Editing Renaissance architecture (section)

== History ==

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

[[File:Baptisteriumganz.jpg|thumb|left|The Romanesque [[Florence Baptistery]] was the object of Brunelleschi's studies of perspective]]

==== Architectural ====

Italian architects had always preferred forms that were clearly defined and structural members that expressed their purpose.<ref name=BF /> Many Tuscan Romanesque buildings demonstrate these characteristics, as seen in the [[Florence Baptistery]] and [[Pisa Cathedral]].

Italy had never fully adopted the Gothic style of architecture. Apart from [[Milan Cathedral]], (influenced by French [[Rayonnant]] Gothic), few Italian churches show the emphasis on vertical, the clustered shafts, ornate tracery and complex ribbed vaulting that characterise Gothic in other parts of Europe.<ref name=BF />

The presence, particularly in Rome, of ancient architectural remains showing the ordered [[Classical style]] provided an inspiration to artists at a time when philosophy was also turning towards the Classical.<ref name=BF />

==== Political ====

In the 15th century, [[Republic of Florence|Florence]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venice]] extended their power through much of the area that surrounded them, making the movement of artists possible. This enabled Florence to have significant artistic influence in [[Duchy of Milan|Milan]], and through Milan, [[Kingdom of France|France]].

In 1377, the return of the Pope from the [[Avignon Papacy]]<ref>Joëlle Rollo-Koster, ''Raiding Saint Peter: Empty Sees, Violence, and the Initiation of the Great Western Schism (1378)'', (Brill, 2008), 182.</ref> and the re-establishment of the [[Papal court]] in Rome, brought wealth and importance to that city, as well as a renewal in the importance of the Pope in Italy, which was further strengthened by the [[Council of Constance]] in 1417. Successive Popes, especially [[Julius II]], 1503–13, sought to extend the Papacy's [[Papal states|temporal power]] throughout Italy.<ref name=A.M>Andrew Martindale, ''Man and the Renaissance'', 1966, Paul Hamlyn, ISBN unknown</ref>

==== Commercial ====

In the early Renaissance, [[Venice]] controlled sea trade over goods from the East. The large towns of [[Northern Italy]] were prosperous through trade with the rest of Europe, [[Genoa]] providing a seaport for the goods of France and Spain; [[Milan]] and [[Turin]] being centres of overland trade, and maintaining substantial metalworking industries. Trade brought wool from [[Kingdom of England|England]] to Florence, ideally located on the river for the production of fine cloth, the industry on which its wealth was founded. By dominating [[Pisa]], Florence gained a seaport, and became the most powerful state in Tuscany. In this commercial climate, one family in particular turned their attention from trade to the lucrative business of money-lending. The [[House of Medici|Medici]] became the chief bankers to the princes of Europe, becoming virtually princes themselves as they did so, by reason of both wealth and influence. Along the trade routes, and thus offered some protection by commercial interest, moved not only goods but also artists, scientists and philosophers.<ref name=A.M /> 
[[File:Melozzo da Forlì 001.jpg|thumb|[[Pope Sixtus IV]], 1477, builder of the [[Sistine Chapel]]. Fresco by [[Melozzo da Forlì]] in the [[Vatican Palace]].]]

==== Religious ====

The return of the [[Pope Gregory XI]] from [[Avignon]] in September 1377 and the resultant new emphasis on [[Rome]] as the center of [[Christianity|Christian]] spirituality, brought about a surge in the building of churches in Rome such as had not taken place for nearly a thousand years. This commenced in the mid 15th century and gained momentum in the 16th century, reaching its peak in the [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] period. The construction of the [[Sistine Chapel]] with its uniquely important decorations and the entire rebuilding of [[St. Peter's Basilica]], one of Christendom's most significant churches, were part of this process.<ref name= I.R.>Ilan Rachum, ''The Renaissance, an Illustrated Encyclopedia'', 1979, Octopus, {{ISBN|0-7064-0857-8}}</ref>

In the wealthy [[Republic of Florence]], the impetus for church-building was more civic than spiritual. The unfinished state of the enormous [[Florence Cathedral]] dedicated to the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] did no honour to the city under her patronage. However, as the technology and finance were found to complete it, the rising dome did credit not only to the Virgin Mary, its architect and the Church but also to the [[Signoria of Florence|Signoria]], the Guilds and the sectors of the city from which the manpower to construct it was drawn. The dome inspired further religious works in Florence.

[[File:Angel Appearing to Zacharias (detail) - 1486-90.JPG|thumb|left|Four Humanist philosophers under the patronage of the Medici: [[Marsilio Ficino]], [[Cristoforo Landino]], [[Angelo Poliziano]] and [[Demetrius Chalcondyles]]. Fresco by [[Domenico Ghirlandaio]].]]

==== Philosophic ====

The development of printed books, the rediscovery of ancient writings, the expanding of political and trade contacts and the exploration of the world all increased knowledge and the desire for education.<ref name=BF />

The reading of philosophies that were not based on Christian theology led to the development of [[Renaissance humanism|humanism]] through which it was clear that while God had established and maintained order in the Universe, it was the role of Man to establish and maintain order in Society.<ref>J.R.Hale, ''Renaissance Europe, 1480–1520'', 1971, Fontana {{ISBN|0-00-632435-5}}</ref>

==== Civil ====

Through humanism, civic pride and the promotion of civil peace and order were seen as the marks of citizenship. This led to the building of structures such as Brunelleschi's [[Ospedale degli Innocenti|Hospital of the Innocents]] with its elegant colonnade forming a link between the charitable building and the public square, and the [[Laurentian Library]] where the collection of books established by the Medici family could be consulted by scholars.<ref name= Gardner>[[Helen Gardner (art historian)|Helen Gardner]], ''Art Through the Ages'', 5th edition, Harcourt, Brace and World.</ref>

Some major ecclesiastical building works were also commissioned, not by the church, but by guilds representing the wealth and power of the city. Brunelleschi's dome at Florence Cathedral, more than any other building, belonged to the populace because the construction of each of the eight segments was achieved by a different quarter of the city.<ref name=BF /><ref name= Gardner />
[[File:Jacopo Pontormo 055.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Cosimo de' Medici the Elder]], head of the [[Medici Bank]], sponsored civic building programs. Posthumous portrait by [[Pontormo]].]]

==== Patronage ====

As in the [[Platonic Academy]] of [[Athens]], it was seen by those of Humanist understanding that those people who had the benefit of wealth and education ought to promote the pursuit of learning and the creation of that which was beautiful. To this end, wealthy families—the [[Medici]] of Florence, the [[House of Gonzaga|Gonzaga]] of Mantua, the [[House of Farnese|Farnese]] in Rome, the [[House of Sforza|Sforzas]] in Milan—gathered around them people of learning and ability, promoting the skills and creating employment for the most talented artists and architects of their day.<ref name= Gardner />

=== Rise of architectural theory===
{{further|Mathematics and architecture}}

During the Renaissance, architecture became not only a question of practice, but also a matter for theoretical discussion. [[Printing]] played a large role in the dissemination of ideas.
* The first treatise on architecture was {{lang|la|[[De re aedificatoria]]}} ("On the Subject of Building") by [[Leon Battista Alberti]] in 1450. It was to some degree dependent on [[Vitruvius]]'s ''[[De architectura]]'', a manuscript of which was discovered in 1414 in a library in Switzerland. ''De re aedificatoria'' in 1485 became the first printed book on architecture.
* [[Sebastiano Serlio]] (1475 – c. 1554) produced the next important text, the first volume of which appeared in Venice in 1537; it was entitled ''Regole generali d'architettura'' ("General Rules of Architecture"). It is known as Serlio's "Fourth Book" since it was the fourth in Serlio's original plan of a treatise in seven books. In all, five books were published.
* In 1570, [[Andrea Palladio]] (1508–1580) published ''[[I quattro libri dell'architettura]]'' ("The Four Books of Architecture") in [[Venice]]. This book was widely printed and responsible to a great degree for spreading the ideas of the Renaissance through Europe. All these books were intended to be read and studied not only by architects, but also by patrons.

=== Spread of the Renaissance in Italy ===
[[File:2014-01-01-Pavia Certosa.jpg|thumb|The Church of the [[Certosa di Pavia]], Lombardy]]
In the 15th century the courts of certain other Italian states became centres for spreading of Renaissance philosophy, art and architecture.

In [[Mantua]] at the court of the [[House of Gonzaga|Gonzaga]], Alberti designed two churches, the [[Sant'Andrea, Mantua|Basilica of Sant'Andrea]] and [[San Sebastiano (Mantua)|San Sebastiano]].

[[Urbino]] was an [[Renaissance in Urbino|important centre]] with the [[Palazzo Ducale, Urbino|Ducal Palace]] being constructed for [[Federico da Montefeltro]] in the mid 15th century. The Duke employed [[Luciano Laurana]] from [[Dalmatia]], renowned for his expertise at fortification. The design incorporates much of the earlier medieval building and includes an unusual turreted three-storeyed façade. Laurana was assisted by Francesco di Giorgio Martini. Later parts of the building are clearly Florentine in style, particularly the inner courtyard, but it is not known who the designer was.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Historic Centre of Urbino|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/828/|access-date=2023-02-20|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en|archive-date=23 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123033726/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/828|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Ferrara]], under the [[House of Este|Este]], was expanded in the late 15th century, with several new palaces being built such as the [[Palazzo dei Diamanti]] and [[Palazzo Schifanoia]] for [[Borso d'Este]].

In [[Milan]], under the [[Visconti of Milan|Visconti]], the [[Certosa di Pavia]] was completed, and then later under the [[Sforza]], the [[Castello Sforzesco]] was built.<ref name=BF />

[[File:Venezia - Ospedale - Foto G. Dall'Orto, 2 lug 2006 - 03.jpg|thumb|left|[[Scuola Grande di San Marco]], [[Venice]]]]

[[Venetian Renaissance architecture]] developed a particularly distinctive character because of local conditions. [[San Zaccaria]] received its Renaissance façade at the hands of [[Antonio Gambello]] and [[Mauro Codussi]], begun in the 1480s.<ref>Marion Kaminski, ''Art and Architecture of Venice'', 1999, Könemann, {{ISBN|3-8290-2657-9}}</ref> [[Giovanni Maria Falconetto]], the Veronese architect-sculptor, introduced Renaissance architecture to Padua with the [[Loggia and Odeo Cornaro]] in the garden of [[Alvise Cornaro]].

In southern Italy, Renaissance masters were called to Naples by [[Alfonso V of Aragon]] after his conquest of the [[Kingdom of Naples]]. The most notable examples of Renaissance architecture in that city are the [[Cappella Caracciolo]], attributed to Bramante, and the [[Palazzo Orsini di Gravina]], built by [[Gabriele d'Angelo]] between 1513 and 1549.
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