build a system of dams on the Serchio River and raise the water level in this way, to open the locks at the right time so that the water, gushing through special channels, would flood the entire area around the city walls, forcing Lucca to surrender. Brunelleschi's project was implemented, but failed, the water, gushing, flooded not the besieged city, but the besiegers' camp, which had to be hastily evacuated.
Perhaps Brunelleschi was not to blame - the Council of Ten did not make any claims against him. However, the Florentines considered Philippe the culprit in the failure of the Lucca campaign, they did not give him a pass on the streets. Brunelleschi was in despair.
In September 1431, he made 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 thrown by the artist, who realized himself as an independent creative person, to the guild principle of labor organization. As a result of the conflict, Philippe ended up in a debtor's prison. The conclusion did not force Brunelleschi to submit, and soon the workshop was forced to give in: 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 at the siege of Lucca.
Philippe believed that he was surrounded by enemies, envious people, traitors who tried to get around him, deceive, and rob him. Whether it was really so, it is difficult to say, but Philippe perceived his position in this way, 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 Bugiano. Philippe adopted him in 1417 as a five-year-old child and loved him like his own, raised him, made him his student, assistant. In 1434, Buggiano ran away from home, taking all the money and jewelry. From Florence he went to Naples. What happened is not known, it is only known that Brunelleschi forced him to return, forgave him and made him his sole heir.
When Cosimo de' Medici came to power, he dealt with his rivals Albizzi and all those who supported them very decisively. In the elections to the Soviets in 1432, Brunelleschi was voted out for the first time. He ceased to take part in elections and refused political activity.
Back in 1430, Brunelleschi began the construction of the Pazzi Chapel, where they found their further improvement and development of the architectural and constructive techniques of the sacristy of the church of San Lorenzo.

Pazzi Chapel_1429-circa 1461

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

This chapel, commissioned by the Pazzi family as their family chapel and also serving as meetings of the clergy from the monastery of Santa Croce, is one of the most perfect and striking works of Brunelleschi. It is located in the narrow and long medieval courtyard of the monastery and is a rectangular room, elongated 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, and 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 unequal-width branches of the cross on its sides. The absence of the fourth is 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 a pilaster order, the architects divided the wall into load-bearing 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 there was a synthesis of all his innovative techniques, 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 been preserved that reveal, if not the direct participation of Brunelleschi, then, in any case, his direct influence. These include the Palazzo Pazzi, the Palazzo Pitti and the Badia (abbey) in Fiesole.
None of the large constructions begun by Philippe was completed by him, he was busy with all of them, supervising all 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, in Livorno and its environs, in San Giovanni Val d "Arno, he led the fortification work. Brunelleschi sat on various councils, commissions, gave advice on issues related to architecture, construction, engineering; he was invited to Milan in connection with the construction of the cathedral, they asked him for advice on strengthening the Milan castle.He traveled as a consultant to Ferrara, Rimini, Mantua, carried out an examination of marble in Carrara.

Brunelleschi very accurately described 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 forced again and again 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 anything about the essence of the issue and reduced their political and private scores during discussions.

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

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

The following materials were used in the preparation of the post:

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