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Bramante, et.al., Saint Peter's Basilica
Numerous architects (see below), Saint Peter's Basilica (Basilica Sancti Petri in Latin) begun 1506 completed 1626, Vatican City. Architectural contributors include: Donato Bramante who's design won Julius II's competition Antonio da Sangallo, a student of Bramante, designed the Pauline Chapel Fra Giocondo strengthened the foundation Raphael worked with Fra Giocondo, his redesigned building plan was not executed Michelangelo designed the dome, crossing, and exterior excluding the nave and facade Giacomo della Porta, designed the cupola Carlo Maderno, extended Michelangelo's plan adding a nave and grand facade Gian Lorenzo Bernini added the piazza, the Cathedra Petri, and the Baldacchino Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
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- What does Circus van Nero mean at0:35-1:00on the map?(4 votes)
- It means Circus of Nero
It's like the Yankees stadium in New York. Circus symbolized Roman life, as one of the Roman proverbs was bread and circuses (panem et circenses). The term gave birth to Suzanne Collins' novel the Hunger Games and the Setting, Panem.(9 votes)
- At1:52, Dr. Harris discusses the various renaissance men that were contracted to work on the Vatican, but I didn't hear anything mentioned of Leonardo Da Vinci? If he is and presumably was considered one of the best of his time and beyond...why would he have not received any sort of commission under Julius II?(2 votes)
- Leonardo Da Vinci was not a practical architect suitable for designing or directing work on the construction of St. Peter's. He researched designs for many fantastical machines of war, bridges, and pumps. Leonardo also dreamed of manned flight, studying birds to design flying machines for much of his life. But none of these things were required for St. Peter's. If he was interested in going after a church commission, it would have helped if his portfolio actually showed off similar projects of size or scope. It didn't. In actually performing work, Leonardo was not a high output person. While painting the Last Supper, he would show up and dabble paint for an hour, then go back to his reading, studying and design research. This was not the sort of person required for the construction of the grandest church in the entire world. So to me it is not surprising at all that Leonardo Da Vinci did not receive any commissions at St. Peters Basilica.(5 votes)
- Who had "the last word" about St. Peter's design ... since it was revised numerous times from Bramante's original design? The current Pope? Or was there a Master or head architect?(3 votes)
- What does tempietto mean, At0:51?(2 votes)
- It means "little temple," learn more here: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history/art-history-1500-1600-end-of-the-renaissance-and-the-reformation/high-renaissance/v/donato-bramante--tempietto--rome(3 votes)
- at0:01-4:28who won Bramante or st. Peter?(0 votes)
- yes in these times people who committed crimes were put on wooden posts sometimes the people had sticks through the criminals i just don't understand how they believe that the Gods wouldn't punish them for killing another person even though the committed a crime that had to be punished i just think they should have punished them in a less harsh way(0 votes)
Video transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING] SPEAKER 1: We're standing
in Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City in Rome. And it is one of the largest,
most ornate spaces I've ever been in. I shouldn't say one of the most. It is the most. [LAUGHS] SPEAKER 2: And
that was the idea. Pope Julius II, who commissioned
the rebuilding of this church in the early 16th century,
said to Bramante-- the first architect--
said, make me the most magnificent, biggest
church in all of Christendom. And so that's what he did. SPEAKER 1: Ultimately,
yes, that's what we have. But that's not what this
place was originally. If you go back to the
Ancient Roman era, this was Nero's Circus, a place
where games were performed, sporting events were performed. This was a place where Nero,
himself, apparently actually rode a chariot. SPEAKER 2: And it
was also a place where there was an ancient
necropolis, a burial ground, and by tradition, the place
where Saint Peter, himself, was crucified and then buried. The early Christians created
a monument on that site. SPEAKER 1: Apparently
quite small and humble. SPEAKER 2: And then Constantine
builds a church on this site. Because after all, Saint
Peter is the first pope-- the first leader of the church--
given that job by Christ, himself. SPEAKER 1: And that would've
been the fourth century, so actually very early. That church-- Constantine's
Saint Peter's-- lasted for 1,000 years-- a little more. SPEAKER 2: Early
1500s, Pope Julius II, a very ambitious pope. SPEAKER 1: Julius had
this extraordinary vision. And he brought together some
of the most talented artists to develop this
extraordinary space. SPEAKER 2: Beginning with the
great High Renaissance artist Bramante, who did the initial
plans for the rebuilding of Saint Peter's,
through the great artists Raphael and Michelangelo of the
High Renaissance-- as you said, the greatest minds
of the Renaissance and then later the Baroque,
in the early and mid 1600s, worked on this building. SPEAKER 1: Bramante understood
this church as distinct from the way most churches
had been built-- that is, borrowing from the Ancient
Roman basilica plan. SPEAKER 2: And most churches
that anyone probably knows are basilica plan. It's a very practical
kind of plan for a church. It's got a long central area. It allows for easy passage
of large numbers of people. It focuses on the altar. And so it was-- SPEAKER 1: And it
just worked well. SPEAKER 2: It works really well. SPEAKER 1: But that's
not what Bramante wanted. SPEAKER 2: No. And that makes sense. And if you understand
the mindset of the High Renaissance, where there
is an enormous interest in mathematics and in
ideal perfect beauty and finding perfect proportions,
Bramante's first design for Saint Peter's was very
much based on those ideas. It was a Greek cross with equal
arms instead of one longer arm. And it was inscribed
within a square, with this dome over the
center, and smaller domes. SPEAKER 1: And in
essence, it really was a series of perfect
circles and perfect squares. But Bramante's design
didn't survive. SPEAKER 2: No. But people went back
and forth to it. But ultimately, what we
ended up with in the end is an extension of one
of the arms of the cross. And so the plan ultimately
does follow a basilica format. That perfect geometric
form gave way to the practical
needs of the church to hold large numbers of
people and to focus attention on the altar. SPEAKER 1: So after
Bramante, Raphael has a hand in the design. And ultimately, it
passes to Michelangelo. What Michelangelo was able to
do before the later Baroque additions was to
expand on, simplify, and clarify Bramante's
original ideas. And his work can
be seen in the dome and on the exterior of the
three sides of the church that were not extended. And then, of course, Maderno
will add his Baroque facade. SPEAKER 2: And
Bernini will decorate the interior of the church
during the Baroque era, as well-- with the baldacchino,
the Cathedra Petri-- and will also extend
the front of the church, creating the piazza--
the Saint Peter's Square. SPEAKER 1: That's right. Those extraordinary arms--
that double colonnade. SPEAKER 2: Right. So there's a century and a half
or so of work on this church-- a series of great architects
and sculptors who work on it. It all works in the end. SPEAKER 1: It really
comes together. And it is one of the
most magnificent spaces on the face of the earth. [MUSIC PLAYING]