Iconology Iconography of Santa Maria Del Fiore or Church of San Lorenzo by Filippo Brunelleschi

Brunelleschi -- San Lorenzo

filippo brunelleschi & THE CHURCH OF SAN LORENZO

As one of the greatest architects of the first half of the 15th century during the Renaissance Era, Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) was trained as a goldsmith but his ability as a sculptor was well-known during the Renaissance. Although he turned to architecture out of the disappointment linked to losing the commission for the Baptistry of Florence, his interest in this artform slowly increased which was spurred by several trips to Rome (circa 1402) where "he became enthralled by the Roman ruins which were to serve as his most important architectural influence" (Frey 156). In fact, the Roman ruins, along with some earlier architectural forms such as the Gothic, inspired him to develop the revolutionary system of geometric, linear perspective that was so consciously adopted by many of his Renaissance contemporaries.

Brunelleschi's knowledge of Roman construction principles, combined with is analytical and highly inventive mind, made it possible to solve numerous engineering problems associated with the middle years of the Renaissance, one being the construction of a dome for the immense unfinished cathedral at Florence. With exceptional ingenuity, Brunelleschi discarded traditional building methods and created new ones while inventing machinery that was needed for the task.

One of the most important architectural designs linked to Brunelleschi is the Sacristy of San Lorenzo which Brunelleschi began to construct during the greatest creative period of his life. In regard to the iconography of this church, started in 1418, Brunelleschi wished for it to reflect the majesty of the church and the patronage of the great De Medici family, the most prosperous and generous patrons of the arts in Renaissance Florence. This church, according to Eugenio Battisti, "exemplifies the mathematical, modular proportioning system as well as the synthesis of Classical forms with innovations devised by Brunelleschi" (231). As a religious icon, the church of San Lorenzo was constructed in order to promote "a feeling of serenity and order, due to the church being the primary reinforcement for God's place within the lives of all men during the middle years of the Renaissance period" (Fanelli 178). Architecturally, the church of San Lorenzo is square in plan and forms a perfect cube in volume, covered by a Classical hemispherical dome supported by ribs, much like some earlier Gothic cathedrals which pre-dated Brunelleschi by two hundred years.

Brunelleschi's design and construction of the church at San Lorenzo became a motivating force for the re-design of the entire church along Renaissance lines instead of traditional Gothic influences. In addition, Brunelleschi's plan for the church was the forerunner for all future systems that came about in the late Renaissance and later Baroque buildings. According to Leon Battista Alberti (1407-1472), one of Brunelleschi's imitators, "the genius and creative energy required to achieve new social and intellectual status was no better represented by Brunelleschi whose San Lorenzo reflects the mind of a brilliant Renaissance man, his universal interests and love for beauty" (Hyman 245).