Buildings and Structures
St. Peter's Basilica
Basilica
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The basilica of the Vatican, rebuilt across the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries by a succession of architects including Bramante, Michelangelo, who designed the dome, and Carlo Maderno, and consecrated in 1626. The largest church in the world for centuries, with Bernini's colonnaded piazza before it, it is the central built statement of the Renaissance and Baroque church.
Facts
Building Type Completed YearThe year of consecration; Bernini's piazza and baldachin followed over the next decades. Cross-Tradition Connections
Designed By
The basilica's century-long rebuilding involved several architects in sequence; Michelangelo became chief architect in 1546, redesigned the dome on a centralized plan, and did not live to see it completed, which fell to Giacomo della Porta.
In Style
Maderno's nave and facade and Bernini's piazza are defining works of the Roman Baroque.
The plan and dome belong to the High Renaissance; the completed nave, facade and piazza belong to the Baroque.
Uses Element
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture
Banister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition), Architectural Press, 1996Uses Element: Dome
Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture
Banister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition), Architectural Press, 1996Uses Element: Column
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationDesigned By: Michelangelo, Michelangelo, St. Peter's Basilica sectionQuote, Designed By: Michelangelo, Michelangelo, St. Peter's Basilica section
In 1546, Michelangelo was appointed architect of St. Peter's Basilica, Rome.
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