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ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECT VRE
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4 APPR LOD DIODE 6 BS
XY BOHN. LONDON, 1844
LIST OF PLATES.
TWELFTH CENTURY.
1. San Ciriaco, Ancona
he
san Donato, Murano.
4. Chiaravalle, near Milan.
5. San Zenone, Verona
6. The Interior of San Zenone,
7. The Portal of San Zenone.
8. Santa Maria, Trastevere, Rome.
9. San Pietro, Spoleto.
10. San Leone.
il of the Heights of San Leone.
12. Santa Maria Matricolare, Verona.
13. San Donino.
14. San Michele Lucea.
15. The Cathedral, Trent.
THIRTEENTH CENTURY.
16. Exterior of Santa Maria, Toscanella.
17. Sta. Maria di Arezzo.
18. San Andrea, Vercelli
19. San Francesco, Assisi.
The Under Church, Assisi.
. San Antonio, Padua.
The Cathedral, C
. The Battisterio, Parm
pmona
hedral, Sienna.
he Interior of the
The Duomo, Orvieto.
. View of Orvieto.
The Duomo, Florence.
a di Perug'
. Portals, San Quirico.
30. Palazza Publico, Piacenza.
FOURTEENTH CENTURY
81. Palazzo Publico, Sienna.
32, San Lorenzo, Genoa.
33, Sta. Maria della Spina, Pisa
4
.. Tombs of the Scaligers, Verona.
The Castello Vecchio, Ferrara.
3. Piazza delle Erbe, Verona.
. The Duomo, Milan.
$8. Interior of the Duomo, Milan.
89. San Giovanni, Monza.
FIFTEENTH CENTURY
40. La Mereanzia, Bologna
41. San I
ancesco di Rimini.
inelli and Garisenda, Towers, Bologna.
SAN CIRIACO, ANCONA.
Tuovuen this church can hardly be said to illustrate Italian Architecture, for it is a for
throughout, it is too interesting a building not to be allowed a place in this collection.
Ancona was one of the towns of Italy which remained the longest in the hands of the Emperors
of the East.
appointed by the Emperor Comnenus,
Muratori informs us that, in the year 1174, Ancona was governed by an officer
and he adds, that the Emperor Frederick saw with impa-
tience that remnant of Oriental power in the hea
rt of the Western Empire. These circumstances will
sufficiently account for the plan and style of San Ciriaco, which, constructed under the domination
of the Greeks, is Greek in all its parts.
No certain record of the date of this building has been preserved ; but, from an inscription still
extant, it appears’ that the bodies of Saints Ci
aco, Marcelino, and Liberio, were deposited in the
crypt of this church, in the year 1097.—AImost invariably, when the bodies of Saints were translated,
a new chureh was prepared for their reception, and the translation usually took place, when the
building was sufficiently advanced for the performance of divine service, but before the work was
entirely completed
1128, and that® in 1189, Bishop Beraldus added a chapel
the church with marble. From all these circumstances, it may be inferred that this Cathedral was
We further find that Bernard, Bishop of Ancona, consecrated the high altar in
and encrusted the walls of the interior of
begun about the middle of the eleventh century, and completed in the course of the twelfth. It is
racens, who landed at Ancona in 9}
highly probable that the and committed extensive devas-
tations, maltreated the cathedral which was then in existence, and made it necessary to provide
another in more peaceable times.
The
the fourteenth centur
athedral was or
nally dedicated to St. Lawrence, and retained that name till so late as
but, finally, the local favourite obtained the ascendant. The body of San
ast, L
and by her deposited in the cathedral which then ¢
Ciriaco was originally imported from the
the Empress Galla Placidia, in the fifth century,
isted at Ancona.
San Ciriaco is on a large church exactly
seale. The plan of the
k architect. The centre of the building
appears to haye been completed without any dev
represents the Greek cross, and
was, probably, supplied by a Gre
s surmounted by the
eastern cupola. The building ation from the original
h, which
projects boldly, and is enriched with numerous mouldings, must have been a subsequent addition, as
design, and, for the most part, remains as it was at first constructed. The principal por
the courses of the stones of which it is composed do not correspond with those of the church
In the interior, pillars, supporting round arches, divide the nave from the aisles. The capitals
of these pillars imitate the Corinthian, and exhibit no admixture of the Lombard imagery which, at
cathedral was built, prevailed in the north of Italy
the time when thi: The cupola is supported by
piers and arches. The arches under the dome are pointed, but are evidently alterations. These
pointed arches may have here been introduced by the celebrated architect Margaritone, who
Ma
and to him the entire construction of San Ciriaco is attributed, erroneously, by Vasari. Margaritone
flourished in the second half of the 13th century aritone was very much employed at Ancona,
may have added the porch
San Ciriaco has the advanté
of a noble position—clear of the town, completely insulated, and
on a lofty eminence which commands the Adriatic. It is believed to occupy the same spot which
was formerly occupied by the celebrated temple of Venus—* Domum Veneris quam Dorica sustinet
Ancon.”
2 Corsini. Relazione dello scoprimento fatto in Ancona dei Sacri Corpori di San Ciriaco, Marcellino e Liberio
ini relates that, in his time (1755) the shrines of the Saints were opened and examined in the presence of the Bishop and Clergy, on
which oceasion the following inscription was found within the shrine of San Marcellino—Anno Domini Millesimo, simo septimo fuit
opus Marcellinus hoc in Sepulchrum.—At the same time coins were found in the s ared the letters “ Enricus
Imp.” Corsini believes them to be the coins of the Emperor Henry the Fourth, and to have been struc
Corsini,
Subjoined are the plans of San Ciriaco, and of Santa Fosca, in the Lagune of Venice. Approximated
to shew the difference of the two most habitual forms of Greek churches, of which the most simple
form, and that best adapted for buildings on a small scale, is Santa Fosca, which consists of a square,
surmounted by a cupola. San Ciriaco, as has been already stated, offers the complete form of the
Greek cross
San Ciriaco,
SINELLI AND GARISENDA, TOWERS, BOLOGN
Win a view more completely to illustrate the Architecture of Italy in the
middle ages, a
limited number of secular building:
will be admitted in this volume, and it is hoped that such an
interference with the original de of this work, will rather be considered an improvement than a
blemish.
In the middle ages
the insulated residences of the nobles of Tt
and even when they resided in towns, such was the violence of th
safe for any distinguished family not to po:
aly were, of necessity, castles ;
1e times, that it would not have been
ss a stronghold as a place of refuge in case of
sudden attack. For this reason fortified towers were attached to eve ry pat
in the tenth century’ that this
any
clan mansion. It was
ctice commenced, and the number of these towers went on inere:
till they were multiplied to what appears to us an inconceivable extent, In 115!
asing
there were* 10,000
of Italy
ans of defence, there was as
towers in Pisa, and a proportionate number had arisen in all the other principal citic
As these towers were no less a symbol of illustrious birth than a me:
much* pride in the possession of them, :
8 precaution. In consequence, the tower:
after the necessity for them had passed away ; and it then k
nobles of the same city who should carry his tower to the
were retained
t the
scame a matter of emulation among
reatest hei
Hence it was that the two towers which are represented in the
annexed engraving, were constructed
at Bologna by the rival families of Asinelli and* Garisenda, at the corner
The Asinelli tower was completed *
of their adjacent mansions.
either in 1109 or 1119; and it may be concluded that its rival
me time. The Garisenda tower has been impaired by time, but the Asinelli
tower remains entire, and soars to the he
but still so peculiar a building
be so:
it of 876 feet, a standing monument of pride and absurdity;
and the record of such a peculiar state of socie! y, that we should
to lose it. Constructed of brie onder, and now unattached to any support, it looks unsafe,
but more than seven centuries have not been able to shake it. The Garisenda tower is still more
alarming to the eye, from its obliquity. It is in the same predicament with the leaning tower of Pisa,
and does not fall for the same reason.
All the towe
of Bologna were not so firmly constructed ; for, in 1201, the tower attached to
the mansion of the Alberici, came down, and falling upon adjacent houses, ¢
persons.
aused the death of several
Almost all these medizeval towers hav
state of society, they have been
lisappeared. Usele:
in peaceable times and in a different
radually remoyed. But their demolition was not always the volun-
tary act of their proprietors.’ In 1250, when the people of Florence got the
republican institutions were substituted for an oli¢
upper hand, and
archy, the new rulers of the city, to humiliate the
nobility over whom they had triumphed, ordained that every patrician tower should be consider ably
reduced in height. compelled to obey. One or two of these
truncated piles still remain to commemorate the discomfiture of the Florentine aristocracy
The nobles, however reluctantly, wer
* Bononenses, libertate abutentes, turres «edificare
* Benjamin of Tudela, Tt was in one of these towe
? Nobilium locupletum erat
loria tures habere.
Muratori, t. 2. lib. ily
* A member of this family is the hero of one of Boccacio’s most interesting tales—La morta, viva. Giornata X, Novella TV
According to Matteo Griffoni, in 1109 ; according to Fra Bartolomeo delle Puglia, in 1119.
6 Gior. Villani, t. 6. p. 39
SAN DONATO, MURANO.
Morano is one of the smaller islands in the Lagune of Venice, and was peopled in very early
times.
In the year 1125, Domenico Michael, 34th Doge of Venice, took the island of Cephalonia, on
his return from the Holy Land, and brought from thence the body of San Donato, once Bishop of
Evorea, in Epirus. This treasure he deposited in the ancient church of . Maria at Murano.
The probability is that the church was entirely rebuilt soon after this transaction, as the
style of its architecture is in accordance with that of the twelfth century. The eastern apse, which
the engraving represents, exhibits one of the richest specimens of external decoration in the Lombard
style,
From the veneration for the Saint whose body had thus been acquired, the name of the church
was soon changed from Sta. Maria to San Donato.
In front of the high altar is a bas-relief of San Donato, carved in wood, which was executed by
some Venetian artist, in the beginning of the fourteenth century. Under it is the following
inscription.
Correndo Pano MCGCX Indictione VIII
In tempo de lo nobile homo
Misser Donato Memo honorando Podesta de Murano,
Facta fo questa ‘Ancona
De Misser San Donato.
* Ancona—a sort of niche, of which the upper corners are rounded off, and which is surrounded by arich frame, placed either above, or in front
of the altar, and containing either the statue of the Saint, ora picture representing some sacred subject. In this place, a part is taken for the
whole, and the word includes what the niche contains.
CHIARAVALLE, NEAR MILAN.
Tus was the church of the first Cistertian monastery that was established in Italy. The
Cistertian reform was first introduced by St. Bernard, who was abbot of Clairy
aux in France. ‘In
1134 St. Bernard crossed the Alps to attend a
ouncil at Pisa, and, on his way back, paid a visit to
Milan. The citizens of Milan advanced seven miles beyond their
excited the most enthusiastic feelings
rates to receive him. His presence
; and, within a year after his departure, a monast was built,
f about four miles from the city, which was to be governed by St. Bernard’s rules,
and to receive a name from the parent institution.
The monastery was inhabited in 1136, but it was not till nearly the close of the twelfth
that the church was completed. It is in the
architectural composi
at the distance of
century
Lombard style, and deserves consideration, as an
The body of the fabric is left
feature of the desion. The tower
on, for the importance of its central towe
perfectly plain, and, in effect, serves only as a base for the leading
alone is enriched. Octagonal in its form, up to acertain height, it becomes a spire above. Both
the octagonal, and spiral portions
enriched with Lombard galleries, which give an appearance
tract the eye to that part of the building on which it is intended to rest. It is
evident that the architect must have made the central tower
of lightness, and 2
his chief object, and whenever an
architect has had a peculiar object, and has succeeded in producing the eff
ct which he desired, his
work deserves to be studied.
In the cemete:
ry which adjoins the church still remain several monuments of the powerful family
of the Torrioni, who selected this cemetery for their last resting place. Here lies the great P:
della Torre, (who died in 1241), the most distinguished of his ra and near him repose seve
his descendants. The Torrioni were at the head of the
popular party, and, for two or three
ions, governed Milan, keeping the nobles in bitter subjection.
Emperor, in the year 1311, they were defeated, proseribed and banished ; and, by their
way for their rivals, the Visconti, who were at the head of tl
genera
Having conspired against the
all, made
1e nobles.
* Giulini, Memorie di Milano, Vol. V.—Anno Domini MCXXXV. sedificatum fuit Monasterium Charevallis Mediolani, Chroniea di
Filippo di
Castel Seprio, cited by Giulini, vol. v. p. 293
AN ZENONE, VERONA.
San Zunonr was Bishop of Verona in the time of the I
The first church of any size which was built on the
stands, was erected in the be ginning
assistance of Pipin, the son o
Amperor Gallienus,
Spot where the church of San Zenone now
of the ninth century by Rotaldus,
Bishop of Verona, with the
f Charlemagne, whom his {
father had de puted to
govern his kingdom of
This church was much injured by the Hun
through
In 961, Otho the
rich donation in the hands
The new church, however, was not begun till 11
First passed
of the Bishop for the
8, and not finished
1 Verona, on his way to Rome, and left
tion of San Zenone.'
before the year 1178.
plan of the church is that of the L
building is Lombard.
marble and bri
atin Basilica, without transepts. The style
The sides are constructed with
The principal feature of the front is one
a sculptor of the name of
inscription in the baptistery records t
of the
The front is of marble alternate layers of
of the earliest wheel of fortune windows.
Briolotus, who also built the baptistery. An
and speaks of the window as a work which excited
It was executed by
his fact,
wonder in those time
The campanile, which stands L
vy itself, w holly unconnected with the
Albericus in 1145, but w
as not finished till 1178,
Adjoining to the church there was a monastery, and
which the Bishops of Verona resided, This
afterwards rebuilt, as we find that the
in the eleventh and twelfth centuries
church, was begun by Abbot
adjoining to the monastery a palace, in
palace was burnt down in 809, but
Emperors lodged at San Z
must have been
enone, when they visited Verona
* Biancolini, C}
ese di Verona
Quisque Br
ot
m Inudet—hie f
Cujus, precor, tene notam, at Ve
Lapideum ipse d
ecit rotam super Ec
nee primitus Balneum
Inscription in the Buptister
THE INTERIOR OF SAN ZENONE.
Tue interior of this building is striking, from the grandeur of its proportions and its
elevation.
The nave is divided from the aisles by alternate pillars, and piers. ‘These pillars are less stumpy,
and of better proportions, than the pillars of Lombard buildings in the seventh and cighth centuries,
but their capitals shew that the Lombard monsters were not entirely discarded so late as the twelfth
century,
The wooden roof is exceedingly curious, and more elaborately ornamented than occurs any-
where else in Italy.
The choir is in the pointed style; but this part of the church was rebuilt ‘in the fifteenth
century.
The windows in this church, unlike those in the early Basilicas, are of small dimensions.
this architectural change arose that sombre effect, which was afterwards considered a merit,
Under the choir there is a spacious crypt, the vaulted roof of which
forty pillars ; all the capitals of which are various
From
is supported by no less than
Zagata. Chroniche di Verona.
PEN serach?
thee
THE PORTAL OF SAN ZENONE.
Tuts is a yery rich specimen of the portals of Italian churches in the twelfth century.
Whatever the sculpture of tha und country was able to effect is profusely expended upon its
decoration, both in marble and bronze. If, in these decorations, some ludicrous images are retained,
the greater part of them attempt to imitate the more correct models of the Roman bas-relief
The bas-relief, within the portal, over the door, is said to represent a deputation which was
sent to San Zeno by the Emperor Gallienus,
On the flanks of the portal appear subjects taken from the Old and New Testament, The
history of Adam and Eve, on the one side ; the principal events in the life of our Saviour on the other.
With these are blended, as usual, subjects taken from ordinary life, and illustrating the manners of the
times; knights jousting at each other; and a representation of the chase, popularly called the
chase of Theodoric.
The doors are of bronze, enriched with figures in compartments.
The pillars, as usual, rest on the backs of animals. Lions, symbolical of the vigilance and
strength of the church.
SANTA MARIA, TRASTEVERE, ROME.
A Cxourcu was built on this spot in the fourth century, but it appears that, ‘in the year 1139,
Pope Innocent IT. took down the old building, entirely rebuilt the church, and completed it in its
present form. He, also, adorned the interior of the apse with the Mosaics which now exist;
amongst the figures of which Innocent II. appears with the model of a church in his hand, a
distinction which was only allowed to founders.
This building offers a strong contrast to the cotemporary churches of the north of Italy, and
affords a proof that Rome always continued to adhere to her own usages, alw ays retained much of
the classical in her buildings, and possessed an almost inexhaustible store of ancient pillars and
capitals. At the same time the br arches which are seen above the architrave, on either side of
the nave, too plainly tell that even Roman architecture was no longer what it had been. The eye
was no longer offended by what, in better days, would not have been endured. In good times the
architraye would have been equal to its load, or, if arches had been introduce d, they would have
been concealed.
A handsome cieling of carved and gilt panelling was added to this church at a later period, but
has been omitted in this engraving, to afford a more correct idea of the building in its original
state
* Severano. Sette Chiese di Roma
Sea a Ta ee tne ee ae en ee ee eee en ao ee
SAN PIETRO, SPOLETO.
Tus church stands without the walls of Spoleto, and was the original cathedral. It is
mentioned as existing in the fifth century, and it continued to be the cathedral till 1067, when the
present cathedral, in the more convenient situation of the interior of the city, was constructed.
No record remains of the date of the very curious fagade represented in the annexed eng
ying ;
but the style of its decorations, the rudeness of the workmanship, and the subjects which are
introduced, give us reason to believe that this part of the building must have been added in the
course of the twelfth century. By that time bas-reliefs, in compartments, had been adopted ; and,
at that time, knights in armour, and allusions to the last judgment, were commonly introduced as
the ornaments of ecclesiastical buildings. In one of the bas-relief
it will be observed that an imp
has concealed himself beneath the balance, and is pulling down the unfavourable scale. In the
portico of the church of St. Sebastian, at Rome, still exists a fre
co of the twelfth century, which
represents the judgment of the Emperor Otho the Second. The balance is trembling, but a
guardian angel is about to cast into the scale of good works a chalice which the Emperor had
presented to the altar of that church, and which, it is obyious, will have the effect of turning the
balance in his favour.
In the struggle between the Emperors and the Popes, Spoletto, by adhering to the latter, drew
1155, nearly levelled
it with the ground, It is not improbable that the church of San Pietro, which stood in an exposed
situation, may have been one of the buildings wh
upon itself the particular vengeance of Frederick Barbarossa, who, in the y
ch were injured on that occasion, and that the
existing fagade may have been added after the storm had subsided.
lar ground, at the
Spoleto is one of the most picturesque towns in Italy; scattered over ir
foot of rocky heights, that are fringed with groves of il re of white
amongst which a. vill
hermitages peep forth, The most remarkable feature at Spoletto is the aqueduct, which stretches
over a wide chasm, and brings the water from the adjacent heights to the town. *This aqueduct is
believed to have been a work of the Lombards, subsequently repaired at different periods. In the
time of the Lombards, Spoletto was the capital of a dukedom, and the residence of dukes who were
Tt pe
the other provinces and principalities which were included in the splendid bequest of the Countess
Mathilda.
amongst the most powerful princes of Ital sed into the possession of the See of Rome with
1 Campello, in his History of Spoletto, attributes the construction of this aqueduct to the Lombard Duke Theodolapius, who lived in the
carly part of the seventh century, at which time there was an interval of repose.
SAN LEONE.
San Leone is a small town of La Romagn
San Marino. It stands on a spur of the Apennines, in an elevated, and very picturesque situation,
In ul times it was celebrated for a magnificent temple of Jupiter. In the middle ages it
became important from the strengt
at distance from the little republic of
lassi
th of its position, and had Counts and Dukes of its own, who
made it their stronghold and residence.
The ancient name of this place was Mons Feretrus; but, from about the middle of the tenth
century, the veneration of its inhabitants for their patron saint, gave it the name which it at pr
bears. San Leone, in the time,
have withdrawn to this secure
embrace the religion of Chris'
id to
retreat, and to have been the first who induced the mountaineers to
and during the persecution, of the Emperor Diocletian,
The annexed engraving represents the crypt of the cathedral, which was built in 11
upper church must have undergone many alterations, of which its hete
but the crypt remains intact, and is a splendid specimen of the subte
3.1 The
neous character is a proof;
neous architecture of those
times. On the capital of one of the pillars is represented the symbol of the Fishes.
assumed, in very early times, by Christians as the emblem of their cr
regenerating waters of Baptism,* Christians inherit eternal life.
» which was
1, because, through the
At no great distance from the cathedral there still remains another church, of lar,
dimensions,
and still greater antiquity
It must have been built prior to 8
tabernacle, which formerly stood in tl
2, becaus
», on a splendid marble
1e crypt, but which has been removed into the naye, and now
serves as a canopy for the font, there is an inscription which says that, in 882, the tabernacle ws
presented to the church by Ursus, Duke of Monteferetro. Marini is of opinion that this church was
the first cathedral; which is the more probable, as it is known that
and it was not till three centuri
1 Leone had a Bishop in 826,
afterwards that the present éathedral was begun.
1 Marini
Also because the letters of the Greek word for fish, IXOYY, form the monogram of Iroc
God, The Saviour
aggio di Regioni della Citti di San Leone, Pesar
Xpteroe Oe
—Jesus, Christ, The Son of
VIEW OF THE HEIGHTS OF SAN LEONE.
Tuts view is introduced to give a general idea of the very picturesque situation of San Leone.
Backed by the Apennines, it stands upon a precipitous cliff at a considerable elevation above the
plain. The fortress rises high above the town upon a continuation of the same cliff: The approach
to the city is carried along the face of the cliff in a sloping direction, and, in one place, is supported
by an arch. San Leone looks over ravines, and broken mountains, on which are scattered villages,
each on its separate peak.
The city itself is concealed from the point of view represented in the annexed engraving by the
rock at the back of which it stands. The buildings in sight are a portion of the fortress which is
now used asa state prison.
This fortress is often mentioned by the historians of the middle ages,—by Procopius,
Luitprandus, and others. It was of such remarkable strength that Berengarius the Second, in the
tenth century, threw hir into this place, and was able to hold out two years against all the power
of Otho the Great.
XII.
SANTA MARIA MATRICOLARE, VERONA.
Tue history of the Duomo of Verona is enyeloped in obscurity, the deeper because the
foundation of this church has been attributed to Charlemagne, and when once such high pretensions
resigned. It may, howev
easily be demonstrated that
have been asserted they are not willit
Charlemagne had no hand in this work, though it cannot be clearly shewn by whom, or exactly at
‘abric was undertaken.
It was in 774 that Charlemagne put an end to the
what time, the existing
sn of the Lombards. Their kingdom he
transferred to his son Pipin, who took up his abode at Verona, and there occupied himself with the
construction of another church, the first church of any size which was raised in honor of St. Zeno ;
4, Pipin died, before his father, in 810 ;
and Charlemagne himself died in 814, But it appears that a church had been erected in still earlier
now stands, in honour of the Virgin. *‘Panvinio says that it
shrine. He
says it was vaulted, and supported by pillars of Greek marble. The next fact relating to this
that church which was destroyed by the Hungarians in 9:
times, on the spot where the cathed
succeeded to a temple of Minerva, and was constructed of the materials of the Pagan
Charlemagne’s
building of which we have evidence is that it was repaired about thirty years afte
. Mar
Archdeacon of Verona, a man remarkable in many ways, who died in 846, Had Charlema
orms us that the church of §
death. An epitaph which still exists in y was repaired by Pacifico,
e built
fallen it (of which there is no mention) it
anew church on that spot, unless some accident had b
would not have wanted reparation in so short a space of time. We may therefore conclude that
which ever stood on this spot, and that the church which
Charlemagne had no hand in any building
Pacifico repaired was the original church.
A
which may.
reumstance, however, connected with this church occurred in the time of Charleme
ne,
in some measure, account for the tradition. If this church did not come into existence
in his time, in his time it became the cathedral. The chair of the Bishops of Verona had, at different
times been placed in no less than three different churches. First, in San Stefano, from whence the
ello ; from San
Bishops, expelled by Theodoric, (who was an Arian,) retired to San Pietro in Ca
Pietro in Castello the episcopal chair was rain to San
moved, not to the present Duomo, but back
Stefano in 801. So soon afterwards, however, as 806 an accidental circumstance led to the exaltation
of Santa Maria Matricolare. In 806 an accidental conflag
Bishops of Verona had been accustomed to reside near San Zenone. In the following year Bishop
ation destroyed the palace in which the
Rotaldus began a new palace in the immediate vicinity of Santa Maria, *and removed the episcopal
r to the church near to which he fixed his abode.
We know no more of the church which was repaired by Pacifico, except that it was not injured by
the Hung *Panvinio tells us that, in that year, the sacramental plate belonging to San
Zenone (which the Hungarians did destroy) was removed for safety to the treasury of Santa Maria.
The next date relating to Santa Maria, which has come down to us, is that of a new sacristia which
was “built in 1160; and we find that in 1187 Urban III. reconsecrated the existing cathedral. We
‘ians in 92
may conclude, therefore, that the greater part of the existing cathedral was rebuilt in the first half of
the twelfth century. The apse at the east end of the cathedral, and a portion of its sides, are ina
v
y different style of architecture from the remainder of the building
resemb!
; ina style which is so near a
inal
nce to the Roman as to permit us to believe that these portions are a remnant of the ori
church.
The vaulting of the Duomo was begun in 1402, but was not finished till 1514. In 1534 further
nder the dir od Sanmichéle.
ard to the splendid porch which is rc ved eng ;, it must I
refore, belong to the twelfth century. The celeb
e been introduced
> made in this buildi ction of the celebra
ravin)
resented in the anne ve
ated
formed a part of the new building, and must, the
Paladins, the Roland and Olive
with reference to the traditionary connection of Charlemagne with this building. The Lombard
but the underside of the arch, which
, who guard the entrance, may be supposed to ha
imagery no longe
appears as an ornament of the moulding:
forms the roof of the porch, exhibits a variety of grotesque images and symbols,
1 Onuphrii Panvii
Antiquitates Veroner
Epitaph on Archdeacon Pacifico, cited by Biancolini :—
Archidiaconus quiescit hie vero Ps
Sapientid preeclarus, forma prefulgid®,
ullus talis est inventus in nostris temporibus
Eeclesiarum fundator, renovator optimus,
Zenonis, Proculi, Viti, Petri, et Laurentii
Dei quoque Genetricis.
Qua
Septimo vieesimo eta
tres annos fuit Archidiaconus,
no Cwesaris Lotharii,
Mole carnis est solutus, Anno Dominic Incarnationis, 846
Biancolini. Chiese di Verona. * Onuphrii Panvinii Antiqu. Veron, lib. 5. ¢, 2 Biancolini
N DONINO.
San Dowrvo, in whose honour this church was erected, was a soldier in
Emperor Maximian, and
a Christian, and,
the army of the
served under his orders, in Germany. Donino, with many others, became
when Maximian issued an edict, ordering
faith on pain of de ath, Donino fled, but was overtaken near the river Strione,
tyrant, and immediately put to death.
In 362, the Bishop of Parma, admonished by a dream, sallied forth anc
Donino, known to be that of t
which issued from the
we learn by a letter from St,
into that of San Donino so ¢ tly as 3
From that time the shrine of
received oblatior
all persons to renounce the Christian
by the emissaries of the
» called Julia,
2d the body of
1 by the sweet odour
A chapel was immediately erected to receive the
r that spot there was, at that time, a vill
| discove
he Martyr, by an inseription found on the spot, anc
holy remains ; and
Ambrose to Faustinus, that the village of Julia had changed its name
Ue
San Donino became one of the most frequented in Italy, and
1s which led to the construction of a temple on a larger scale. The existing church
building, and has undergone various alterations. ‘The oldest part of it is in the Lombard
style, But the very curious, and rich fac
to times subsequent to those of
is a lar
ade, which is the subject of the annexed engraving, belones
the Lombard—to times when the imitation of the Roman bas-rel
iefs
agery of the seventh and eighth centuries. No record remains of the
period at which this fagade was erected : but the
to believe that it cannot be older than the
the neg
succeeded to the monstrous im
are various circumstances which give us reason
I
as the bodies, might seem to indicate a remoter
twelfth century.
ect of all proportions, the heads as large
antiquity ; but there is a bas-relief over one of tI
the
he barbarous character of the seulpture,
1e gates of Milan,’ known to have been executed at
ose of the twelfth century, which
to that pe
own
owest depression. The projecting portals, the
pillars resting on animals, are all features of the latter
eleventh and of the twelfth century. Those were times
to be restored, and in which the labours of eccl
part of Italy. At no
is no less rude, and which proves that the arts in Italy, d
riod, continued to be in a state of the 1
pediment over the doors, the part of the
in which public tranquillit
was beginning
esiastical architecture were actively resumed in eve
great distance from San Donino, the cathedral of Piacenza was rebuilt in 11
the fagade of which exhibits a composition of much the same character ; and bas-relicfs of the sag
skilfully executed. In the still more immediate neighbourhood of this
church, the cathedral of Parma was rebuilt in the 1
the twelfth, century. Nothing
adjacent works, should have
kind, though somewhat mor
atter part of the eleventh, and the beginning of
can be more probable than that the emulation excited by these
prompted the addition of the existing facade to San Donino’s shrine.
* Giulini
vi. p.196. ‘This
e was erected when the cit
of Milan restored their walls, after they had been thrown down by
ain 1162,
SAN MICHELE, LUCCA.
Lucca was a place of importance under the Lombard Kings, during whose sway the Lombard
style of architecture was so comple
there Specimens of the Lombard style may be found
at Lucca, from the middle of the seventh, down to the thirteenth, century.
ly established in that city, that it continued to be employed
after it had been discarded in other plac
After the subversion of the Lombard dynasty, Lucca was governed by Dukes of its own, whose
rule extended over the whole of Tuscany. In the twelfth century Lucea became a free town, and,
for above a century, was governed by Consuls of its own choice ; but disturbed, in common with the
other cities of Italy, by dissensions amongst its own nobles, and by the Guelph and Ghibelline
314 Uguecione della
Fazziuola, Lord of Pisa, favoured by the Ghibellinc party, made himself master of Lucca, from
faction
t was so far weakened as to fall into the hands of the stranger. In
which time Lucca was governed by despots till 1369, when its inhabitants purchased a charter from
the
Smperor Charles [V. for the sum of 300,000 florins,’ and thus recovered their liberties.
The embellishments of San Michele di Lue
that city underwent, and will be found to be contemporaneous with the period at which it enjoyed
record and illustrate the changes of fortune which
free institutions.
San Michele was originally founded by Teutprandus and Gumpranda, his wife, in 764 ;* and
the bulk of the fabric belongs to that date. At that time the Archangel, for whom a particular
devotion had, in the preceding century, been imported from Apulia into the north of Italy, was the
favourite protector of the Lombards.
But the rich facciata to which this church owes its celebrity, was added at a much later period,
in *1188, when Lucea was a fri
> town, and its inhabitants resolved to do credit to themselyes by
adding splendour to their public buildings.
In 1188 the celebrated architect Guidetto, who was, afterwards, employed to decorate* the
cathedral in the same manner, was called upon to ennoble the west end of San Michele. The idea
of this facciata is evidently taken from the
athedral of Pisa, though executed in the more florid
style, which had subsequently come into fashion. If this jata sins against classical rules in the
multiplicity, and irregularity, of the orders of its columns, in their variety and over enrichment, it,
nevertheless, produces a grand and imposing effect. The whole is constructed of white marble from
the quarries of the neighbourhood.
The statue of the Archangel
at the summit, is of colossal size
The wings are composed of
separate plates of bronze, so contrived as to suffer the wind to pass through them freely, lest it should
have a dange:
rous purchase upon so large a mass completely exposed to its power.
Nothing more was done at San Michele during the thraldom of Lucca, but, when Lucca was
again enfranchised, the second order of the lateral colonnade was added. TI
s colonnade is
sufficiently in harmony with the facciata, but evinces the greater degree of purity of taste which, by
il.
that time, had begun to pre
+ With this money, and that received from other Italian towns, Charles IV. built sumptuous edifices at Prague, his residence—amongst others,
the bridge over the Moldau.—Sismondi. Rep, Ital. vol. vii. p. 48.
Dissertazione sopra la Storia Eeclesiastica Lucchese, by Bertini,
5 Memorie ¢ documenti per servi Storia del Ducato di Lucca.
+ On one of the columns of the facciata is the following inscription :—
Condidit electi
pulchras dextra Guidecti.
THE CATHEDRAL, TRENT.
Tie traveller who comes from Germany into Italy arrives at Trent after passing throngh the
Tyrol, and before he reaches the plains of Lombardy. Trent is beautifully situated in a valley of
its own, which is embosomed in mountains,
nd watered by three streams descending from the
heights above. These streams unite below the city, and form the river Adige.
A town was built on this attractiy
with w:
€ spot, in very early tim
Is by Theodoric, and from that time went
middle ages it bee
It was enl:
ed and surrounded
on increasing in size and prosperity. In the
me an independent town, under the government of its own Bishops, who were
members of the Germanic body, and, sometimes, filled high offices in the Empir
In 3 Vigilius Bishop of Trent erected, at this place, a church in hono:
and Protsius. In his time Paganism was not entir
ur of Saints Gervasius
extirpated. The inhabitants of Val di
sible, valley of the Alps, were still heathens, and still
worshipped a colossal statue of Saturn, which their fathers had set up.
zeal, made an incursion into this sequestered r
Rendena, a neighbouring, but less acc
Vigilius, filled with holy
ion, and caused the colossal statue to be thrown
down, and broken in pieces. The inhabitants of Val di Rendena were so incensed at this act of
ssion, that they pursued the retiring intruders, and put the Bishop to death.
ed off by his attendants, and was buried in the church which he had built.
afterwards, acquired the name of San Vigilio
In the year 1¢
larger scale, on the same spot.
age
His body was
ca
The church, soon
‘ Bishop Udalricus the Second undertook the work of a new cathedral, on a
He completed the crypt, and part of the church ; but the building
was not sufliciently advanced to be consecrated till a century aft
finished the work, and performed the consecration.
Chancellor to Otho the Fourth, took down t
cathedral is v
rwards. In 1]
3 Bishop Allemanus
In 1205 Bishop Frederick de Wang, who was
he choir, and rebuilt it on a larger scale. Though this
aried in form, the whole of it is in one manner, and shews to how late a period the
Italian architects persevered in the use of the round or Lombard style.
Lt will be observed that. the pillars which support the porch
pillars, on one side of the porch, are I
re not alike, and that the coupled
ound together by intertwining serpents.
It was in this cathedral that the celel
rated Council, at which it was hoped that the unity of the
Church would hav
been restored, was opened in 1542. It is computed that the number of |
spiritual strangers, consisting of Cardinal
ed at T)
The Bishop’s palac
ay and
Ambassadors, Deputies, Orators, Lawyers, and their
suites, who cong: ent on that oce:
on, amounted to above 1000 persons.
it Trent is a very picturesque building
and so large that the Bishops were
able to receive and entertain the Emperor
of Germany and Kings of Italy, on their way to and
The palace is a pile of irregular construction, from the tenth to the
sixteenth centuries. Part of it resembles the Venetian building, in the
was built by Falconetto, an architect of Verona, in 15% O.
lofty round tower, which is believed to be Roman
from their Cisalpine dominions.
pointed style, and that part
At one corner of the palace there is a
* Pyrrii Pincii, de Origine Urbis Tridentina, Lib, 3.
Pyrrii Pineii de Vitis Pontificum Tridentinoram. Lib. 2
EXTERIOR OF SANTA MARIA, TOSCANELLA.
Tu reconsecration of this church in 1206 marks the time at which this facciata was, in all
probability, added to the much more ancient fabric of which an account has been given in the first
volume of this work.
In the architecture of this facciata, there is so much difference from the habitual Italian style, and
there are so many points of resemblance to the northern buildings of that period, as to give reason to
believe that a northern architect had some hand in this work. The trefoil ornament in the windows,
the dog-tooth moulding which edges the walls, but especially the depth and richness of the portals,
with their numerous ree and mouldings are all transalpine features. We know that Germans
were at that time, occasionally employed in Italy, in company with native sculptors ; and it is
possible that some foreign influence of this nature may have introduced the va s which are
observable in this structure.
The general style of this facciata is still Lombard, though with many innovations. ‘The taste for
animals is still conspicuous. The pillars, on each side of the principal entrance, repose upon, and
support, animals. Gryphins are seen at either end of the gallery above ; and the rose window is
surrounded by the four beasts of the Apocalypse. This rose window, with the difference of the
trefoils, is nearly a repetition of the wheel-of-fortune window of San Zenone at Verona.
The three portals are all different from each other. The two side portals, (which are not of the
same size,) are more enriched than the one in the centre. All the ornaments are elaborately
worked, and by a skilful chissel.
This facciata was added to the church before Toscanella had submitted to Rome.
The tower, at the side of the drawing, is a massive campanile, standing by itself, immediately in
front of the church.
XVII.
STA. MARIA DI AREZZO,
Tuts engrayi
represents the west end of the same
church of which the apse was given in the
first volume of this work,
The apse belongs
to the close of the tenth century; but the decorations of the west end were
not added till long afterwards,
Vasari attributes the whole of these decorations to the celebrated architect Marchione, who was
a native of Arezzo; but this is a mistake, for the greater part of the facciata itself was built after his
time. That part of the work which undoubtedly bel.
sculpture with which it is adorned. TI
by Marchione in 1216;
ongs to Marchione is the portal, and the
1ese, as is proved by an inse
and in this part of the building a
acter and proportions of the Roman style.
un is uncertain; but they were
The design of this f
neglected,
ption still extant, were completed
ppear indications of a return to the
How soon afterwards the galleries
in progress during the first half of the f
facciata is not without merit;
ubove were
ourteenth centur
for in the design itself, though classical rules a
© of simplicity, a reproduction of long horizontal lines, and
he building increases in height. But the passion for omament wae still
reely two pillars are alike—some are double_
of parts, instead of reposing upon the eflect of the whole,
The campanile was finished in
built to
there is a certain deo
a diminution of weight as t
in force ;
and the eye is distra
ed by the variety
330, and was at that time called the new tower
Tt was probably
like prelate, Ubertino Bishop of Ar
, in 1260, carried off in
e the bells which a wa
triumph from Cortona.
‘ote appended to the Florentine edition of Vasari. * Farruli, Annali di Arex
XVIII.
SAN ANDREA, VERCELLI.
Vercetr is in Piedmont, at about an equal distance from Turin and Milan.
There are two curious circumstances connected with the church of San Andrea. It was the first
in which the pointed style made its appearance on the south side of the Alps, and, in this instance,
we can exactly trace by what accident that style was introduced, and from whence it came.
Guala Biechier
one of the most distinguished men of his time, first saw the light at Vercelli in
t years of the twelfth century. Well born, and well educated, he embraced the clerical
profession, and applied himself, with
reat diligence, to the study of civil and ecclesiastical law.
pared, he removed to Rome, and haying, by his talents and his learning, attracted the
Thus pre
attention of Innocent ITI., was by him raised to the digi
ity of the purple. From that time he was
and abroad. In
1208 he was sent in the capacity of Legate to France, where he remained a year. At the end of
that period he returned to Italy, but, in 1215, he was again sent to France, to dissuade Philip the
Pair from attempting the conquest of England. Finding Philip inflexible, the Legate proc
nd, where he lent all the authority of Rome, at that time so gre
throne of King John. On the death of John, Guala, in his
meeting of Bishops and Nobles at Gloucester, at which, to the exclusion of the pr
rotiations both at hom
constantly employed by successive Popes in important n
ded to
t, to support the tottering
pacity of Legate, assisted at the
tensions of Philip,
the youthful son of King John was recognized as his rightful successor. In return for the powerful
assistance which the Le t
ssation of hostilities
ute had afforded, Henry III. presented him with the church of St. Andrew,
at Chester. The object of his mission be
ng fully accomplished, by the c
between France and England, the Legate, in 1218, took his departure. Passing through France he
engaged in his service an ecclesiastic, a native of Paris, who was skilled in architecture, and
returning to Vercelli, in 1219, he laid the first stone of his new church, which, in allusion to his
church at Chester, he dedicated to St. Andrew. The French ecclesiastic was entrusted with the
conduct of the building, and was, afterwards, made the ‘first Abbot of the convent, which was
attached to the new church,
nd which was also founded by Guala.
The history of the career of the distinguished Founder, as well as the native country of the
architect, will sufficiently a
count for the style in which San Andrea of Vercelli was built. It was
not unnatural that afte
having passed so many years in France and England, Cardinal Guala should
have imbibed a taste for the style of architecture which had recently come into fashion in those
countries ; and it could only |
» with the intention of adopting that style, in his own case, that he
induced a French architect to cross the Alps.
San Andrea is
of the
from pure. In parts of the exterior, perhaps from compliance with the habits
ative masons, round forms are repeated. ‘The facade itself is Romanesque ; but the interior
of the church presents the exact appearance of a French, or English, building in the early pointed
style. The arches are pointed. Light pillars, with foliage capitals run up to support the roof; the
roof is vaulted and groined. The windows in the chancel are lancet
The material of the walls is brick, with stone joints, windows, and doors.
The campanile was added by Abbot Pietro del Verme, in 1399.
If, however, we behold in San Andrea the earliest introduc
ion of the pointed style on the south
side of the Alps, yet had it no effect upon the habitual style of the country. No change followed its
appearance. It was situated in a remote corner. It was considered as the insulated whim of a
travelled man. Vercelli possessed no school of architects and sculptors, who might have carried the
new fashion into other districts. It is to another example that we must look for the real origin of
a change of style in Italy ; an example which will shew that the change of style in Italy proceeded
from Germany
* Abbot Thomas was buried in a chapel of the church of San Andrea, and the following epitaph is inscribed on his grave :—
Bis tres viginti currebant mille ducenti
Anni, cum Thomas obiit, venerabilis Abba:
Primitus istius templi, summéque peritus
Artibus in cunetis liberalibus, atque Magister
In Hierarchia, nune arc’ clauditur
Quem cel
ri fami vegetavit pi
In the library of the Duomo at Vercelli is preserved a very curious Ai st whieh is one in
uur of St. Andrew. The probability is that this manuscript was br
0 della Co {i Oblati di Vercelli
ght from En;
and by Cardinal Gnala.
5 Litterario Om jone de Vercelli, 1828.
SAN FRANCESCO, ASSIST.
We are at length arrived at a complete change of style, at the adoption of the pointed style in
Ttaly.
The importance of the occasion, on which the church of San Francesco di Assisi was constructed,
was such as to make it certain that those who were concerned in the undertaking would endeavour
to make it a remarkable work. This edifice was built to receive the mortal remains of the great
St. Francis, the year after his canonization, which took place in 1228, two years after his death.
St. Francis, by his continual exertions in the cause of religion, and through the reputation of
the Mendicant Order of which he was the founder, had, during his lifetime, obtained the veneration
of the whole Catholic world ; and, scarcely was he dead, before he began to be adored. It was
determined that a new church should be built at his native place, Assisi, to receive his mortal remains,
and that neither exertions, nor expense, should be spared to render the building worthy of its
destination.
At that time there was no architect of particular celebrity in Italy. In consequence, Elias,
the favourite disciple of St. Francis, to whom the conduct of the work was entrusted, had recourse
to foreign parts, and obtained the assistance of a’German, Jacobus, who, it is said, was in the
service of the Emperor, Frederick If, It was natural that Jacobus should recommend a style of
architecture which prevailed in the country from whence he came, and thus it was that the pointed
style was introduced into Italy.
The author of the Lettere
youred to throw doubts on the account which Vasari has given us of this
snesis, with that exaggerated spirit of nationality which is too common
ry where, has endc
transaction ; and to prove that Jacobus was not a German, but an Italian.’ Tiraboschi, however,
supports the opinion of Vasari, which opinion is still more strongly corroborated by the style of the
building itself. In the upper church at Assisi the pointed style appears complete in all its parts,
which would not have t
een the case had it been an Italian imitation, and a first attempt.
ine of St. Francis consisted of a crypt, for the gr
The plan which Jacobus gave for the
itself, and two churches above it, one over the other. The lower church is of a sombre character,
t of lightsomeness and
arger scale. The upper church offers the contras
and represents a crypt on a
cheerfulness, and is the counterpart of a northern fabric in the advanced pointed style. Here is no
mixture of forms, as is the case in other countries when one style is giving way to another; as never
ed to be the case in Italy when native architects were employed. In this church the pointed
In shape, the upper church is a Latin cross, narrow in proportion to its length, for it only
consists of a nave without side aisles.
The windows have mouldings, but no tracery. *The walls are covered with frescos, The
cieling ith si
is spangled y of gold upon a ground of turquoise blue. The stalls are beautiful
wood-work, inlaid with a vari
sty of figures and patterns.
This church was so much admired, and created such a sensation in Italy, that, from that time,
the pointed style became the fashion in that country.
The situation of Assisi is very picturesque, on the side of a mountain, and looking down upon
the Umbrian plain. The church and the conyent stand clear of the town. An old dismantled castle
rises above the other buildings, and varies the outline.
Towards the close of the fifteenth century a land-slip took place, which endangered the
strength,
foundations of the church. To restore it to security Pope Sixtus IV. caused a wall of ¢
with buttresses, to be built against the side of the steep. This basement serves as a pedestal to the
buildings, and adds to their general effect
* Vasari, Tiraboschi, Pietro Rodolfi, Bruschelli.
Padre Gulielmo della Valle. Because Arnolfo (another celebrated architect) is somewhere said to have been the son of Jacobus, and it ean
he shewn that Arnolfo was born at Colle in Tuscany, it is argued that, therefore, Jacobus must have been an Italian ; but the fuet seems to be, as
Tiraboschi observes, that Arnolfo was not the son, but the pupil, of Jacobus
These freseoes have been, by some, attributed to Giotto ; but Rumohr, in his Halianische Forshungen, asserts that these frescos eannot be
older than the first half of the fifteenth century, and ascribes them to Spinello of Arezzo, his son, and his scholars.—Ital. Forshungen, vol. ii. p 67,
THE UNDER CHURCH, ASSISI.
r scale ; conforming with the sentiment,
Tur under church of Assis a crypt on a lar
nally borrowed from the catacombs, which, in Italy,
Here, in the immediate neighbourhood of the dead, the mind is more forcibly
reely admitting the light, is construc ted on a plan which is
made it indispensable to combine the church
cted
with the grave.
upon, and the fabric, low, massive, and s
calculated to harmonize with, and encourage, profound emotions.
In this instance, the architect has been remarkably successful in producing the effect which he
designed.
Between the vast and ponderous piers which support the church above, are recesses whicl
chapels are said to have been added by Philip de Campello, a young
added width to
1 form
so many chapels. “These
Franciscan, who worked under Jacobus, and who, by the means of these chapels,
the under church after Jacobus was gone.
and its chapels are adorned by frescos,? of which a portion (those on the
The under church
Tae remainder are
vaulted roof immediately above the high altar) are believed to be by Giotto.
the work of Giacomo Gaddi of Florence, Andrea Aluigi of Assisi, and others.
The windows of the chapel, opposite the entrance, are of painted glass, of which there is little
in Italy. ‘These windows were painted by Bonino of Assisi, who, with others, was also employed
some of the windows of the cathedrals at Orvieto and Sienna.
1e tombs of the two brothers, Brasca, who were, successively, Dukes
in paintir
In this under church are th
of Spoleto.
Here is, also, the tomb of Hecuba, Queen of Cyprus, who, repairing to the shrine of San
uncis, died at Assisi in the year 1240. Cicognara believes that the sumptuous monument which
is commonly attributed to Fuccio of Florence, was, mor
is erected to her memory, and which
tly r
sxecuted by one of the scholars of Nicola Pisano. This monument greatly
for Benedict XL., and which stands in the church of San Domenico,
sembles
probably,
the tomb which Nicola made
at Perugia.
) Angeli, Collis Paradisi Ameenitas, Bruschelli, Assisi, Citth Seraphica
Vasari i
Rumobr
SAN ANTONIO, PADUA.
Ty the year 1231 the citizens of Padua decreed that a magnificent temple should be erected in
honour of St. Anthony, their patron saint.
To accomplish this object they sent for Nicholas of Pisa, who had already acquired a great
reputation as a sculptor and an architect by the works which he had executed in other parts of Italy.
To him the construction of the new church was entrusted, and he produced one of the most
remarkable buildings in Italy. The fashion of the dé compelled him to adopt the pointed style,
but with this he combined some of the Byzantine features which he had observed in St. Mark’s at
Venice. St. Anthony's of Padua is crowned with no less than eight cupolas, which give it an
oriental character
St. Anthor
138 feet, to the
cupola over the
s in the shape of across. This building is 280 feet in length, and, in breadth,
extremity of the transepts. It was completed in 1307, with the e
choir, which was not added till a century later.
xception of the
Internally, the chapel which contains the shrine of the saint, is separated from the church by a
marble colonnade ; and is richly adorned with bas-reliefs, and statues, both in marble and bronz
the best maste
, by
ed
Even the bronze railing, which protects the altar, was the work of a celel
artist, and deserves to be admired.
The great candelabrum for the pascal taper is elaborately ornamented. Cicognara calls it one
of the richest works of the kind in the world. The cit y decreed a medal to Andrea Crispo of P:
the sculptor who made it. In the choir there
beauty.
dua,
sa bronze crucifix by Donatello, which is of
great
This church is remar
ble for the splendour and beauty of its internal decorations, and, indeed,
it may be said of the larger churches of Ital
the paintings, the Mo
of art, and, at the time when the churches were built, off
every branch.
renerally, that their internal decorations, the frescos,
¢s, the works in marble and bronze, render them most inte
repositories
ed continual encouragement to artists in
If the external features of this church are meagre, if the three great portals are bald when
compared with the cotemporary portals of the north, it must be remembered that Nicholas of Pisa
was compelled, by the fashion of the day, to adopt a style which he did not like, and which, it must
be confessed, he did not understand.
The equestrian
Donatello, and wa:
utue, in bronze, on the outside of the church, is one of the best works of
erected to the memory of Erasmo of Narni, surnamed Gattamalata, a celebrated
general in the service of the Venetian States.
Shortly before this church was built, the arts which, down to the end of the twelfth century, had,
Tt
ly in the
thirteenth, a change for the better took place, of which Niecola Pisano, and the school which he
established at Pisa, m:
in Italy, remained in the lowest state of depression, began to revive, sculpture leading the y
has been seen how barbarous were the efforts of the chissel in the twelfth century ; but ear
be regarded as the source. From this time, in examining the buildings of
Italy, we have the satisfaction of beholding the progressive improvement of art.
THE CATHEDRAL, CREMONA.
Cremona ran the same course, and underwent the same vicissitudes, which befell most of the
principal cities of Italy during the middle ages. Captured, and destroyed, by the northern barbarians
in the fifth century, it remained in a state of desolation till the seventh, when, at the command of
the Lombard King, Agilulfus, it was rebuilt, and gradually restored. In the course of time, during
the nominal subjection of Italy to the German Emperors, and the real anarchy which ensued,
Cremona obtained municipal rights. No sooner did the Cremonese find themselves in a state of
independence than they began to quarrel with their neighbours, as was no less the habit of almost
all the other enfranéhised towns in every part of Italy. Almost every city was engaged in perpetual
hostilities. Cremona was always at war with either Crema, Breschia, or Placentia, — but
especially with Milan. In consequence of this feud, when Frederi
ck Barbarossa vented his wrath on
al,
ign
battles. The nobles who resided within the city were at perpetual variance. The Guelph and
Ghibelline factions fought in tl
Milan, the Cremonese sided with the Emperor, assisted him in the subversion of their ancient ri
and obtained from him a new charter in return. But internal disorders were now added to for
st
ts. In the second half of the thirteenth century, Cremona,
in common with many other cities of Italy, had recourse to the si
gular expedient of calling in
ht
whom he was invited to controul. The
Dictator was so far of use that he preserved internal peace. But, afte
r the name of Potestas, or Podest’, who was never to be a native, that he mi
be entirely unconnected with any of the various partic
a time, the friends of liberty
put an end to this anomalous, though beneficial, domination
nd a republican form of government
was established. So much disorder, however, was the consequence, that the people, wearied with the
perpetual strife of their rulers, again called out for a chief. The republi
withd
an party were compelled to
v, but in strength enough to return to the charge. Civil war, carried on with the utmost
animosity, now thinned the population, and exhausted the resources of this unfortunate district.
The Emperor, Henry VII., who came into Italy to vindicate the imperial authority, completed the
ruin of Cremona when he attacked it in 1312; and, in 1322
in aveng
Galeazzo Visconti had little difficulty
ng the former injuries of the city over which he r
and incorporating it with the Duchy of
igned by taking possession of Cremona,
ilan.
It may appear extraordinary that, in the course of so troubled an existence, Cremona should
ever haye known prosperity. But such was the case; and so it was with almos
Italy.
acquired wealth. A degree of ener:
In the midst of arms and violence they rose to importance, encouraged commerce, and
f to ev
y was awakened which communicated i
their pursuits. In steel they prospered ; in silk they decayed.
The public works of Cremona were undertaken in the short intervals of tranquillity which that
city enjo
followi
yed. Tn 1107, after a sharp struggle with the citizens of Breschia, which was renewed the
y monese began their cathedral ; which, however, was not consecrated till 1190.
By that time the nave and the aisles w
ar, the Cr
re completed. Little more was done at the cathedral till
of Milan. In 1342
assistance from the Visconti, (for that was the usual manner in which a new ruler sought to recommend
himself,) the transepts were undertaken, but the choir was not finished till 1479. The fac
was begun in 1274; continued in 1491; ornamen
after Cremona had become a tranquil member of the Duch
perhaps with some
iata
in 1525; and terminated in 1606. The
various times at which the fabric was constructed sufficiently account for the various style of its
architecture.
The gr
In that ye
sat tower, which has obtained for Cremona its architectural celebrity, was begun in 1283.
1 peace was made between Cremona, Milan, Placentia, and Breschia, and, in celebration
of this event, this tower was undertaken' at the common expense of the Guelphs, or partisans of the
Pope, not only of Cremona, but of all northern Italy. It is said to have been carried up to the
square in the space of two years. The Torracio, as it is called, is the highest of all the towers in
the north of Italy, r
ching the elevation of t. Four hundred and ninety-eight steps conduct
ad by the
to its summit, from whence the eye surveys the extensive plains of the Milanese, intersec
Po, and distinguishes the Alps to the north, and the Apennines to the south-west.
In 1518 the bells were cast which hang in this tower, at which time it may be concluded that
the octangular cupola was added.
+ Communi sumptu Guelphorum Italic Cisalpinee. Cremonenses Annales. Civitelli
all the cities of
ry branch of
THE BATTISTERIO, PARMA.
Tans is the most splendid of the baptisteries of Htaly.
In the early ages of the church, baptister
in a circular, or octagonal, form.
es were, always, separate buildings, and always either
The oldest were circular, copied, in the first instance, from the
cireular Roman temples, which supplied a graceful model for buildi
as churches,
that were not to be so la
Ifit is clear that, from the earliest Christian times, ‘infant baptism was
it is equally clear that for many centuries, adult bapt
bapt
anctioned and practised
ism was much more commonly adopted. ‘The
tivals of
m of adults only took place at the three ¢
ut fe Zaster, Pentec
and Epiphany, and,
very large numbers of persons were baptized at the same time.
Distinct and spacious baptisteries,
in consequence of the restriction,
were, in consequence, erected, and, as plenary immersion y
@ circular bath was provided, in the centre of the baptistery, into which the Neophyte
teps. The men and the women were baptized on different <
In the case of adults it was customary
could impart to the ch
consequence the 4
ins
ed upon
descended by
ys.
to unite confirmation with baptism. But the bishop alone
ism, or oil of unction, the mysterious virtues wh
k of baptizing adults, of neces:
made it efficacious. In
ty devolved upon the bishop.
The inconvenience of increasing multitude
and the Iabour which was entailed upon the bishop,
often an infirm old man, as well
as the progress of refinement, gradually led to a change of system.
The parochial minister was author!
zed to baptize. Plena
Confirmation was made a separate rit
the baptisteri
y immersion was no long:
insi
sted upon.
e. The ceremony of baptism was transferred to the church, and
were gradually deserted. Adult baptism now became the exception, and infant
baptism the rule.
The battisterio of Parma is enti
y built of white marble. It y
Benedetto Antelmi,’ and was begun in the ye:
s constructed after the desiens of
+1196. But the work experienced many interruptions,
especially during the supremacy of the powerful and ferocious Ezzelino da Romana, who, in the
middle of the thirteenth century, governed the north of Italy in the name of the Emperor, and who,
displeased with the inhabitants of Parma, forbade them ac
territory, from which the marl
of these
ess to the quarries of the Veronese
le, with which the battisterio was built, was obtained. *In consequence
interruptions the battisterio was not finished before 1281; which will sufliciently
the appearance of the round style in the lower part of the buildin. :
Externally, the battisterio is encircled with several tiers of small columns whieh, ith more
lly found in the Lombard style, support continued architray
The interior has sixteen sides, from which sprit
The port
In the interior of the baptistery the walls
ount for
and of the pointed, aboy
observance of ancient rules than is usu
* converging ribs that forma pointed dome.
and pillars, but without ima
s are enriched with moulding: TY.
are ornamented with frescos of the thirteenth century ;
rly executed, but well preserved.
The wooden stalls were the work of T
rnardino Canocio in 1494
* Bingham’s Antiquities of the Church
Over one of the lateral doors is the following
eviption : —
Bis BINIs DEMPTIS ANNIS DE MILLE pUCENTIS
INcerrr pictus scuLrror orvs Hoc Benxnicrvs,
* Storia della Citta di Parma—da Angelo Peazana.
urus Ecclesin Parmensi
Section of the Battisterio,
This effect is produced by incisions
These are represented in black outlines on a white ground,
which are made in blocks of white marble, and filled up with black cement, Vasari attributes the
pavement at Sienna, and the invention of this kind of pavement, to Duccio di Buoninsegna, a
distinguished painter of Sienna, who flourished in the first half of the fourteenth century, and who
did, in fact, paint a picture for the high altar. But Vasari is wrong in both his fa *This kind
of pavement was invented long before Duccio’s time, and there is no mention of the pavement at
Sienna till long after his time. *The first allusion to the pavement in the archives of Sienna occurs
in the year 14
1 There is a good specimen of this kind of pavement which belongs to the eleventh century, and still exists in the church of San Miniato at
Florence
2 Rumoliy, Ialianische Forschungen, vol. ii, ¢ 8
THE INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL, SIENNA.
Tue history of the cathedral of Sienna is singular. The original duomo was constructed in the
course of the twelfth century ; but, seare
ly was it completed before the inhabitants of Sienna (a city
which, at that time, was daily increasing
n wealth and population) came to the opinion that the
cathedral which their fathers had built was not of suffici
ent size, and wholly unworthy of the eminence
at which Sienna had, by that time,
rived. In consequence, they determined upon undertaking.a
new cathedral, or rather, a la
building.
addition, which was to be attached to the eastern end of the existine
The probability is, as *Rumohr observes, that the architect entertained the
the work advanced, the people of Sienna would be induced to pull down the who
building
hope that, as
le of the old
its parts agree. The new
round, there was great difficulty in obtaining
a good foundation ; but this difficulty was supposed to have been overcome,
church was considerably
and complete the new one in a manner which would make all
work was begun in 1225.
From the inequality of the
In 1259 the new
ks and fissures were observed in the vaulted roof of the
northern aisle. A council of builders and masons was convened, who gave it as
the cracks were not dangerous.
vanced, when erac
their opinion that
It must be supposed that, under the sanction of this opinion, the
work was proceeded with for a time ; that further evidences of dang
that a period of doubt and indecision ensued, during which oper
not till 1é
neither the foundations, nor the pillars, o:
, then, made their appearance ;
tions were suspended ; for it was
21 that another, and more solemn, council was assembled,
This council declared that
f the new building were equal to their tas'
further prosecution of the work must be abandoned. What was to be done?
elapsed before any thing was decided. At lk ngth, in 133s
work remain as
, and that the
Some years again
the citizens determined to let the new
twas, and to enlarge and decorate the original church,
nave on a grander
by entirely rebuilding the
us possible to this addition, the
aught to expand so as to receive a large and
scale. With a view to ¢
ve as much importance
walls at the end of the nave, were, on this occasion,
lofty hexagon within transepts enlarged to doul
le their usual width. The hexagon is composed of
dome. Nothing can be more
part of the cathedral of Sienna. The eye wanders through ¢
an open colonnade, which supports :
triking or picturesque than this
grove of columns, and discovers no
end to the glimpses of distant space which it discovers in every direction.
The cathedral, to the extremity of the choir,
width to the extreme end of the transepts, 170 feet.
The existing
300 feet long ; general width of the nave, 80 fee
fagade of the cathedral is a part of the enlargement, and, therefor
been commenced till after 1
alterations ; not John of Pisa,
, cannot have
John of Sienna was the architect employed in the conduct of these
(as Vasari has it,) who had been dead many year
The style of the building is that peculiar description of the pointed which the I
adopted. Compelled to comply with the fashion of the d
to discard their classic
alian architects
ay, they could not bring themselves entirely
1 predilections, Hence
lines; a fault from which the facad
rose a constant collision of horizontal and ve
e of this cathedral is not exempt. But it is still a striking
of a few great featur
rose window above, and a lofty pediment, divided
elevation of its kind, consistin
three noble, round-headed, portal
ala
into three gables,—the whole relieved by turr
and open galleries, and enriched with statues and bas-reliefs.
fered with the walls of this building. They are indeed of marble,
but composed of alternate stripes of white and black.
The interior of this cathedral, the chapels, and the cl
The taste of the times also inte
oir, are profusely enriched with the rarest
productions of art, by painters and sculptors, all of
the chief boast of the temple
whom have acquired a name
s the marble pulpit, embellished by the chissel of
pulpit is octagonal in form, and supported by nine pillars of
upon lions. The eapitals of the pillars, enriched with figures and foliage, are exquisitely sculptured ;
but the skill of the artist is most completely exhibited in the
pulpit, representir
Amongst these,
ola Pisano. The
oriental granite, four of which repose
bas-reliefs on the eight sides of the
g the Last Judgment, the Crucifixion, the Flight into Egypt, the Massacre
the Innocents, and othe:
of
1alogous subjects. This beautiful work is considered to be scarcely inferior
to the celebrated pulpit in the baptistery at Pisa, exeeuted by the same
up in 1267, and affords a proof of the ea
rtist. The pulpit was put
rly period at which sculpture revived in Italy.
Even the pavement of this cathedral is remarkable. It is not an ordinar
composed of different marbles in patterns ; but displays a variety of fi
ted pavement,
ires and scriptural subjects,
* Rumohr’s Ttali
ianische Forschungen, yol. ii. e. 11; in which Ru
archivio of the cathedral, and which contain the hi
nohr cites the decrees
of the Council of Sienna, which stiil exist in the
‘ory of the various mischances which atten‘led the construction of that buildi
In 1325 M. Giovanni Bonini of Assisi was employed, with other artists, to paint glass for some
of the windows. In 1400 Fra Francesco, a Cistertian monk, painted the windows of the choir.
In 1331 M. Gioyanni Ammanati, and other artists of Sienna, famous for their skill in carving
and in-laying wood, were sent for to execute the stalls of the choir. The choir itself was only
finished in 1367. Ugolino di Prate Ilario, of Orvieto, painted the cieling.
In 1413 Donatello, of Florence, was employed to cast the bronze statue of John the Baptist,
for the lid of the baptismal font.
In 1499 the Lady’s Chapel was decorated with paintings in fresco by Lucca Signorelli, of
Cortona, and his scholars.
In 1578 the Council determined to place the statues of the Twelve Apostles, supported on red
marble pedestals, in front of as many pillars of the nave ; and threw open the execution of this work
to the free competition of all the sculptors of Italy. Giovanni Cacini was one of the successful
candidates. Ippolito Scalza, of Orvieto, contributed the Saint Matthew, and in it, it is said,
represented his own portrait.
In 1579 Ippolito Scalza added to the ornaments of the cathedral his beautiful Pictd; and
Francesco Moschi, of Montoverchi, his celebrated statue of l’Angelo di Dio.
Finally, the consecration took place in 1677; nearly four centuries after the work was begun.
Cicognara calls it one of the richest temples in precious works of art which exists in Christendom.’
* Storia del Duomo di Orvieto,—-Garampi,—Rome, 1791
THE DUOMO, ORVIETO.
Iv is striking and agreeable to observe the
cathedral in former times; the alacrity, the
manner in which the Italians set about a new
liberality, the energy, with which they encountered so
Clergy and laity, high and low, the inhabitants of the town, and the |
neighbourhood, the rich with their oblations, the
together, regardless of labour and
handsomest in Italy,
at an undertakin
anded
proprietors of the
poor with their hands,
II working:
expense, and only desiring that their
cathedral should be the
Thus it was at Orvieto in 1290.
They decided upon haying
difficulties and expenses attend
a new cathedral, and increased the
ant upon such an undertaking by resolving to pl
upon an entirely new site, at the time covered with other buildings, for
he made. But they were perfectly in the
ace the new cathedral
which compensation had to
ght, for the old cathedral was in a |
new cathedral is so placed as to be seen to e
On the day on which the fir
by a numerous t
ow situation, and the
at advantage.
stone was laid, the Pope, Nicholas TV. assisted in pe
ain of Cardinals and Bishops ; next came the Clergy of Orvieto; after them, the
Civil Authorities ; then the Podesta, the Capitano, and the Council, followed by hundreds of the
nobility and gentry of the town and neighbourhood, of either sex. ‘The Pope laid the first stone,
son, preceded
and blessed the foundations in secula seculorum.
From the beginning to the end of the work, the Council
of Orvieto appear to have acted in a
liberal manner,
and to have sought for the best artists wherever
as to have incurred (but unde:
they were to be found; so much so
rvedly) the charge of not paying suflicient regard to native talent.
Lorenzo Maitani of Sienna was the first architect.
Distinct companies of masons, sculptors,
painters in fi
with a director at the head of each, were
The finest materials were insisted upon, and brought f
great distances ; marbles from Sienna, Carra
esco, workers in Mosaic and in wood,
engaged in the service of the cathedral, rom
and even from Rome. Rome was, at that time, still
quarry. The heathen temples supplied materials for the new churches. Some of
the marbles which were used to adorn the
used asa g
cathedral of Orvieto came from the temple of Jupiter
Capitolinus.
‘The plan of this cathedral is the usual Latin cross.
round forms are still introduced, and, in the interior, larc
on either side of the nave,
The style is the Italian pointed; but
e pillars, with capitals, support the arches
The walls are composed of alternate stripes of black and white marble. Externally, the chief
a, which greatly resembles that of Sienna : consisting
ame mixture of vertical and horizontal lines—the same
merit of the design is concentrated in the
of the
division into compartments—the same
ts; but the whole is more graceful
skilfully exeeuted. The lines are less interrupted.
portals, rose-window, gables and turr
conceived, and more
It is less cut up into small parts; the turrets
are lighter, and partake more of the pointed character. The stat
’s, which are introduced, are
in the design itself, whilst the addition of the
upper gables, produce amore brilliant effect than is to be
else, and do not appear to be inconsiderately exposed to an It
Splendour and beauty are the characteristics of
pointed buildings of
not merely ornaments, but form a prominent feature
splendid Mosaics, in the seen anywhere
alian sky.
this building,
the north, it pleases in another way ;
the cheerful inhabitants of the south.
Not so imposing as some of the
in that way which is most acceptable to
Neither pains nor expense were spared in the decoration of the building;
has proved that Nicola Pisano could have no hand in the bas-relief, as Vasari, and others, assume,
yet the names of Arnolfo of Florence gnolo, and Gregorio di Coro, all of
sufficiently prove that these ba fs were executed by sculptors of the first mer
The Mosaics were begun in 1321, M. Consigl
of these works
and if Cicognara
rostino, /
Sienna,
relie
io of Monte Leone was, at that time, at the head
sisted by several artists from Spoleto, In 1356
Andrea Cioni of Florence was the
a and other places. The Mosaics of
in which they were begun,
» when Boniface VIEL. performed high mass in it, ¢
abric was not completed till
capo maestr
under whom worked numerous artists from Sienn
the fac
uta were not completed before the end of the centu
If the cathedral was covered in in 1
temporary altar, yet even the body of the
embellishment of subordinate parts, the choi
subsequent centuries.
a
long afterwards, and the
» and the chapels, was in progress for the space of two
" The length of this cathedral is 292 feet ; the width, to the extremity of the transepts, 106 feet ; and the facciata is 180 f
VIEW OF ORVIETO.
Tue landscape is introduced to afford an idea of the position of Orvieto. Orvieto is one of those
Etruscan towns which were or nally built on heights with a view to security. It stands on a tufo
mount in the midst of a basin of hills. The situation of the town and its cathedral is exceedingly
striking, and nothing can be more beautiful than the views of it, distant and near, caught as it is
approached by a road which winds along the side of the surrounding hills. Woods and vineyards, with
tufo rocks breaking out between, enrich the scene, with every here and there, a convent on a heivht,
ora cluster of white cottages, giving an air of tranquil prosperity. ‘Through these the traveller
advances, first catching sight of Orvieto, from a great distance, losing it again, then beholdine it
» with the Mosaics of its cathedral glittering in the brightness of an Italian sun. No one should
leave Italy without haying seen Orvieto,
in order to satisfy the eye both internally and externally, he made a double dome, the one to be seen
from without, the other to be seen from within.
These were mate
ial improvements in the construction of domes; and when the immense size of
the Florentine dome is taken into consideration, in connection with the improvements, it will be
admitted that nothing but true genius, and the most perfect knowled
re of scientific principles, could
have accomplished such a work.
The domes of St. Peter's of Rome, and St. Paul’s of London
parent, and another step in advance, but it was Brunelleschi who taught Michael Angelo and Wren
are more beautiful than their
how to construct them.
Brunelleschi left the model for the lantern, which was completed after his death. He, also, left
designs for the choir, which were provisionally executed in wood, and remained in that state till 1547,
when Cosimo I. ordered Baccio d’Agnolo to substitute a choir of a more enriched character. The
choir is embellished with relievos by Bandinelli, and Giovanni del Opera.
The interior of the dome is painted in fresco. The painti
gs were begun by Vasari, and, after
his death, completed by Frederico Zuccero, in 1574. oe
The campanile stands by itself, at the distance of a few yards from the cathedral. This was the
work of Giotto, the architect, the sculptor, and the painter. This campanile was beoun in 1334, and
carried up to its present height within the space of two years, Gliotto intended that his tower
a spire, for which he lef
should have been surmounted b: 2 design, but it was never carried into
effect. The campanile is entirely built of marble, black, white, and red. It is divided into stories,
and ornamented with friezes, windows, and niches, in some of which are statues by Donatello.
The lower compartments are enriched with relievos by Andrea Pisano.’
Villani, Squilli, Nelli, Richi, Vasari, Cicognara,
Ground Plan of the Duomo.
THE DUOMO, FLORENCE.
Ix the year 1294 the Council of Florence decreed that a new cathedra should be built, * con
quella piu alta e sontuosa magnificenza che inyentar non si posse n& maggiore, né pin bella dall’
industri
Arnolf
Florence, and had already acquired a great reputation, to furnish a design for the new building.
and ordered the architect
e poter degli uomini; who was then residing at
The plan which Arnolfo prepared was in the shape of the Latin cross ; but he contracted its upper
members, and gave to the transepts and the choir an octagonal form, in order to obtain an appropriate,
harmonious, and sufficiently strong, base for the noble dome which was to crown his work. In
con;
equence, the external appearance of this cathedral is peculiar to itself. The style of the
architecture must be called pointed, because the arches, and the windows, are in that shape ; but, in
these subordinate details alone consists the affinity of the Florentine cathedral to the pointed buildings
of the north. Its
Byzantine cupola, the cupola of so much celebrity ; and the whole decor
eter is Oriental. Its principal, and leading, feature consists in a
tion of its exterior, the
bands and panels of different coloured marbles, are borrowed from the Saracenic school. Yet, in
spite of these anomalies, Santa Maria di Fiore is a noble and imposing building, and produces
{ditional effect from the richness of the mate:
als of which it is composed.
The entire length of the cathedral amounts to 500 feet; the width, to the extremity of the
transepts, is 366 feet ; and the general width of the nave is 125 feet.
The work advanced so slowly that but a small portion of the building was completed before
Arnolfo died, in 1300; nor was another architect appointed till thirty years afterwards, when Giotto
di Vespignano was called to the ta’
than half of the fac
Very little of his work remains. He had completed more
by Donatello, and
shion, this half was
enriched with numerous statues and relievo:
ta, which wa
other eminent sculptors ; but, in the sixteenth century, from some caprice of fi
pulled down, and another facciata undertaken, which met with no more approbation, and remains in
an unfinished state to this day.
To Giotto, succeeded Gaddeo Gaddi, Or
was continued, and the bulk of the fabric was covered with a roof in 1412.
The
the work
gna, and Lorenzo Filippi. By them the building
reat dome was still wantin
At length, in 1417, the Council resolved to proceed with
But no one knew how to set about it. The size of the dome which Arnolfo had designed
been attempted, that e
so much than had eve
y man shrunk from the attempt. In
1420, however, a general meeting of architects was convened. Various propositions were made,
‘actory than the other. At this juncture F
and in a speech which Vasari has preserved, declared his readiness to undertak
the one more unsatis!
ilippo Brunelleschi came forward,
the work, and
endeavoured to explain the manner in which he intended to carry it into effect. He was not
understood. Not comprehending his plans, the men in authority held him cheap. But the mor
was repulsed, the more he persisted ; till, at last, the Council grew angry, and ordered Brunell
to be turned out
present. To this
of the room, which was accordingly done by the young men who happened to be
storm, howeve
succeeded a calm, during which Brunelleschi, with equal patience
availed himself of every opportunity to ma
> his
ran
and_perse ews better understood and
ailed. The Council entrusted him with the work ; but,
e with continual obstacles and mortif
obtain favourable opinions, Finally he p
tions, thrown in his
in the prosecution of it, he had to strugg
by the timidity of the authorities, and the jealousy of his rive
way Over these he triumphed by
his firmness, as he did over the difficulties of the work itself by his science and his genius. He died
in 1444, after haying all but terminated the greatest architectural achievement which had, till then,
ever been attempted.
The cupola of the cathedral of Florence is ’the largest dome in the world, and the first dome
that was ever exalted upon what is technically called a *drwm ; the first double dome that ever was
built. It exceeds in elevation what Arnolfo had designed ; for, accordir
to the original plan, the
ts. But
ht, and
placing the dome upon these walls, secured for it the elevation which he desired. At the same time,
dome was to have sprung immediately from the arches and piers on which, in fact, it re
Brunelleschi carried up perpendicular walls, in the shape of an octagon, to a certain hei
of St. Peter’s is at a greater distance from the
ound than the summit of the cross at Florence, (in
' Though the summit of the
consequence of the larger dimensions of the whole building) yet, dome separately compared with dome, that of Brunelleschi is the highest. ‘The
Florentine dome has, also, the larger circumference,
‘The space between the dome itself and the body of the building is technically called the drum, from its resemblance to a drum, i
shape.
XXVIII.
PIAZZA DI PERUGIA.
Tun Piazza di Perug
affords another proof of the public spjrit, the liberality, and the good
taste, with which the people of the free towns of Italy consulted the convenience, and contributed
to the decoration, of their native cities, in the middle
The fountain, which is the principal feature of the Piazza, is one of the most celebrated fountains
of Italy, from its size, the materials of which it is composed, and from the sculptors who were
employed to I
tow upon it the most exquisite touches of art
The fountain consists of three parts; two large circular cisterns of marble, and a basin of bronze,
supported on a bronze column. The lower cistern is ornamented with beautiful relievos, and the
upper cistern with small statues, at equal distances, Out of the basin, at the top, rise three Nereids
of bronze, which support
sryphins of the same material. The ‘gryphins spout forth the water, which
shoots upwards, and then descends into the cisterns beneath.
There is an inscription round the bronze basin, which tells us that an artist of the name of
Rubeus ex
ecuted the works in bronze in the year 1277.
An inscription round the second cistern relates that *the statues and bas-reliefs were the work
of Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
The fountain is 54 feet in circumference, and 22 feet in height, including the steps.
Though the fountain had been commenced in the preceding century, the water was not brought
to it till the year 13
The water is brought from Pacciano, which is two miles distant from Perugia.
Beyignate, and Boninsegno a Venetian, superintended the construction of the necessary works.
On one side of the fountain is the cathedral ; on the other, the Palazzo Publico.
The cathedral was entirely rebuilt in the year 1345. The monk Bevignate was the architect.
It was to have been cased with marble, but of this a very small part was accomplished. .At one side
of the portal isa stone pulpit, from which San Bernardino di Sienna frequently preached to the
people of Perugia, in 1425.
The Palazzo Publico was begun in 1333, and is a picturesque building in the Italian pointed
style. Aboye the portal, supported on stone brackets, appear a gryphin and a lion, both in bronze.
The gryphin was the ensign of Perugia; the lion, that of the Guelph faction, which predominated
in that city. From these brackets still hang frag
the men of
rents of the chain of the gates of Sienna,’ which
Perugia brought home in triumph in 1358. Perugia and Sienna were constantly at war.
§ i =
Perugia is a city of a
which commands bee
grand and imposing character, nobly situated on an insulated height,
itiful vi
ws. From the elevated situation of Perugia, the air is particularly
salubrious, and in the season of the year when the heat is oppressive in other places, breathes a
delicious coolness, which is most refreshing in an Italian summer.
1 The gryphin is the crest of Perug
Le sculture che ornano la Font
di Perugia, by Vermig]
Perugia Augusta, descritta da Cesare Grispolti
PORTALS,
SAN QUIRICO.
San Qurrico is at no great distance from Sienna. Till nearly the end of the twelfth century
San Quirico continued to be an Imperial town, that is to say, a town governed by officers immediately
appointed by the Emperor, and was the place where ‘the Imperial commissaries, who managed the
affairs of Tuscany, often held their meetings.
In 1180 the Archbishop of Mayence, at that time the Vicar of the Empire, transferred whatever
rights the Emperor possessed in San Quirico and the adjacent district, to the republic o
red the town and district of §
In 1677 Cosmo III., Grand Duke of Tuscany, confe in Quirico,
as a fief, on Cardinal Ghigi, and his sister's children after him.
The principal church of San Quirico is collegiate. It is mentioned ‘as existing in 1029, In
1205 a meeting, summoned by the Podesta of Sienna, was held in this church. The meeting consisted
of the inhabitants of certain towns and districts in Etruria, who had made an alliance amonest them-
selves, in defence of their common liberties, a
‘ainst the Emperor. The conyention of such a meeting
in this church, is a proof that it was held in consideration.
To exactly what age the existing fabric belongs is uncertain, no record remaining of the time of
its construction. Some of its few architectural features are Lombard ; others, as the trefoil cornice
under the eaves, belong to the pointed style. The original building must have received additional
ornaments at different times. Its three portals, represented in the annexed engraving, are
exceedingly
rich and curious. Two of them ar
building
e at the side; the third, the largest, is at the west end of the
The west door is adorned with a multiplicity of pillars, mouldings and ornaments, and the
two outside pillars are linked together with the twisted serpent, as at the cathedral of Trent, and
other places.
Over one of the side doors is an inscription with the date of 1288. This was after the period
when the pointed style was introduced in Italy, but portals often continued to be round after the
pointed style had been adopted.
The figures on ¢ great rarities in
h side of the most ornamented of the two side portals ar
Ital
the thirteenth century. The animals on whieh the pillars reps
y, where statues a
seldom seen in such a position. They are too well executed to be older than
ure of frequent occurrence.
» Gigli, Diario Sanese
Muratori, Antiquitat, Italicw, tom. iv. p. 576,
PALAZZO PUBLICO, PIACENZA.
Tuts Palazzo Publico was erected by the merchants of Piacenza, and was begun in 1281.
It isa noble building in spite of its anomalies, and the mixture which it exhibits of diffe
styles, and different material
The lower part is of
tone, and in the pointed style; the upper half is in the round style, and of
brick, with terra cotta mouldings and ornaments. This building is one of the many instances which
prove that the Saracenic style, finding its way through Venice, had, in the middle ages, a partial
influence upon the architecture of Italy. The windows, and the forked battlements of this buildine
w
are in the §
aceni¢ manner, and the Saracenie passion for variety appears in the dissimilarity of its
parts. For the windows of the front are varied, and the two ends of the building are purposely made
unlike each other.
The two equestrian statues, in front of the Palazzo, represent the Dukes Alessandro and
Ranuccio, Farnese, father and son. They were decreed by the city, on the occasion of the public
entrance into Piacenza of Margherita Aldobrandini, the wife of Ranuccio. These statues are of
bronz
They were designed by Francesco Mocchi da Montevarchi, and cast by Marcello a Roman
artist. The statue of Ranuccio was put up in 1620; that of Alessandro, in 1624. These statues
obtained for Mocchi a wide reputation at the time, and must be allowed a place amons
works in bronze ; but Cicognar:
tthe great
observes that Mocchi was carried awa
the passion for singu-
larity, which turned the heads of so many artists in the seventeenth century. In consequence, there
is too much flutter both in the horses and in the men; and the statues possess neither the repose nor
the simplicity which constitute the truly beautiful in art,
Piacenza was one of the towns which revived the soonest after the invasion of the Northern
barbarian Louis the Pious assisted in the structure of its cathedral, and, in 8!
the Emperor Louis II., founded, at this place, the church and conyent of San Sisto. Placentia
ges, enriched the Italian towns. In
obtained an early share in the commerce which, in the middle a
the tenth century, i
the fair of Placentia was the principal mart
of the Peninsula. The original
mn earthquake, but was rebuilt in the
cathedral was thrown down by
twelfth century, in the Lombard
style.
The church of San Sisto was rebuilt in the sixteenth centur
finest picture in the world, Raphael’s Madonna di San Sisto, which is now in the Gallery
This church once possessed the
of Dresden.
Tt was sold, by the monks of the convent, to Augustus II., Elector of Saxony and King of Poland.
2, Adelburga, wife of
XXXI.
PALAZZO PUBLICO, SIENNA.
Ty the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when the independent and commercial cities of Italy
became powerful and affluent, most of them sought to ¢
ive an imposing character to the halls in which
the councils, who conducted their affairs, assembled to perform the task of government, In every
city there was a Piazza, or open square, on one side of which the Palazzo Publico was usually
placed.
Of these town halls the Palazzo Publico of
the first years of the
enna is one of the most ancient. It was begun in
fourteenth century. Two brothers, Agostino, and Angelo, of Sienna, were the
architects employed. Having completed the greater part of this structure, in 1325 they began the
great tower which is its principal feature. The tower is 29.
5 feet high. The building is a palace in
the pointed style, imposing from its elevation, and, with the lofty tower at one of its angles,
remarkably picturesque.
Further additions were made to the Pal
0, and other buildings in the square were improved,
in the course of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries
The rooms in the interior of the Palazzo are decorated with frescos, and, at one angle of the
building, supported on a granite pillar, appears the Wolf of Sienna in bronze, cast by Giovanni and
Lorenzo Turino, in 1429.
The Pi
aitself is grand and picturesque, surrounded, as it is, by lofty buildings ; and nearly in
the shape of a theatre. Eleven streets afford convenient access to it from every part of the cit
cumference it is 1243 feet. Intended to be the scene of popular games, which, in that delightful
climate, may safely be held out of doors, it was laid out in the most favourable manner for that object,
by leaving a wide, clear, space, entirely round, for the march of processions, and reserving
remainder for the assembled multitude of spectators. In the flourishing days of $
scene of many a splendid pa
the
jenna it was the
eant. It is still the scene of horse races, which take place in the
Piazza twice a year.
In the centre of the Pia
vais a fountain which supplies Sienna with the purest water. This
was a great national work. The water, which supplies twelye other fountains, and three hundred
and ei
ty tanks, is brought from the distance of several miles, through capacious channels, cut, with
immense labour, through the rock. This work was begun in 1334, under the direction of Jacomo di
Vanni d’Ugolino, The water first made its app
, the
rance in the Piazza in 1343 ; but, for two centuries
az!
afterwarc
snnese continued their useful labours. The channels are, in fact, subterraneous
streets. Charles V. visited them, and after havir
claimed that Sienna was even more
wonderful below ground than above,
The fountain in the Piazza is of white marble, and ornamented with beautiful bas-reliefs, executed
by Jacopo della Quercia, called, in consequence, Jacopo della Fonte ; by Francesco di Dominico
Vallambrino, one of the artists who was employed upon the bronze doors of the baptistery of
Florence, and Ansano di Matteo, who cast the font of the cathedral at Orvieto."
* Nuova Guida della Citta di Sienna, Guido Mucei, 1822
SAN LORENZO, GENOA.
San Lorenzo is the present, and was the second, cathedral of Genoa.
Tn 985 the episcopal chair was removed to San Lorenzo from a church situated in another part
of the city, since entirely rebuilt, and now called San Siro, though it was originally dedicated to the
twelve Apostles.
‘In 1101 the people of Genoa resolved to rebuild San Lorenzo on a more magnificent scale. The
new church was consecrated by Pope Gelasius IT. in 1118; but a long interval elapsed before it
was completed, for we find that a public decree for a rate, and a tax on wills, was ‘issued in 1174,
ter it had been completed, it was half destroyed,
)6. On that
to supply the means for continuing the work ; and «
like old St. Mark’s of Venice, *by
sion the roof w:
onflagration, during the popular tumults in 1
oce s burnt, and other parts of the building sustained so much injury, that the whole
fabric was in dange
. The repairs were undertaken in , and, in 1312, the new roof was
completed. These events, in the history of this building, will sufficiently account for the varieties
in its style. In parts of it appear the remains of the earlier work; but in the arches which support
the roof, and in the principal front, the pointed style is seen, which was universally adopted in the
e in
fourteenth century. The portals of this church are a favourable specimen of the pointed st
Italy. They are of a plain character, but of unusual depth, with numerous bold mouldings.
e of the f
ularly
‘The statue, which is seen at one ang ata, is that of the workman who was employed
to grind the mason’s tools. He was part pert in his art, and, for that reason, was permitted
to put up that effigy of himself, with his wheel for a badge.
The chapel of St. John the Baptist was added in 1313, at the
Olerto Campanari, In this chapel reposes the body of St. John the Baptist, which was brought to
expense of a Genoese noble,
Genoa, from the Hast, in 1097, by Genoese merchants.
The adjoining cloisters cannot have been built till after 115!
, as they are built upon the
foundations of the second circuit of the walls of Genoa, and the third ci
reuit was only commenced
in that year.
The baptistery may belong to the tenth century.
It had been
Genoa began to be a flourishing city in the second half of the tenth century.
acens in 936, whilst the Genoese galleys were absent on an expedition ; but the
sacked by the
ance that the infidels never
galleys returned, pursued the Saracens, and took
the Genoese obtained a confirmation of all their priviles
such ample veng\
s from
molested Genoa again. In 95
King Berengarius ITI. given at his court of Pavia; and, from that time, exempted, by their position,
from the troubles which disturbed the rest of Italy, they went on increasing in prosperity, and
adorning their city with public buildings.
The churches which exist are numerous and splendid. Some of them (as San Stefano and St
Maria delle Vi nf
rebuilt, and, like those of
; work ; but most of them have been entirely
ty of
rments of tenth centu
-ne)
N
1 of these churches were not built at the expense of the public. The noble families
aples, are over enriched with a profusion of gilding, and a var
marbles. Sey
of Genoa were accustomed to rival each other in the construction of these costly piles, and sometimes
ruined themselves by the effort ; an instance of which occurs in the conspicuous church of Sta. Maria
Carignano, which was built at the expense of the Saoli family. Other churches were built by the
Castelli, the Fieschi, and the D’Orias.
1 Justinian, Istoria di Genoa
2 MS. Annali Ecclesiastici di Liguria dal R, P. Agostino Schiaftino,
Arso per la civile guerre il tetto della Metropolitana di San Lorenzo, pati ancora tutta Ia Chiesa grosso incendio. Non fu riparata che nel
a della Chiesa di San Loren:
1307, et rifatto il yolto moderno nel 1312.
+ Notizin Isto
5 Justiniani, Istoria di Genoa.
uuria Sacra, MS. compilata del Rev, P.M. Accinell
IS. in the Archivio at Genoa,
XXXIII.
SANTA MARIA DELLA SPINA, PISA.
Tuts chapel is an architectural gem, and at the time it was executed, was considered to be a
miracle of art.
It stands on the side of the Arno, and was built for the convenience of marine
flourishing times of Pisa, repaired to this c
protection of the Virgin.
This chapel was built at twice.
rs, who in the
hapel, before they set forth on their voyage, to implore the
The first edifice was begun in the year 1230, at tl
of the Senate, and of a noble family of Pisa, the Gualandi. The
is said to have executed some of the statues with which
joint expense
-lebrated sculptor, Giovanni Pisano,!
this building was adorned, and, by the talent
privilege of giving the design for the Campo
which he displayed on that occasion, to have obtained the
Santo.
*In 1é the Senate of Pisa determined to enlar
building acquired the form and the e
from su
e this chapel. At that time it was that the
xuberance of ornament, which it at present exhibits.
cessive decrees of the Senate,
[t appears,
ater part of the
that the work was in progress during the
fourteenth century.
In this building, also, though its general style is that of th
1e advanced pointed, round forms still
make their appez
rance. But, in all the upper part, the pointed style is employed alone. ‘The
canopies, and tabernacles are of the most delicate workmanship. The statues are well executed, and
if, in proportion to the size of the building, they
appear to be too numerous, it must be remembered
that the Italians had a peculiar passion for this spec
2s of decoration, not only from their love of
ornament, but because Italy abounded in good sculptors.
The whole of the building is of white marble.
This chapel derived its surname from a thorn in our Saviour’s erown, which was broug
Holy Land by a merchant of Pisa, and presented
ht from the
to this chapel, by his descendants in 1333, The
surname, however, was not adopted till the beginning of the next century.
1 Vasari, vol. ii. p. 24.
Morrona, Pisa Illustra
ol. iii, p Morrona,
on
erected to the memory of Cangrande I., Mastino II., and Consignorio. The tombs are all on the
same plan; though of different dimensions, and different degrees of magnificence. In each the
defunct Prince appears reposing on an altar tomb, which is supported by pillars, and surmounted by
a canopy, on the summit of which is seen the equestrian statue of the same individual, in the
The le of all the tombs is a mixture of
semblance of life, and arrayed in knightly armour.
the pointed and the Romanesque. The tomb of Consignorio, which he built for himself, is much
the largest, the highest, and the most magnificent; and is ornamented with numerous tabe sles,
statues, and bas-reliefs. An inscription on the frieze records that the Milanese artist, Boninius de
Campiliano, was the sculptor; and the execution of the work affords a proof that in Italy the arts
had revived to a considerable degree of excellence in the fourteenth cc ntury.
All the tombs are of white marble ; and, combining together, as they do, form a most splendid
and picturesque architectural group.
* Litta, Famiglie Celebri Italiane. , Chroniche di Verona.
XXAXTYV.
TOMBS OF THE SCALIGERS, VERONA.
Tnese are not only the sepulchres of distinguished men, but the monuments
| of an extinct dynasty, and the records of a state of society long since gone by.
of those who were sover
These are the tombs of the sovereigns of Verona,
— signs
\ at a time when Italy was subdivided into independent principalities,—and
NN] of character or feats of arms, were able to invest themselves with absolute power,
| |
|
SH and eyen transmit the sceptre to their descendants.
The origin of the family of the Scaligers is not accurately known. We find
In 12,
order, were beheaded at the eommand of Ec«
individuals, who had gained an ascendancy over their fellow-citizens by strength
them at Verona in 102 co della §
7 two brothers, Bonifagio and Fede: ala, of the patrician
no da Romano. Their fate first assigned to the name
a place in the ps of history. In 1261, after the death of Ecelino, the unanimous voice of the
people of Verona (at that time a republic) elevated Mastino della Scala to the office of Capitano
del popolo. In that capacity he governed Verona, and governed it well, for fifteen years. He was
sueceeded by his brother Alberto, who, during the space of twenty-four years, kept the turbulent
factions in order, and sowed the seeds of commer
founders of the
ial prosperity. These two superior men were the
greatness of their house. Alberto was succeeded by his son Bartolomeo, who evinced
ars. In his time, 1302, lived Romeo de Montecchi
the most amiable dispositions, but died in two }
and Giulietta de (
peli. Next to him came his brother Albrino; during whose time a
took place in the constitution of the Italian States, In his time the Emperor Henry VIL. came into
ting the rights of the Empire. With thi d
all the Capitani, who had been elected by their f ive
t change
Italy, for the express purpose of vindiez
view, he requi
llow-citizens, to surrender their office, and rec
from himself, in exchange, the appointment of Vicar Imperial. The exchange of a popular election
for an imperial nomination led to the perpetuation of the sovereignty in the same family. The
nomination, ever after, was a matter of course ; so much so, that the office was sometimes assumed
without any reference to the Emperor. It was in this way that Albrino della Scala became the first
Vicar Imperial of Verona. He was succeeded by his brother Cangrande, who, if he was not the
best of the Scal
for his military talents, and for his devotion to the Ghibelline, or imperial party
the elected chi These qualiti
hood within his reach. In addition to the government of Verona, he received f
that of Vicenza, Feltre, Bellun
put a termi
rs, was the one whose career was the most brilliant. He was equally distinguished
of which he became
dispositions, and advantages, placed every thing in his neighbour-
rom the Emperor
, and Bassano, and was nominated to that of Mantua, when death
in 1329.
given him in consequence of his great achievements, as he bore it from his infancy. The sixth della
ation to his career The singular name of this celebrated man cannot have been
Scala who ruled Verona was Alberto II., a nephew of Cangrande. The seventh was Mastino II.,
a nephew of Alberto. With him b
the family, instead of exhibiting statesmen and heroes, becomes a melancholy and revolting picture
of misfortunes and crimes. Mastino II. was v;
in, weak, and unprincipled. He attempted much,
and was surrounded by a brilliant court; but he, ultimately, brought upon himself great misfortunes,
losses, and humiliations. The next reign introduced still darker features. The eighth ruler,
Car
a troubled re
srande ITI., who built the Castel Vecchio, and the great bridge adjoining it over the Adige, after
n of eight years, was murdered by his own brother Consignorio; and it shews us in
what a demoralized state Italy must have been at that period, when we find that such a crime did
not prevent the perpetrator of it from succeeding to the government. At first he fled, but soon
returned, assisted by the Lord of Padua, dethroned another brother, Padallino, who had assumed
the command for a moment, and was permitted to reign till he died. Consignorio protected the
arts, and in his own time raised a magnificent tomb for himself. He was succeeded by his son
Bartolomeo II., who was also murdered, in 1381, by his half-brother
the family could no longer be endured. Antonio endeavoured to fasten his own crime on the
brothers Melaspina and others. The accused fled to Milan, and persuaded its Duke, Visconti, to
attack Antonio. Antonio was casily defeated, and banished from Verona. His son Gulielmo, and
his grandson Brunoro, received the appointment of Vicar Imperial of Verona from the Emperor,
but were never able to
in admittance into the city. The virtues of the early Sealigers had raised
them to power: the vices of their descendants terminated their reign. The Veronese, disgusted
with the Sealigers, voluntarily surrendered themselves to the Venetians, in 1405.
The three celebrated tombs of the Scaligers stand in the old cemetery of Santa Maria Antica,
which had been the family burial place of the Sealigers before they rose to power. ‘The tombs were
in the decline of his house ; and from this time the history of
Antonio. The iniquities of
horses glittered with gold. Thus, and then, it was that the Lords of Este became Dukes of
Ferrara.
In subsequent times the Dukes of Ferrara occupied a still more brilliant position, as the friends
of literature and the arts. In the days of Alphonso I. (1513) the greatest of the Italian poets
flourished at Ferrara, which, in the days of Alphonso II. was equally the abode of Tasso and
Guarini ; names and associations which must for ever preserve Ferrara in the memory of the civilized
world. But, in 1598, the glories of the House of Este came to an end. The direct line failed. In
consequence the fief reverted to the Suzerain, and the Pope became the proprietor of the Duel
As Ferrara owed all its importance and its prosperity to the Court of which it was the residence,
it began to decline when that Court was removed. That decline has been progressive. Nothing
n be more miserable than the present state of Ferrara, or offer a stronger contrast to its former
splendour. The grass grows in its streets ; whole rows of its palaces are uninhabited, It is in the
ibly recalling the words of its own poet,-
Giace Valta appena i segni
Dall’ alte sue ruine il lido serba,
Muojono le citta, muojono i regni,
Copre i fasti, e le pompe, arena ed erba
E Y'uom désser mortal par che si sde
Oh! nostra anima cupida e superl
Gerusaleme Liberata, canto 15, stanzi
THE CASTELLO VECCHIO, FERRARA.
Il the
h it was called
Tum Castello Vecchio of Fer
aristocracy of Italy, whether in town or country, during the middle ag
the Castello Vecchio, it was not the earliest residence of the Sovereigns of Fer
to an older palace by Marquis Nicholas, the Lame, in 1885. The old pala
for we find that in 1472, Duke Hereules I. connected the Castello Vecchio with the adjacent palace
ra is the sort of fortified residence which was occupied by
Thou,
ar
having been added
» was not pulled down,
by the means of a covered ution, the utility of which was
soon verified, for it was by this covered way that in 1476, Duchess Eleanor escaped, with her children,
+ hold, when Niccolo di Leonello, the half brother to the reigning Duke,
y, sustained upon five arche:
prec:
from the palace to the strong:
made his insane attempt upon Ferrara.
The Castello Vecchio continued to be occupied by the sovereigns of Ferrara to the end of their
reign, though they built other palaces in other parts of the city, and in the neighbourhood—such as
the Castel Nuovo, which was built in 1428, Belfiore which stood at a short distance without the walls,
and Belrig Nicholas in 14¢
enlarged and embellished, at different times by his successors.
ardo, built by Marqu , at about ten miles from the city, and which was
The changes of fashion, in the course of several centuries, will account for the varieties of style
which appear in the architecture of the Castel Vecchio. A fortress, in its general character, its
machicolated walls, and in the moat which surrounds it, it exhibits more peaceful and modern
features in its balustrades, and in the turrets which have been added at its four corners. These
turrets were added, in 1577, by Alfonzo II., who also caused the walls of the interior to be
ornamented with the portraits of his ancestors, executed im fresco by Girolamo, and Bartolomeo,
Faceini, Such as it then became the Castle
the Legates, deputed by the Pope to govern Fe
It is well known that, for a long period, Ferrar
prosperous days were under the paternal sway of the House of Este. During the tenth and
t present remains, and is, at this time, the residence of
which now forms a part of the Papal dominions.
was one of the most brilliant Courts of Italy.
eleventh centuries, and the greater part of the twelfth, Ferrara was exposed to the political vicissitudes
which continually recurred during the middle ages. Sometimes it was enslaved, sometimes free ; at
one time governed by Counts, at another by Consuls. The suzeraint? of Ferrara had been claimed
by the Popes since the days of Charlemagne. They claimed it as part and parcel of his donation ;
Tt was in
t:
ated into
but this claim was frequently disregarded by powerful intruders, or popular resistanc
1188 that the House of Este, acquiring by mar
ge the possessions of the Marcheselli family, fi
it
to distinction in Ferrara; that illustrious House, of which the elder branch mi
branch remained in Italy to give
Germany to found the House
ns to Ferrara. But it was long before the House of Este obtained undisputed pre-eminence.
of Brunswick, whilst the young
sovert
Families of nearly equal pretensions, and of the opposite faction of the Ghibellines, (for the House of
Este was always Guelf,) kept the contest alive, and, from 1188 till 1242, the representatives of the
House of Este were compelled to divide the government of Fe
In 1242, however, the Salinguerri were finally put down, and from that time the people, with whom
ara with the family of the Salinguerri.
the favourite, elected successive members of that House for their rulers.
the House of Este was always
But the period arrived when the Popes.regained the ascendant; and, in 1329, this popular election
s superseded by Papal nomination. From that time the representatives of the House of Este
yoverned Ferrara by the appointment of the Popes, under the title of Vicars Apostolical, in the
same way as the Scalig
of Vicars Imperial. It wi
obtained for his family a more elevated rank and an independent position. Availing himself of the
yoverned Verona, where the Ghibelline faction prevailed, under the title
s Borso of Este who, by the energy of his character, and his great activity,
approach of Frederick IIT., in 14
presented him with forty Apulian and Sicilian horses, and fifty hawks perfectly trained. The
2, Borso went to meet the Emperor, with a numerous train, and
Emperor accompanied Borso to Ferrara, where he was lodged at the Castel Vecchio. In return for
lities, Frederick erected Modena and Regg
these hospite » (which were fiefs of the Empire) into a
Dukedom, and conferred them on his host. In 1470 Borso, whose influence had become very great,
xotiations which ended in the
was able to be useful to Paul II., by acting as mediator in the m
general pacification of Italy. Borso had always regretted not deriving his title from the place in
which he resided. In return for Borso’s servic
Paul II. agreed to elevate Ferrara into a Duchy ;
eive the investiture
which Borso, unfortunately, consented to accept as a fief of the Church. To re
of this dignity Borso repaired to Rome, with a princely train, consisting of all his chief vassals and
retainers. Masters and men were clothed in silver and gold brocad and the trappir of their
XXXVI.
PIAZZA DELLE ERBE, VERONA.
Dorine the middle ages, almost all the chief cities of Italy provided themselves with a Forum,
in imitation of the Forum at Rome—a large open space, in which the people might assemble on solemn
or festive, occasion:
n which public ceremonies might be performed, and in which public monuments
it be erected—a pla
e which at once contributed to the convenience of the people, and to the
embellishment of the city
inally the Pia
and such was what is now called the Pi
Such was ori
a del Gran Duca, at Florence, the Piazza del Campo, at Sienna;
delle Erbe, or the Vegetable Market, at Verona; and
when the popular form of government was changed into a despotism by the ascendancy of some
powerful family (as, from the strife of fac
rulers never failed to endeavour to in
ions, took place in almost all the cities of Italy), the new
tiate themselves with the people by adding something more to
the Forum, to which they were attached by old associations.
The Piazza delle Erbe contains various buildings belonging to diff
tribune, near to which is the mar
lican days,’ the newly elected (
rent times. The small open
t cross, occupies the place of an older building to which, in re
pub-
heard mass at the cathedral, was
conducted, and in which, after he had addressed the people, he was invested with the in
“In after times the sentences
apitano del Popolo, after having
ignia of office.
of condemned criminals were pronounced from this tribune. Procl
mations were made from it, and debtors were here compelled to sul
Ifthe fountain, in the centre of the Pi
omit to an humiliating punishment.
, was first erected by King Berengarius, in 916, it was
restored, and provided with an additional supply of water by ‘Cansignorio,
Sealiger family, in 12
of the P.
modated,
The building, at the side of the Piazza, with arcades and pointed windows, is an Exchange, and
was built for that purpose, by Albert Scaliger in 1301.
The pillar at the further end of the Piz
the ninth ruler of the
The same Cansignorio erected the tower, which is seen at the further end
and placed in it the first clock* with which the inhabitants of Verona were accom-
za, belongs to different times. It was erected, in 1524,
by the Venetians, to whom Verona was then subject, to support the image of the
sd lion of
St. Mark. The pillar consists of a si
architect, as
The bronze lion, (which was the work of another
thrown down, when the reign of the republic of Venice came to an end, in 1799.
Immediately behind the pillar is the Palazzo Maffe
the historian of Verona was a member. It is a hi
wing
gle block of Veronese marble. The name of it
may still be read on its base, was Michael Leo,
artist) w
, the residence of the patrician family, of which
zhly enriched specimen of the modern Italian style.
The fronts of several of the more considerable houses in this Pis
yaa ave decorated with paintir
in fresco, which suffer little from exposure to the air in the climate of Italy.
The former occupation of this Forum is gone, and its
ancient monuments are now mixed up with
modern buildin
8, but it tells the history
past, and, from the combination which it exhibits of
buildings of different ages, its tower
and its arcades, is exceedingly picturesque.
+ Statuti compilati nel 1228. ® Da Persico, Descrizione di Verona. * Onofrio. Maffei, Storia di Verona.
* This clock has been removed, but its bell still e:
MCCCLXX sub m
ists, in anoth
r situation. On itis the inseription, <M:
, Domino Veron.”
ter Jacobus fecit anno Domini
ifico Domino Can:
ignorio de It
design for the facade, retaining Pellegrini’s doors and windows, but substituting the pointed style in
the remainder of the facade, the better to conform with the general style of the building. The work
was proceeded with, according to Buzzi’s design, in 1659, but was left unfinished ; and remained so
till 1805, when the Emperor Napoleon thought it worthy of himself to complete the glorious pile.
Another council of architects and conoscenti was assembled, and, in justice to the taste of the
Milanese, it must not be suppressed that the architect Amati, the Marchese Cignola, and other:
were most anxious to have rebuilt the whole of the facade entirely in the pointed style. This
07, the
in the mixed style which it unfortunately exhibits. Thus was the cathedral o!
cade was completed
Milan brought to a
proposition, however, was rejected on the ground of expense, and, in It
termination 418 years after it had been begun.
The cathedral is in the usual form of the Latin cross, with transepts, and a cupola over the inter-
section of the transepts and the nave. It has two aisles, on either side of the nave. It is 490 feet
in length eet in height, from the floor
J8 feet in width, to the extremity of the transepts ; and 2
to the inside of the dome.
It is entirely built of white marble, brought from a quarry near the Lago Maggiore
To such an extent is the Italian passion indulged in the decoration of this building, that, on the
lowest estimation, there are computed to be no less than 3500 statues, crowning its pinnacles, or
distributed in other parts of the edifice; all of them of marble, and many of them beautifully
executed.
The windows are large, and enriched with tracery ; nearer resemblances to those of the north
than is usual in Italy. The great east window was designed by Nicholas Bonaventure, a French
architect, in 1388.
In this building there is not that mixture of vertical and horizontal lines which is the usual defect
of Italian building
in the pointed style. The vertical principle prevails throughout. Still are there
many points, both in its external elevation, and in its interior, in which it differs from, and, where
it differs, falls short of, the cathed:
towers upon which the external effect so materially depends. The central cupola, with the lanthorn
als of the north. The towers of the north are wanting, those
above it, is not of consequence enough to relieve the general outline. There are a crowd of buttresses
and pin
Nevertheles:
sles, but pinnacles alone are not of suflicient importance.
sr cathedrals, in
, although this cathedral will not bear a comparison with the larg
the pointed style, of the north, yet does it compete with them more vigorously than any other
cathedral to the south of the Alps, and, with its imposing size, its glittering walls, and its forest of
pinnacles, each tipped with a statue, and seen against the deep blue sky of Italy, never can be beheld
except with admiration.
The view given of this cathedral is that of the eastern end, and has been selected because that
end is entir
y in the pointed style, and free from the incongruous features which the west front
displays.
XXXVII.
THE DUOMO, MILAN.
Tue cathedral of Milan, whether from its noble dimensions, the precious materials of which it
is entirely composed, or the richness of its ornaments, is one of the most splendid temples in
Christendom, and, without comparison, the most successful building in the pointed style to the south
of the Alps.
“This cathedral owes its existence to Giovan, Galeazzo, Visconti, first Duke of Milan, who was
fond of display and the arts, and determined to leave behind him a monument that should excite the
wonder, and command the admiration, of after ages.
That, in the construction of this temple, Gal o decided to employ the style of the north
instead of the Romanesque is proved by the building itself, and that it was from Germany that he
ariano, the celebrated translator of Vitruvius,
borrowed the idea cannot be doubted. Cesare C
athedral, in the continuation of which he was at one time employed, says it was
speaking of this ¢
who gave the
built more Germanico, At the same time it is a disputed matter whether the architec
for the existing building, was a German, or an Italian ; some writers deposing that it was
desi
Henry Arler of Gemiinden, called, by the Italians, Gamondia; others asserting that it was Matteo
of that name, which is situated between the Lago di Como
di Campione, who was born at a vill:
and the Lago di Lugano.
As the style is that which was the habitual style of Germany, and as the building is the most
successful that ever was constructed, in that style, in Italy, *probability seems to incline to the German
side of the controver
) Henry Arler is admitted to have been the chief architect in the very earl
years of the work, and, if it is clear that Matteo di Campione was also employed, the evidence that
he gaye the designs for the existing building is by no means conclusive. The uncertainty is increased
by the singular circumstance, recorded by all the historians, that Giovan Visconti was so little
ntisfied with the first design of all, that, after the building had been in progress for a year, he had
it all pulled down, and then caused the existing cathedral to be commenced on a more magnificent
plan.
The first stone of the existing cathedral was laid in
7, but more than four centuries were
required to bring it to a termination.
A greater number of architects were employed upon this building than is recorded of any other ;
partly from the jealousy of rivals, who contrived to supplant one man after another. During the
first period of the work, probably on account of the exotic style which was adopted, almost all
,and John Mignot,
cholas Bonaventur:
the architects were foreigners ; Henry Arler of Gemiinden, N
both of Paris; Annex de Fernach of Fribourg, Ulric de F
ngen of Ulm, and John Cova of
la quale dise Giulini pithily observ
Bruges. All these were dismissed after a short re '
“fu commune a tutti l’Insegneri esteri che vennero a Milano.” In 1409 a succession of Italians
began, which lasted, uninterruptedly, till 1494, when a difficulty occurred in the construction of the
cupola, and Hammerer, at that time the archite ct of the cathedral of Strasbourg, was sent for to give
this
; those of Bramante, Leonardo da Vinci, and Julio Romano, who were consulted on different
his advice. Many illustrious names are associated with the continuation or embellishment of
building
occasions. In 1567 Pellegrino Pellegrini was appointed architect; he remained in that post
nineteen years, and went on with the interior of the choir, and the chapel, called lo Scurolo, in the
crypt beneath. To him, also, or rather to the change of fashion which, by that time, had taken
retted in this noble buildin
place, must be ascribed the defect so much to be t the incongruity of
ni submitted a design to San Carlo Boromeo, who
the fagade. For that part of the building Pelleg
s, at that time, Archbishop of M
The works wi
w 1. The design, however, was not executed by Pellegrini.
adful visitation of the plague, of which San Carlo himself w:
interrupted by the dr
one of the victims. In 1595 the works were resumed. Cardinal Frederick Boromeo, then
Archbishop,
obtained leave from the King of Spain (to whom Milan had, by that time, been transferred) to pull
ch interfered with the completion of the cathedral ; and having obtained
down the dueal palace wh
this permission, he threw the western fagade open to competition, offering a prize to the architect
who should furnish the best design. Singularly enough, the competing architects agreed to
recommend the design of Pellegrini, which was accordingly begun; a full-size model, in wood,
haying been first erected. The work, however, went slowly on. In 1646 Carolo Buzzi
gave a new
» Giulini. Storia di Milano.
£ Cico *—Storia
nara inelines to this opinion : “Si sara dunque probabilmente chiamato dall’ estero il costruttore nuovo tempio di Mila
di Senltura, vol. ii, p. 180.
XXXVIII.
INTERIOR OF THE DUOMO, MILAN.
Tux interior of this noble building is
Italian cathedral in the pointed style. The whole
which separates the choir from the nave is
rand, imposing
» and more cheerful than almost any other
is comprehended at once,
kept so low that the magnificent windows,
pac The screen
at the eastern
end, are not concealed, and the eye f
Originally, the hi
ly ranges from one extremity of the cathedr
ood immediately under the
ive additional effect to the nave,
al to the other.
dome, but San Carlo had it moved back
igh alta
t position, to
to its pre
At the same time he decorated the altar
with a circular temple, and other ornaments, all in bronze, after the designs of Pel
The pillars, on either side of the nave, are quite peculiar. They
in height, but th
legrini.
are cluster columns of forty feet
r octagonal capitals, unlike any other in the world, are
to receive as many statues.
The vaulted roof is
effect, however, is good.
‘ashioned into eight niches,
oined ; but the fretwork is only painted, anda modern addition. The
The pavement is composed of different ¢
The various altars, and other parts.
oloured marble:
urranged in patterns.
» of this interior, are decorated with a profusion of bas
autifully executed, and entirely the
but Milanese were permitted to embellish the Milanese
employed we find many whose names are known to fame,—Mareo Agrato, Christoforo Sol
Fusina, Bingio Vairone, Francesco Brambilla, Bassi and Pelleerini.
Marco Agrate produced the celebrated *St. Bartholomew, which ex
the anatomical science which it displays.
Near the entrance
liefs,
one
and statues, for the most part be
work of native artists.
cathedral; but amongst those who were
ari, Andrea
cites so much admiration for
a beautiful insulated font, desi
the columns under the dome
Brambilla.
ied by Pellegrini; and, attached to two of
, ornamented with bas-reliefs by Francesco
e as many bronze pulpi
Immediately under the high altar is a crypt to which there is a descent by steps.
consists of two subterraneous chapels. In the furthest, in a splendid shrine of gold and silver g
(the gift of Philip TV. of Spain) reposes the body of San Carlo Boromeo. The front of the shrine
crystal, and through it the embalmed body of the Saint is seen, arrayed in episcopal robes. The
walls of this chapel are covered with bas-reliefs in silver gilt, representing different pass:
life of the Saint: but, amidst all this goreeousness, (the tribute of his admirers,) his own f
repeated motto, Humilitas, en »s the most attention ; the morc
acted up to it duri
The crypt
2s in the
requently
so because he is known to have
h was constantly employed in
d by his determination to fulfil his duties at all hazards.
the whole of his life, a life whic
benevolence, and “shorter
works of
* Cicog
a, Storia di Scultu
* The inscription, on the pede
of this statue, is rather too vain-glorious,
1 Mareus
ght in administering the last sacraments,
on me P.
* San Carlo died of the plague which he ea
inxit Agrates.””
in the great plague of Milan,
XXXIX.
SAN GIOVANNI, MON!
ZA.
On the spot where this building now stands the
selebrated Queen of the Lombards, 'Theodolinda,
ted, in 595, a splendid temple in honour of St. John the Baptist
Theodolinda was the daughter of Garibaldus, Duke of Bavaria, and was me
instance to Antharis, Kin:
er
ried in the first
of the Lombards, In the course of six years she had so recommended
herself to the people amongst whom she came, that, on the death of Antharis, the Lombards
authorized her to choose another husband, and agreed to recognize whomsoever she selected as
ign. She fixed her choice upon Agilulfus, Duke of Turin. Till the arrival of
Theodolinda the Lombards had been Arians. Herself a Catholic, she persuaded Agi
the same. The Pope, Gregory the Gr
their lawful sover
to become
at, observant of the abilities, the influence, and the
dispositions of the Lombard Queen, paid I
r great attention, corresponded with her, and sent he
embassy, with presents. So long as she liv
an
1, Theodolinda remained a devoted daughter of the
At Mon she, also, built a palace, on the internal
walls of which she caused the great actions of the Lombard nation to be represented in pictures; a
proof that the art of painting was not entirely lost in the sixth century.
The church of Theodolinda was not on the Latin plan, but the Byz
cross, surmounted by a dome. For above six hundred years this building remained unaltered. At
the close of the thirteenth century, Matteo Magno Visconte, Lord of Milan,’ with the assistance of
the oblations of the people, undertook the reconstruction of the church, upon a larger seale. But
he left his work unfinished ; for the f gade was not commenced till the year 1396. In that
celebrated architect, Matteo di ampione,’ was employed to give a design for the fa
constructed it in the form which it exhibits at present. This
cabinet style, prevalent in Italy at that period
subdivision of parts and a variety of pattern
itself.
In the interior, some of the capitals of the pillars are ornamented with barbarous fizures, and
must be older than the thirte
Church, and erected many ré
ious buildings.
antine. It was an equilateral
r the
ade, and he
curious specimen of the
facade is ¢
; a style wh
in marbles of dif
attempts to please the eye rather by a
pes and colours, than by the
form of the building
nth century. Frisi is of opinion that they formed no part of the
Lombard church, but had belonged to some eleventh century building, and were remoyed from thence
to their present situation.
In the treasury of this church very curious reliques are still preserved. Three crowns,—those
of Theodolinda and Agilulfus; and the celebrated iron crown, which disposes of the kingdom of
Lombardy. This crown is a circle of gold, within which
a narrow circle of iron, said to be
composed of one of the nails of the true cross. ‘This crown was one of the presents sent by Gregory
the Great to Theodolinda It has encircled the brows of most of the Emperors of Germany,
at their coronation as Kings of Italy, from Otho TIL. down to Charles V.; and, in later times, it
ngdom of Italy on the Emperor Napoleon.
oss, worn by Theodolinda on her coronation, from which hangs
a sapphire, in which is inserted an antique intaglio of Diana; a chalice of a sincle s
in
made a journey to Paris to confer the
In this treasury, also, is a gold ¢
apphire ; and
three ivory dyptics, presented by Berengarius I. in 903. On one of these dyptics, which is
undoubtedly Roman, the Consuls are turned into Saints.
All these reliques were pawned, at a time when the rulers of Milan were in great straits: and,
by a curious series of adventures, fell into the possession of the Popes when they resided at Avienon,
in 1323. On the application, however, of the people of Milan, they were generously restored to
Monza in 1345,
1 Paulus Diaconus. £ Frisi, Memorie della Chiesa di Mon: Giulini, Storia di Milano, v
* Matteo di Campione was buried in the church of Monza, where his epitaph may still be seen.
Hic et ille magnus Edificator, Magister
Matteus de Campiliono, qui h
E
jus Sacrosanctie
fatiem edificavit ; E: torium, et
vinm—qui obiit a. p, 1
LA MERCANZIA, BOLOGNA.
Botoana was enfranchised in very early times, and soon kecame one of the most powerful cities
in the north of Italy, attracting a crowd of strangers to it celebrated University, and sharir in the
s of Italy were enriched in the middle a It is a
Signori might be of their rank, trade was never
of the most illustrious Houses of
commerce by which all the principal cit
remarkable fact that, in Italy, however proud the
stocratic prejudice, Member
despised, or obstructed, by a
Bologna, as well as of Florence, took part in commercial pursuits.
From the time that Bologna obtained a charter, it adopted free institutions, and was governed
by a council, and officers, elected by the people. But such was the violence of the times that the
public peace was incessantly disturbed ; and when the Guelph and Ghibelline fa tions added their
feuds to the other elements of disorder, the strife and the tumult became so intolerable that the
It was with this object that, in
Bolognese resolved to call in the assistance of a supreme Hi
1278, they requested the Pope, Nicholas III. to take them under his protection ; but, in so doing,
they had no intention of parting with their liberties. They desired a Chief, to keep the peace; but
th ment of their own affairs. They acknowledged the
retained in their own hands the mana
y preserved all their subordinate institutions. Indeed so much of
gst the Bolognese, that they more than once shook off the
supremacy of the Pope; but the
the
controul which they had imposed upon themselves. Hence it was that, after one of these revolts,
nself at the
pirit of freedom remained amo
one of their own nobles, profiting by the confusion which ensued, was able to place hir
head of the state, and, during the greater part of the fiftcenth century, the family of Bentivoglio
rned Bologna. In 1506, Julius IL, assisted by the troops of Louis XIL., succeeded in expelling
the intruders. On regaining possession of Bologna, Julius placed the government in the hands of
an hereditary council of forty persons, but the tribunals of justice, and the various corporations,
were not disturbed, and the government was conducted in the spirit of former times. Centuries of
repose, and undisputed dominion, gradually enlarged the limits of papal ascendancy ; but a remem-
brance of the past has always induced the Court of Rome to treat the old republic with caution and
consideration, and Bologna continues to be one of the most flourishing cities in the States of the
Church.
The Mereanzia, of which the principal front is represented in the annexed eng’
originally built, in pursuance of a decree of the Senate, at the public expense, in 1294. Originally,
it went by the name of the Foro dei Mercanti, and was raised to serve the double purpose of an
ing out of commercial transactions,
gov
ving, ‘was
exchans
dee
building was enla
e, and a tribunal for the adjudication of all suits <
wations of bankruptey, and the settlement of disputes between masters and workmen, The
dat various times, in 1337, 1380, and in 1439, at which time the principal front
was added in its present form. In 1484 part of the building was greatly damaged by the fall of the
y was soon after repaired at the expense of John Bentivoglio IL,
tower dei Bianchi; ‘but the inju
mia. We find mention of further repairs so late as 161
, Italian pointed style. It is composed of brick with
who at that time governed Bolog
This building is a pleasing specimen of th
terra cotta mouldings, and ornaments. ‘The medallions contain bas-reliefs in marble, some exhibiting
the arms of the city, and of the House of Bentivoglio; others representing the Saints on whose
protection Bologna relied.
The canopied niche in the centre is a repetition of the balcony, the Pergamo, or Ringhiera, as
it is called by the old writers, which habitually occupied a prominent position in the front of the Town
Halls of the cities of Italy. From thence the sentences of the judges were announced, bankruptcies
were declared, and public decrees proclaimed.
* Notizie intorno al Fore di Mercanti di Bologna. —Bologna, 18:
2 The followi
scription, still extant over one of the doors, alludes to this fact :—
fo. IT MCCCCXC
Bentiyolus Patriam feliciter Gubern.
SAN FRANCESCO DI RIMINI.
Tus rema
able building was erected by Sigismond, the most distinguished of the Maletestas,
who governed Rimini for a number of years. mond Maletesta was one of the most renowned
warriors of the fifteenth century, and, at the same time, a ut protector of the arts. Having
established his reputation, and enlarged his territory, by his prowess in the field, he made it his
object to surround himself with a brilliant and intellectual society, and to attract poets, philosophers,
and eminent artists to his Court. In this manner passing his latter years, as he grew old, he desired
to prepare a place of sepulture not only for himself and his family, but also for the most distinguished
of those who had graced his Court, and with whom he wa ustomed to live on the footing of
aci
friendship ; a design more romantic than might have been expected in a despot; a design which
must be allowed to be indicative of good feeling; and one which, if dreamt of by others, has,
perhaps, only been put into practice by the Lord of Rimini, For this purpose Sigismond began to
build the church of San Frane
sco, and had nearly completed the body of the fabric, when, not
Battis
architect, who, in concert with Brunelleschi, had devoted his talents to the
n done, he sent for G. I
entirely satisfied with what had be ; the celebrated Florentine
estoration of the classical
style. When Battista arrived, he had a task of no ordinary difficulty to accomplish ; but he did not
hesitate to recommend the course which, in his opinion, would produce the most satisfactory result.
He recommended that the inside of San Francesco should be left as it was; but that the whole
building should be enclosed in a classical case. In consequence San Francesco presents the singular
anomaly of a building
To «
singularly
which is in the pointed style within, and in the round style without.
ested an entirely ori
inal and
; into effect Sigismond’s principal object, Battista sug;
icitous arrangement. For the Prince and his family he prepared a last resting place
within the building, and surrounded the church with a series of arcades, under which he placed the
tombs of Sigismond’s friends. The result is an architectural curiosity, which is at once pleasing to
and to the mind.
The whole design of the exterior of San Francesco is chaste and grand, and recalls the Roman
style and spirit to a degree which is surprising, when we recollect how long that style had been
r excells the building:
far real genius is able to outstrip the age.
which for sometime
abandoned. In this respect San Francesco di Rimini
afterwards were erected in Italy; affording a proof how
ion of San Francesco di Rimini we may date the revival of the classical
From the construe
style. Here, then, this Work comes to a natural end, its scope being limited to the interval between
ancient Rome and modern Italy. The treasures of both had been al
dy given to the world, but,
in Italy, enriched more than any other country, as with the choicest gifts of nature, so with the
most numerous and splendid productions of art, there appeared to be a third harvest well worth the
reaping, to be found in the field of early Christianity and in that of the middle ages ; monuments
of the past which, if not the fittest objects of imitation, nevertheless deserved to be recorded, and
could not fail to be viewed with interest. It was on the spot that the idea of this attempt was fi
conceived. It was on the spot that the undertaking was commenced. The prosecution of it has
extended itself over several years; but should it be thought that the task has been satisfactorily
executed, that a gap in the history of architecture has been filled up, the labours of the author will
have been abundantly rewarded.
iN