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BASILICA of SANT' ANDREA by Alberti Architecture

The Basilica of Sant'Andrea in Mantua, Italy was commissioned in 1472 by Ludovico III Gonzaga and designed by Leon Battista Alberti. [1] Alberti combined Roman and Etruscan architectural styles with Renaissance ideals of symmetry, geometry, and proportion. [2] The church features a perfectly symmetrical facade defined by columns, pilasters, and arches, as well as a Latin cross interior plan. [3] Sant'Andrea demonstrates Alberti's mastery of Renaissance architecture.

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578 views3 pages

BASILICA of SANT' ANDREA by Alberti Architecture

The Basilica of Sant'Andrea in Mantua, Italy was commissioned in 1472 by Ludovico III Gonzaga and designed by Leon Battista Alberti. [1] Alberti combined Roman and Etruscan architectural styles with Renaissance ideals of symmetry, geometry, and proportion. [2] The church features a perfectly symmetrical facade defined by columns, pilasters, and arches, as well as a Latin cross interior plan. [3] Sant'Andrea demonstrates Alberti's mastery of Renaissance architecture.

Uploaded by

Anqa Parvez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BASILICA OF SANT’ ANDREA

BY LEON BATTISTA ALBERTI

The Basilica of Sant’ Andreas is a Roman Catholic co-cathedral and minor basilica in
Mantua, Lombardy, Italy. It is one of the major works of Quatrocentto Renaissance
Architecture in Northern Italy. Commisioned by Ludovico III Gonzaga, the
construction began in 1472 on a site occupied by a Benedictine monastery,
according to the design of Leon Battista Alberti.
Completed 328 years later, it is considered to be Alberti’s last and most complete
work.
For Sant’ Andrea, Alberti combined his views of a ‘Renaissance Man’ with his
knowledge of Roman and Etruscan architecture to create a church that is
geometrically perfect.
• Design of the façade:
It is largely a brick structure with hardened stucco used for the surface. It is
defined by a large central arch, flanked by Corinthian pilasters. There are
smaller openings to the right and left of the arch. A novel aspect of the design
was the integration of a lower order, comprising fluted Corinthian columns,
with a giant order, comprising the taller, unfluted pilasters. The whole is
surmounted by a pediment and above that the vaulted structure, to cover the
rose window (assumption).

Façade of Sant’ Andreas

• Anthropomorphism :
Emerging from Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, ideal harmony was seen in
St. Andrea in the façade through the use of squares and circles in perfect
balance.
• Bilateral Symmetry :
Alberti being an artist of facades, used proportions and clearly out-lined
symmetry. The vertical axis of the façade extends to the division of the Latin
cross plan down the centre of the nave into two mirrored halves. Repetition of
elements such as arches, niches and pilasters mirror both sides of the church,
creating visual order.

Plan
• Clear Geometry:
Alberti’s use of simple geometry can be seen when broken down into simple
shapes. The façade is organized within a perfect square. The concealed
basilica behind the facade forms a perfect circle repeated beneath in the form
of triumphal arch. Similar circles and squares divide the façade.

• Defined space:
The great triumphal arch, with a set in coffered barrel vault, opens the façade
to the piazza square. Inside the same form of coffered barrel vaulting extends
over the nave emphasizing the longitudinal direction of Latin cross plan. The
three arched chapels set in on either side of the nave, hold even smaller
chapels within. The vastness of the church is perceived as a whole from all
angles, emphasizing the impression of depth.

• Spatial context:
Located in the centre of urban Mantua, surrounded by markets and clock
tower, the dome structure of the roof of Sant’ Andrea stretches higher than
adjacent structures, thus forming its presence and can be captured from
multiple view points.

• Interior Space:
Sant’ Andrea was arranged in similar way to the Roman basilicas and
Etruscan temples. The basilica consists of a main nave with six chapels.
Open chapels called ‘ Tribunalia’ are alternated with smaller chapels called
‘cella’. At the end of the nave is a semi- circular apse that houses the famous
relic, the Holy Blood of Christ.

Interiors of Sant’ Andrea

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