Renaissance architecture, spanning the 14th to 17th centuries, signifies a revival of classical Greek and Roman artistic achievements, initiated in Italy and supported by wealthy patrons. Key features include symmetry, proportion, and the integration of structure and decoration, characterized by iconic buildings such as St. Peter's Basilica and the Villa Rotonda. The movement evolved through phases, including the Early Renaissance, High Renaissance, and Baroque, each contributing to advancements in architectural style and technique.

1. RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE Ar. Angel Roselin

2. RENAISSANCE 14- 17th CE
• “ Rebirth”
• Revival of artistic achievements based on classical
world.
• ‘Rebirth’ of classical Greek and Roman. The
movement started in Italy.
• During this era, people began to research the
culture of the antique world.
• The period was triggered by the increasing
sophistication of the society, where economic
growth, educational pursuits and political stability
were key factors.
• The limits of renaissance architecture was pushed by
wealthy patrons such as Medic family of Florence,
Pope Leo X and Pope Julius II

3. RENAISSANCE
• At the beginning of the sixteenth century there was
a general grouping together of the smaller states
into independent kingdoms.
• Introduction of Gun powder , mariners compass
that led to invention of new countries and
formation of colonies by European state
• The invention of printing, which aided the spread of
knowledge and Intellectual movement influencing
the public taste.
• Revival of classical languages : particularly Greek,
enabled the men and women of the Renaissance to
view and judge their own world through the lens of
the classical past.
• Rediscovery of classical texts concerned with the
visual arts. Treatise On Architecture by the Roman
architect Vitruvius, which laid down precise rules
governing the mathematical proportions used in
the construction of buildings.

4. RENAISSANCE ART
• Perspective
• Light and motion
• Study of human form
• Emotion and drama
• Composition and drama
• New subject matter – secularism
• Changing perspective of man and his role in the world.
• Unique vision of each artist.

5. RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTICS
• Building was looked upon as works of art. It
followed traditions of middle ages that did not
separate the structure from the decoration.
• In situ construction hence harmony was given
between the jointing and the architectural features.
• Standardization of classic roman orders- Tuscan,
Doric, Ionic, Corinthian & Composite and its
reintroduction both structurally and decoratively.
• An art of free expression : Architecture became to a
great extent a personal art due to the fancy of
individual architects, many of whom founded
schools of design.
• A building was regarded rather as a picture with
pleasing combinations of lines and masses

6. RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTICS
• Symmetry and proportion
• Appearance of building less in size than in reality
due to the largeness and fewness of the parts
used.
• Towers used sparsely, if used occur symmetrically
located.
• Interiors planed on roman principles.
• Ashlar masonry construction
• Materials are large, and carry out the Classic idea
of fewness of parts .
• Gable end , formed as pediments either pitched
or semicircular

7. RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTICS
Semicircular or
rectangular headed
doors and windows
Drum below the
dome for openings.
Architraves projecting
outside wall surfaces
Dome over a large
space constructed
with an inner and
outer covering.
Sculptures larger
than human scale.

8. RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTICS
• Vaults are of simple Roman form
• The Classic columns and orders were
revived and used decoratively .
• The principal cornice plays an important
part in the style.
• Mouldings produced an effect of
horizontality.
• Stained glass was little used
• Sgraffito – coloured plaster was applied
• Efficiency in the crafts

9. RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE
ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
Palazzo Ricardi
FRENCH RENAISSANCE
Chateau de Chambord
ENGLISH RENAISSANCE
St. Paul's Cathedral
Louvre, Paris Banqueting House, Whitehall
St. Peters Basilica, Rome
Villa Capra, Vicenza

10. ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE
Geographical : Style developed in Florence by Brunelleschi and flourished in the cities of Rome,
Venice and Florence.
Religious : The return of the Pope from Avignon made Rome the center of spirituality, which led
to a boom in church building activity.
Social : Architecture was patronized by the Medici family in Florence & the guilds of craft
played a vital role in the development of the renaissance style.
Historical : Extension of power of the city states to nearby region. Making the movement of
artist expression possible.
Geological : The marble of high quality from the quarries of Tuscany to Florence. As Venice was
a major port, most of the building materials were transported from other places by sea.
Climatic: Sunny climate and absence of snowfall in Florence led to the low pitched roof that
lent itself to cornice & balustrade. In Venice, the heat of summer is tempered by sea breezes &
therefore balconies & belvederes were common features of buildings.
15th- 17th CE

11. PHASES IN ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE
⦁ Italian Renaissance is divided into three periods
I. Early Renaissance (Early 15th century)
Includes the works of Brunelleschi & Michelozzo. The concepts of architectural orders were
explored, rules were formulated & classical detail & ornamentation was adopted. Space was
organized by proportional logic & its form was subject to geometry. Ex. Basilica Santa Maria del
Fiore, Florence by Brunelleschi.
II. High Renaissance (Late 15th to Early 16th century)
Renaissance became an individual style in its own right
1. Purist or Palladian, where Roman tradition was held in high respect (represented by Andrea
Palladio)
2. Proto-Baroque, where there was more confidence in using the acquired vocabulary freely
(represented by Michelangelo)
3. Mannerist, where practices which had no Roman precedent were interspersed with the usual
buildings. Eg: Bramante
III. Baroque Period (17th century)
Architects worked with freedom and firmly-acquired knowledge. The true nature of Renaissance as
a distinctive style began to emerge Baroque saw architecture, painting, sculpture and the minor
arts being used in harmony to produce the unified whole.

12. Palazzo Medici Ricardi, Florence
- Michelozzo
Florence Cathedral
- Brunelleschi
Villa Capra in Vicenza
- Andrea Palladio
St. Peters basilica at Rome
- Michelangelo
San Pietro, Montorio
- Bramante
San Maria Novella
- Alberti
BAROQUE
EARLY RENAISSANCE
ASSIGNMENT 3 : Presentation ( Group of 4); PPT ( Slides: 10, Time: 15 min.)
HIGH RENAISSANCE

13. FEATURES OF TYPICAL RENAISSANCE PALACE
i) Emphasizes on symmetry, proportion,
geometry and regularity of forms.
ii) Implementations of classical ordered
elements ( ancient Roman architecture).
iii) Usage and implementations of columns,
pilasters and lintels.
iv) Repetitive usage of semicircular arches,
hemispherical domes, niches and
aedicules.
v) Replacement and substitution of complex
proportional systems and irregularity into
simples forms.

14. TYPICAL RENAISSANCE PALACE – PALAZZO MEDICI RICARDI
• House of Medici, the most influential wealthiest family in Italy.
• Architect – Michelozzo, 1396-1472 CE

15. TYPICAL RENAISSANCE PALACE – PALAZZO MEDICI RICARDI
• Plan:
• The Cortile surrounded by an open colonnade which is cross vaulted that leads to the various
rooms. The use of spiral staircase can be observed. The grand staircase that leads to the “Piano
nobile” in the upper floor & the narrow entrance vestibule that leads the Cortile also can be seen.
It also contains the Magi chapel used for worship. There is a service entrance to the open court at
the rear.
Usage of three main principles
1) Simplicity and Symmetrically balanced.
2) Details: Usage of ornaments such as arches roundels
and brick crust arches shows strong enclosure of the
windows.
3) Repetition: The repetition of windows, roundels,
arches and also arches to fabricate the entire indoor
façade of the central cortile.

16. TYPICAL RENAISSANCE PALACE – PALAZZO MEDICI RICARDI
Façade:
• Tripartite elevation
• Structure per floor
decreases as it goes
higher.
Elaborated cornice
Massive blocks of
rusticated masonry in the
lower stories.
Rustication- stone blocks
with deeply recessed
chamfered joints.
Round Arch with
circular column
supporting the
tracery
Mouldings enclosing the
window
Openings with
pilaster or column on
each supporting an
entablature above.
Family coat of arms
Tabernacle window /
Kneeling window

17. TYPICAL RENAISSANCE PALACE – PALAZZO MEDICI RICARDI
Details:
Brick crust
Arch
Arch
Roundels
Pair Light
Windows
Cornice
Aedicules
• Density of the façade of the building
decreases as it goes upwards to avoid the
face of the building getting constrained.
Kneeling
windows that
was added by
Michelangelo.
Family coat of arms

18. TYPICAL RENAISSANCE PALACE – PALAZZO MEDICI RICARDI
• Interior:
The internal height of the façade of
the central cloister is identical to
that of the exterior façade of the
building
Cloisters – Open collonade
Entablature of brass
medallions
Pair light windows
Colonnaded Logia
Cross Vaulted Open
collonade

19. CONTRIBUTION OF ARCHITECTS : FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI
• Invented what is now called one- and two-
point perspective. The most realistic drawing
technique used in design
• Responsible for many Italian Early Renaissance
architecture designs
1377 -1446
Born 1377 In Florence, Italy
Known for Architecture, sculpture,
Mechanical Engineering
Notable
Work
Dome of Florence Cathedral
Movement Early Renaissance

20. DOME IN FLORENCE CATHEDRAL 1420 – 1438 AD
FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI

21. FLORENCE CATHEDRAL
• The Cathedral was designed by the
Arnolfo di Cambio.
• After a hundred years of construction
and by the beginning of the 15th
century, the structure was still missing
its dome.
• The construction of dome was done by
Brunelleschi as his design was accepted
in the competition.
• The dome of Santa Maria del Fiore
cathedral in Florence, Italy is the largest
masonry dome ever built.

22. FLORENCE CATHEDRAL
• The dome covers an octagonal
apartment 138 feet 6 inches in
diameter, and is raised upon an
octagonal drum in which are circular
windows lighting the interior
• It is said that it was constructed
without any centering, with
voussoirs having horizontal joints .
• The height of the dome is 114.5 m.
• The dome itself is constructed of
inner and outer shells, and is
pointed in form, being constructed
on a Gothic principle with eight
main ribs and sixteen intermediate
ribs

23. FLORENCE CATHEDRAL: CONSTRUCTION
Link: https://youtu.be/_IOPlGPQPuM

24. CONTRIBUTION OF ARCHITECTS : MICHELANGELO BUINARROTI
• Widely regarded as one of the most creative
geniuses in Western art.
• Made important contributions to the fields
of sculpture, painting, and architecture.
1475 -1564
Born 1475 In Caprese, Italy
Known for Architecture, sculpture,
Painting,
Notable
Work
Pieta, David, Paintings in
Sistine chapel, St Peter’s
Basilica
Movement Late Renaissance

25. ST PETER’S BASILICA, ROME 1420 – 1438 AD
MICHELANGELO BUINARROTI

26. ST. PETER’S BASILICA, ROME
• Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on 18 April,
1506 -1626. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age.
Evolution in St. Peter’s Basilica Plan

27. ST. PETER’S BASILICA, ROME
Plan : Plan was a Greek cross, the later extension of the nave and aisles toward the east
practically bringing the whole scheme to a Latin cross
Short transept terminated
by semicircular apses
The central crossing is covered
by the dome, 137 feet 6 inches
in diameter
Chancel at the west end

28. ST. PETER’S BASILICA, ROME
Facade :
Red granite
Obelisk (shaft),
26 meters high
in Piazza.
Piazza
surrounded by
colonnades.
Sistine Chapel
Papal Palace
Walls are faced
with plaster and
colored to
imitate marble
producing a
rich effect.

29. ST. PETER’S BASILICA, ROME
.
Façade :
Walls are faced with
plaster and colored to
imitate marble
producing a rich effect.
Monumental order of
Corinthian columns &
pilasters of 91’high & 9’
in dia, supporting an
entablature of 20’
height, carried around
the entire building.
Attic floor

30. ST. PETER’S BASILICA, ROME
• The interior of the church is decorated in
Baroque style. Bernini, who was a sculptor,
built the elaborate bronze baldacchino
(canopy) over the main altar, which stands
beneath the dome. It closes the extremely
long sweep of the nave and is 95 Ft. high.
• The general decoration consists of colored
marble incrustations, stucco figures, rich
gilding, mosaic decoration, and marble
figures on the pilasters, ceiling, and walls.
• The paneling of the pavement in geometric
figures is of colored marble after the
designs of Giacomo della Porta and
Bernini.
Interior :

31. CONTRIBUTION OF ARCHITECTS : ANDREA PALLADIO
• Andrea Palladio was an architect active in the
Republic of Venice. Palladio, influenced by Roman
and Greek architecture, primarily by Vitruvius, is
widely considered the most influential individual in
the history of Western architecture.
1508 –1580
Born 1508 In Venice, Italy
Known for Architecture, sculpture, Painting,
Notable Work Designer of villas (Palladian villas)
& Palaces; loggias for the town hall
( Basilica Palladiana); The four
books of architecture) about
Orders of architecture .
Movement Late Renaissance, Palladian style

32. VILLA ROTONDA, VICENZA 1566-70 A D
ANDREA PALLADIO

33. VILLA ROTONDA, VICENZA
• Villa Capra "La Rotunda" is a
Renaissance villa just outside Vicenza,
Northern Italy, designed by Andrea
Palladio.
• The proper name is Villa Almerico-Capra.
It is also known as La Rotonda, Villa
Rotunda, Villa La Rotonda, and Villa
Almerico.
• The site selected was a hilltop just
outside the city of Vicenza.
• This sophisticated building was
designed for a site which was, in modern
terminology, "suburban“.

34. VILLA ROTONDA, VICENZA
Plan :
• Symmetrical square plan with four façade which has a
projecting portico.
• The whole is contained within an imaginary circle which
touches each corner of the building and centres of the
porticos.
• The name La Rotonda refers to the central circular hall
with its dome.
• Each portico has steps leading up, and opens via a small
cabinet or corridor to the circular domed central hall.
• The design reflected the humanist values of Renaissance
architecture. In order for each room to have some sun,
the design was rotated 45 degrees from each.

35. VILLA ROTONDA, VICENZA
Facade :
Pediments
supported by 6
ionic columns
Statues of
classical dieties
Steps leading to
the small cabinet
Circular dome
Central hall

36. VILLA ROTONDA, VICENZA
Interior :
• The interior design of the villa was done by
Baroque artists, who painted the walls with
frescoes in the principal salons. The
highlight is the circular hall with walls done
in trompe I’oeil & the dome soaring above
to the cupola.
Dome
Frescos create an
atmosphere that is
more reminiscent of
a cathedral than the
principal salon of a
country house.

37. BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE

38. BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE 17TH CE
• It emerged as a reaction to the curb of
artistic freedom that the rules of the
renaissance style imposed.
• It took the Roman vocabulary of
renaissance architecture and used it in a
new theatrical & sculptural fashion
expressing the triumph of the church &
the state.
• The Baroque style was a visible
statement of the wealth & power of the
Church. It manifested itself in the
context of new religious orders like the
Jesuits & Theatines. It also found
expression in secular architecture in the
form of grand palaces.

39. BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTICS
• Concern to colour, light and shade, sculptural values
and intensity.
• Expressed in sinuous frontages, overdone
decoration, twisted shaft columns, curved pediments
& flying figures.
• Long narrow naves in churches were replaced by
broader naves & occasionally circular forms.
Michelangelo’s later buildings, particularly St.Peter’s
basilica is considered to be the forerunner of
Baroque architecture.
• Dramatic use of light with strong light & shade
contrast.
• Ornamentation with stucco, marble finish & gilded
wood.
• Large scale frescoes on the ceiling adorn the interior
& illusory effects like the trompe l’oeil and the
blending of sculpture & painting were also
commonly used.