Bramante Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Donato Bramante
Donato Bramante
Born	Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio 1444 Fermignano, Duchy of Urbino, in present-day Italy
Died	11 April 1514 (aged about 70) Rome, in present-day Italy
Nationality	Italian
Known for	Architecture, painting
Notable work	San Pietro in Montorio Christ at the column
Movement	High Renaissance

Donato Bramante (born in 1444, died April 11, 1514) was a famous Italian architect. His full name was Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio. He brought the new style of Renaissance architecture to cities like Milan and Rome. In Rome, his ideas for St. Peter's Basilica were later used by Michelangelo. Bramante's small, round building called the Tempietto in Rome is seen as the start of the High Renaissance style there. He built it in 1502 for Pope Julius II. It was placed where people believed Saint Peter was crucified.

Who Was Donato Bramante?
Important Works by Bramante
Images for kids
See also

Who Was Donato Bramante?

Early Life in Urbino

Donato Bramante was born in a town called Fermignano. This town is near Urbino, in what is now Italy. When he was young, the Ducal Palace in Urbino was being updated. An architect named Luciano Laurana was adding new Renaissance features.

Bramante was also a painter, but he is most famous for his buildings. He knew painters like Melozzo da Forlì and Piero della Francesca. These artists were very interested in how to show perspective in their art. They also liked creating illusions in paintings.

Moving to Milan

Around 1474, Bramante moved to Milan. This city had a very old style of building called Gothic. Bramante started building churches in a new, ancient Roman style. The Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, made Bramante his main architect.

One of Bramante's most famous works in Milan is the church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro. He built a special choir area there between 1482 and 1486. The space was small, so Bramante used a clever trick. He made a trompe-l'oeil (which means "trick the eye") apse. This made the space look much deeper than it really was. He mixed painting tricks with Roman building details. The church also has an octagonal (eight-sided) room with a dome on top.

In Milan, Bramante also worked on the tribune of Santa Maria delle Grazie. This was built between 1492 and 1499. Other early projects include the Cloisters of Sant'Ambrogio (1497–1498). He also did some work in other cities like Pavia and possibly Legnano. In 1499, the French army invaded Milan, and Duke Sforza had to leave. Bramante then moved to Rome.

Working in Rome

The Tempietto, a small, round temple designed by Bramante.

In Rome, Bramante quickly became known to powerful people. One of them was Cardinal Della Rovere, who soon became Pope Julius II. For the King and Queen of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, Bramante designed a beautiful building. This was the Tempietto (built around 1510) at San Pietro in Montorio.

Even though it is small, the Tempietto is perfectly balanced and symmetrical. It has slender Doric columns around it and a dome on top. It shows the strict proportions of classical Roman buildings. Bramante had a bigger plan for it, wanting to place it inside a courtyard with more columns.

In 1503, Pope Julius II hired Bramante for a huge project. This was the complete rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica. This was one of the biggest building jobs in Europe during the 1500s. The first stone for the main supports was laid on April 17, 1506.

Not many of Bramante's own drawings for St. Peter's still exist. However, some drawings by his helpers do. These show how many people worked with him. Bramante wanted St. Peter's to have a Greek cross shape. This means all four arms of the cross would be equal in length. He thought this shape was perfect. After he died in 1514, the design was changed. The nave (the long part of the church) was made longer.

Bramante also worked on other projects in Rome. Before St. Peter's began, he designed the cloister (a covered walkway) of Santa Maria della Pace. This was built between 1500 and 1504, near Piazza Navona.

Important Works by Bramante

Santa Maria presso San Satiro, Milan, around 1482–1486
Palazzo della Cancelleria, Rome, around 1489-1513
Santa Maria delle Grazie (cloister and apse); Milan, 1492–1498
The Tempietto, San Pietro in Montorio, Rome, 1502
Santa Maria della Pace (cloister); Rome, 1504
St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, design 1503, construction started 1506
Cortile del Belvedere, Vatican City, Rome, 1506
Palazzo Caprini (also known as Raphael's House), Rome, started around 1510 (this building was taken down later)