| Florence
( see map on the right), for many years, was the cultural mecca of Europe.
During the early Renaissance, Fillipo Brunelleschi brought even more fame
to the city as he designed and built some of the most beautiful architecture
in all of Italy.
Filippo Brunelleschi is generally credited as being the founder of the renaissance style of architecture. Born in Florence in 1377, he carried out all his major works in that city. His initial training was as a goldsmith, and the knowledge of metallurgy and design that gave him was later invaluable when he turned his hand to architecture and architecture engineering. He was also an excellent draftsman, and a sculptor and poet besides. The design and constructural engineering behind the great dome of Florence Cathedral (Sta Maria del Fiore), is often considered Brunelleschi's greatest achivement. His innovatory use of features reflecting the styles of ancient times - particularly monolithic column, transformed and enhanced the symmetrical spacing and even lightning that was the late medieval traditional of contemporary Florentine builders. One of his later works,
the Santa Maria delgi Angeli, was built for the Comaldolese monastery in
Florence. This building's intricate geometric design starts with a 16-sided
exterior. The inside is octagonal,
and each wall of the octagon leads to a chapel. In turn, each chapel ends
in an apse, a
His first building in a definitively Renaissance style was the Foundling Hospital in Florence. He also carried out works in Sta Felicita (the Barbodori Chapel) and Sta Croce (the Pazzi Chapel), and designed the churches of St. Lorenzo and Santo Spirito. Though few in number, these projects were each significant, and each progressively showed Brunelleschi's development of a classical vision of the ideal building. He died in 1446, and was
interred in Florence Cathedral.
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