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Renaissance architecture facts for kids

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Roma Gianicolo Tempietto del Bramante
The Tempietto in Rome, built by Bramante in 1502. It's a small temple marking where St Peter died.
Rome (29105785)
The Temple of Vesta in Rome, built in 205 AD. Its design inspired Bramante's Tempietto.

Renaissance architecture is a style of building that was popular in Europe from the early 1300s to the early 1500s. It brought back ideas and designs from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. This style came after Gothic architecture and before Baroque architecture.

The Renaissance style first started in Florence, Italy, with Filippo Brunelleschi as a key inventor. From Florence, it quickly spread to other Italian cities. Over time, it reached France, Germany, England, Russia, and other parts of Europe.

Renaissance buildings focus on being balanced and orderly. They use ideas like symmetry (being the same on both sides) and proportion (parts fitting together well). They also use geometry and regular shapes, just like the buildings of classical antiquity, especially ancient Roman architecture. Many examples of Roman buildings still existed and were studied.

Builders used columns, pilasters (flat columns on a wall), and lintels (horizontal beams) in neat rows. They also used round arches, curved domes, niches (wall alcoves), and aedicula (small shrines). These simple, clear shapes replaced the more complex and uneven designs of medieval buildings.

Famous Renaissance Buildings

The Dome of Florence Cathedral

The Florence Cathedral, also known as "il Duomo," had a huge opening in its center. A competition was held to design a roof for it. Brunelleschi won this competition. He built the largest dome seen since Roman times. He made the whole city excited by having teams of workers from different parts of Florence help build it.

Church of San Lorenzo

This church in Florence was designed by Brunelleschi. He used everything he learned from studying the architecture of Ancient Rome. It features arches, columns, and round-topped windows, all in the Roman style. It looks very different from the pointy-arched churches of the Middle Ages. Only the inside of the church was finished. The outside is still rough brick, and no one knows exactly how it was meant to look. Inside, Brunelleschi introduced new building rules that changed architecture during the Renaissance.

Church of Sant' Andrea

When Ancient Roman Emperors won battles, they built a Triumphal Arch to celebrate. Several of these monuments are still in Rome. They usually have a large arch in the middle and smaller arches or doorways on each side. The architect Alberti used this design for the front of the Church of Sant' Andrea in Mantua. He repeated this pattern of tall arches and low, square shapes all along the inside of the church. Many other architects later copied this design.

Medici-Riccardi Palace

When building palaces, wealthy people of the Renaissance had different needs than Roman Emperors. Architects had to use the new rules to create grand new types of buildings. These Renaissance palaces are usually three stories tall and look quite plain from the outside. Inside, they have a courtyard surrounded by beautiful columns and windows. Architects like Michelozzo, who worked for Cosimo de' Medici, looked at the Roman Colosseum (a sports arena). The Colosseum is three stories high with rows of arches, which inspired the palace designs.

Saint Peter's Basilica

The most famous church in Rome was an old church built over the grave of St. Peter. By the 1500s, it was falling apart. The Pope decided to tear it down and build a brand new church. Many important artists worked on its design, including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bramante, Maderna, and Sangallo. It was the first building to use very tall columns called a "giant order." It has one of the most amazing domes in the world, and its design has been copied in many countries.

Villa Rotunda

This country house was built by Palladio in 1550. It is a square building that looks the same from every side. In the center, it has a dome. On each side, there is a large porch, called a portico, like a Greek temple. It is such an elegant design that other architects used the same style. You can see this style on churches, houses, and palaces, including the White House in the United States.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Arquitectura del Renacimiento para niños

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