In the styles hitherto described a chronological order has been followed, as far as possible, in order to show the gradual development of the style; that course is adopted here to a certain extent, when dealing with the Renaissance, though the introduction of the personal element, to which reference has been made, brings in a change of some importance. Henceforth the career of the individual has to be taken into consideration, and at times it may be an advantage when describing a building by an architect of eminence to mention other works by him, and so depart from the chronological sequence. Ecclesiastical. — The classic revival in Italy, though foreshadowed in other branches of an, as in painting and sculpture, and also to a marked degree in literature. wa» virtually introduced by one great man, Filippo Brunellnchi of Florence, who, trained a* • nculptor. and disappointed with hit want of success in the competition hi-lil in 1403 lor the bronze gate* of the baptistery at Florence. determined to devote himx-lf to architecture. possibly in the hope that he might some, day be able to tolve the great problem of erecting over the crowing of Arnolfo di Lapo's great cathedral the dome projected by the latter but never executed.
\nHaving spent tome years in Rome, Brunellcwhi returned to hi» native town about 1410, with a profound knowledge of c Lassie architecture and of Roman construction, as shown in the Pantheon, the thermae, Colosseum and other remains, then in much better preservation than at the present day. Some years passed in the production of various scheme* and in deliberations with the council of Florence, but eventually in 1430 the completion of the cathedral was entrusted to him, and be undertook to construct the dome without centreing, and to raise it on a drum so as to give it greater importance than Arnolfo had contemplated, as shown in the fresco of the Spanish chapel of Santa Maria Novella, Florence. The dome as projected by Bninelleschi was of considerable size, being 130 ft. in diameter and 135 ft. from the cornice to the eye of the dome, including the drum on which it was raised; it was octagonal in plan, and built with an inner and outer casing partly in brick, with angle and two intermediate rib* on each face, which were in stone. The construction of the dome was completed in 1434; but the lantern, built on the basis of the model he had made, was not carried out till 1462, some years after his death.
\nBrunelleschi's other works in Florence consisted of the church of San Lorenzo, which he rebuilt in 1425 after a fire, and the church of Santo Spirito (1433), a very remarkable building, the design of which was based on the medieval basilicas of Rome, with such modifications in plan and section as his knowledge of ancient Roman work suggested. This church consists of nave, transept and choir, with aisles all round, the centre or crossing being covered with a dome on pendentives, which henceforth became the chief characteristic in all the Renaissance churches. Brunelleschi's earliest work was the Pazzi chapel, an original conception which is more remarkable for the pure classic feeling and refinement in all its details than for the design. The weakness of the archivolt round the central archway, and the mass of panelled wall carried on columns (far too slight in their dimensions), detract seriously from the effect of the facade; internally the structural function of the pilasters is not sufficiently maintained, and instead of a simple hemispherical dome, as in the cathedral, a quasi-Gothic type was built, with twelve ribs and scalloped cells, which destroys its dignity.
\nBrunelleschi was followed by another great Florentine architect, Leon Battista Albert!, who was also a great mathematician and a scholar, and further promoted the study of classic architecture by writing a treatise in Latin, Opus pratstanlissimum de re aedifuatoria, which was based partly on that of Vitruvius and was published in 1485, after his death, accompanied by illustrations. The first building with which he was connected was the church of San Francesco at Rimini, to which in 1440 he added the front. In this he was evidently inspired by the Roman triumphal arch in that city, and his interpretation of it, to meet the requirements in its facade which were imposed upqn him by the existing nave, was admirable. Unfortunately the principal front was never completed, but on the south side he designed a series of recesses to hold the sarcophagi containing the remains of the friends of his client, Sigismondo Malatesta, the effect of which is simple and grand. Alberti s largest work, the church of Sant' Andrea at Mantua (1472), in which the nave, transept and choir are all covered with barrel vaults, recalls the vaulted corridors of the Colosseum.
\nThere are no aisles, but a series of rectangular chapels on each side, the division walls of which act as buttresses to resist the thrust of the great vault. The lofty arched openings to the chapels, separated by Corinthian pilasters with entablature supporting the coffered vault and a central dome (since rebuilt), complete the structure, which has served since as the model for all the Renaissance churches of the same type. The principal front is not satisfactory, as it takes no cognizance of the width of the nave, and the side doors have no use or meaning ; here Alberti seems to have been led astray in his triumphal arch treatment, which is inferior to his scheme for the church at Rimini. In 1462 Michelozzo, another Florentine architect, built the chapel of St Peter at the east end of the church of Sant' Eustorgio, Milan. Externally it has little attraction, but internally the dome, with its magnificent frieze of winged angels in relief with a painted background of arcades and other accessories, is the most beautiful composition of the Renaissance. Michelozzo's first work was the Dominican monastery and church of San Marco at Florence (14301452), but he is better known for his secular work, to which we shall return.
\nThe next great architect chronologically is Bramante d* Urbino, to whom was entrusted the commencement of the church of St Peter at Rome. His first important work was the church of Santa Maria ilella Consolazione at Todi (1472), which consists of a square nave with immense semicircular apses, one on each side. The nave is covered with a dome raised on a drum, and carried on pendentives, and the apses with hemispherical vaults butt against the nave walls and form externally a very fine group. Bramante was the architect of the chapel in the cloisters of San Pietro-in-Montorio, Rome (1472),
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