Brunelleschi's Dome

During the Renaissance period Italian architects tried to replace the style of Gothic architecture with simpler geometry and balanced proportions. Brunelleschi’s dome is a perfect example of that.
Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, also known as Duomo is the largest stone dome ever built. It was built by Filippo Brunelleschi, a genius in architecture during the renaissance. He accomplished what many thought was impossible.

In 1296, The Florentines began to build a cathedral, designing it with space for a huge dome but they later realized that no one could create a dome this size because it was practically impossible.

As Brunelleschi began work on the dome people often considered him as crazy or insane because people believed that his bold ideas would either kill all of his workers in the process or the dome would just collapse. They began construction in the 12th century, and main construction ended in the early 14th century.

Brunelleschi's solutions for the dome were original, groundbreaking and costly. But even today Brunelleschi's Dome is the tallest building in Florence, over 600 years after it was built.

I chose this work of art because I’m just amazed at how brilliant Filippo was. His ideas inspired future architects and were complete new concepts for the renaissance; some say that the dome marked the beginning of the renaissance era. I personally admire him for his unique style and intelligence. Because of his amazing ideas, he constructed something impossible for that time and thus marked a new beginning of architecture.

Facts:

• The dome remained the largest dome in the world until modern materials permitted the construction of stadium-sized domes such as the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
• To get to the top you have to go up 463 steps

Sources:
"How Many Steps Are There in Florence’s Duomo?" TuscanyArts TuscanyArts." Turismo E Vacanze in Toscana: Sito Ufficiale Della Regione Toscana. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/allthingstuscany/tuscanyarts/how-many-steps-florence-brunelleschi-duomo/

Florence Cathedral - Brunelleschi's Dome. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. .<.">http://www.brunelleschisdome.com/>.