Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Considered the high priest of Renaissance architecture, Bramante arrived in Rome in
1499. Here, inspired by the ancient ruins, he developed a refined classical style that was to
prove hugely influential. His 1502 Tempietto is a masterpiece of elegance. Similarly har-
monious is his beautifully proportioned 1504 cloister at the Chiesa di Santa Maria della
Pace near Piazza Navona.
In 1506 Julius commissioned him to start work on the job that would finally finish him
off - the rebuilding of St Peter's Basilica. The fall of Constantinople's Aya Sofya (Church
of the Hagia Sofia) to Islam in the mid-14th century had pricked Nicholas V into ordering
an earlier revamp, but the work had never been completed and it wasn't until Julius took
the bull by the horns that progress was made. However, Bramante never got to see how
his original Greek-cross design was developed, as he died in 1514.
St Peter's Basilica occupied most of the other notable architects of the High Renais-
sance, including Giuliano da Sangallo (1445−1516), Baldassarre Peruzzi (1481−1536)
and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (1484−1546). Michelangelo (1475−1564) eventu-
ally took over in 1547, modifying the layout and creating the basilica's crowning dome.
Modelled on Brunelleschi's design for the Duomo in Florence, this is considered the
artist's finest architectural achievement and one of the most important works of the Ro-
man Renaissance.
Mannerism
As Rome's architects strove to build a new Jerusalem, the city's leaders struggled to deal
with the political tensions arising outside the city walls. These came to a head in 1527
when the city was invaded and savagely routed by troops of the Holy Roman Emperor,
Charles V. This traumatic event forced many of the artists working in Rome to flee the
city and ushered in a new style of artistic and architectural expression. Mannerism was a
relatively short-lived form but in its emphasis on complexity and decoration, in contrast to
the sharp, clean lines of traditional Renaissance styles, it hinted at the more ebullient
designs that would later arrive with the onset of the 17th-century baroque.
One of mannerism's leading exponents was Baldassarre Peruzzi, whose Palazzo
Massimo alle Colonne on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, reveals a number of mannerist ele-
ments - a pronounced facade, decorative window mouldings and showy imitation stone-
work.
