Old St Peters Basilica example essay topic

St. Peters Basilica St. Peters basilica In the Middle of the 15th century it was becoming very evident that the Old St. Peters Basilica was in a bad state. By this time it was more than a thousand years old. Pope Nicholas V began some foundations for a remodeling of the choir space, but after his death in 1455 nothing more was done until the election of Julius II in 1503. The original intent of Julius II was to continue propping up the old basilica and to rebuild only where necessary. Rebuilding instead of starting new was heavily favored by Julius II because he did not want to interfere with the sacredness of the site. But on the other hand, Julius II was dealing with the Roman Catholic Church's wants of staying ahead of the World in the budding renaissance architecture scheme.

Given that old St. Peters Basilica was such a remarkable piece of Christianity, this whole situation could have easily been dealt with by preserving the old basilica by creating an immense structure surrounding it. Therefore the old basilica would not have to have been destroyed in order for a new larger basilica. Nevertheless, by 1506 Julius II had acquired the architect Bramante to help him design a new plan for a new building, which would replace the tattered St. Peters Basilica. The plan they had originally come up with, imitated the Greek cruciform plan of the old basilica, yet bigger. Throughout the 16th century there was controversy over the final form in which the church would be built; the centralized Greek cruciform plan or the shape of a Latin cross. The Latin cross plan designs for a more formal and longer nave for processions, while the Greek cruciform plan symbolizes the alter in a more formal manner.

The final hand in dealing with the design was brought upon by the Roman Clergy. The clergy imposed on Bramante designing the building using the Latin cross shape. The Latin cross setup has many Christian liturgical advantages, particularly in that it provides a greater space for processions. Yet, it is quite wrong to assume that the Latin cross type represents a 'religious' type of plan. This is brought on by the fact that the Latin cross plan was used as an architectural mode, mainly to express the superiority of the dome that is placed in conjunction with the plan. In addition, the Latin cross form came about from holding up the domed structure.

You can say that it mistakenly happened in order for the load forces to equal out in an efficient way. This brings me to state that the final form Bramante used was only trying to bring about the idea that the rebuilding of St. Peters is purely of architectural interest. This whole architectural interest and expedition was brought on by the fact that Rome wanted to expand its architecture features. During this century other countries were starting to develop more interesting Renaissance buildings and town centers. Causing a crave for Rome to stay atop the whole architectural advance. During the Renaissance the ideals of art and architecture became unified in the acceptance of classical antiquity and in the belief that humanity was a measure of the universe.

In a way, all of the architecture in Italy was in a competition with the rest of the world brought on by the Renaissance period. Competition brought on in the forms of the Cathedral of Florence, and the French Ch^a teau of Blois. One setback happened when Bramante died, he had left no definitive design, and little had been built beyond the foundations of the main piers. The scale set by the piers conditions the present building, but Bramante's lack of experience of work on this colossal scale led him into designing four piers which were totally inadequate to support the dome he wanted to place on top of them. Bramante was succeeded by his pupils Raphael and Peruzzi, but the catastrophe of the Sack of Rome in 1527 stopped all building of St. Peters for many years. After Rome had become stable again, Antonio da Sangallo began very slowly to redesign the building as a whole and to repair the damages caused by long neglect and the Sack of Rome.

He did not get that far, and after his death in 1546 the execution of his design was halted. Sangallo was succeeded by Michelangelo Buonarroti some thirty years after the death of Bramante. Michelangelo expressed his intention of returning to a basic Bramantesque form, which he did in a very elaborate and very subtle reduction of Bramante's plan to a combination of central plan and Latin cross. At this point of the construction of St. Peters, I feel as if the whole interest behind it was completely flipped 180 degrees. As previously stated, St. Peters was intentionally going to express only architectural interest. But the changes of design and the massive change of scale lead me to the conclusion that St. Peters, as it stands was designed to express more of a religious statute.

The more elaborate change started with Michelangelo, and his very stylish yet complex moves in architecture. The processions of design leading me to this conclusion start with the change of scale. Michelangelo drastically reduced the area of the plan, ensuring the stability of the building yet allowing more of a spiritual grasp to humankind. This grasp was permitted by having a large scale but bringing the walls and columns closer together allowing for a sense of humans feeling powerless compared to the building.

But this was only the first step to producing a more prolific and spiritual building. He then wanted to express the relation of human to God. This was done by creating a more devout dome, and ensuring the light contrast throughout the facade of the dome. Before Michelangelo died in 1564, he had left behind this transition for the proceeding architects to follow. A transition from being architecturally designed to spiritually betrothed. Even though Michelangelo did not finish St. Peters before he passed away, he left a divine trail for Carlo Maderna to follow.

Therefore Maderna finished the revised design of Michelangelo and also decorated much of the interior with Michelangelo's style of art. He also added a long nave and facade, for religious processions to and from St. Peters. Of which could only work if the main design had a religious scheme to it in the first place! Now I have shown how St. Peters was transformed from the old basilica, to the more architecturally designed, to the more spiritually enlightened design.

For now I know that St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican City has more of a Spiritual format to it than just being a large building to house such beliefs. In addition, having the more renaissance type architects who came in the latter process helped the design become more devout than the original design. The length it took for St. Peters to be built shows how much thought and time it took to build the most important church in Christendom.

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