Pazzi Chapel /

Who was the architect?

Brunelleschi.

What vocabulary does the Pazzi chapel have?

Classical vocabulary.

What style does the Pazzi chapel incorporate?

Early Renaissance.

How is the Dome located and supported?

The hemispherical dome is raised above a square vault, and is supported by vaults and pendentives.

What is significant about the umbrella dome?

The umbrella dome is divided into 12 segments, which symbolise the 12 disciples.

What's signifiant about the roundels & who created them?

Each roundly is positioned within each pendentive. The roundels by Della Robbia, reference the four Evangelists.

What's significant about the balls eye windows in the umbrella dome?

It lets in subtle light.

What is the plan of the Pazzi chapel?

The Pazzi chapel, has a rectangular plan, so it is not strictly centralised. However the marble divisions are used to highlight the modules and the central square beneath the dome to give the impression that it is centrally planed.

Who are the patrons?

The Pazzi chapel was built for the Pazzi family in the cloisters of the Franciscan friary of Santa Croce.

Who was Andrea Pazzi?

Andrea Pazzi, was head of a noble Florentine family enriched by trade and banking.

Why is the Pazzi chapel important?

It is an example of architectural perfection, it was the prototype for the Renaissance church, (the Pazzi chapel was the first of its kind and copied thereafter). It also has many classical features, such as fluted pilasters, Corinthian capitals, domes and arches.

How does the Pazzi chapel create a serene atmosphere?

A serene atmosphere was created by a very precise treatment of the wall surfaces with decorative bands on the walls, arches and floor in a darker tone to show the proportions. The dark colour came from Pietra Serena, (local grey stone) and contrasts calmly with the white plaster of the walls.

What was the function of the Pazzi chapel?

As the Pazzi family was in competition with the Medici family, the chapel was deliberately designed to emulate the old sacristy at San Lorenzo.

What effect does the plan of the Pazzi Chapel generate?

The Pazzi chapels rectangular plan, that has the impression that it is centralised, helps to create the feeling of intimacy, suitable for private worship and meetings of the monks.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Style?

Early Renaissance, with ancient Roman architecture.

What is the effect of the Pazzi Chapels Style?

The classical Vocabulary, reflects Florence's roman heritage.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Composition?

The Pazzi Chapel has modular designs, an ABA composition. It has classical vocabulary, such as corinthian columns, Roman arches, and Medieval vocabulary such as a Loggia. The Pazzi Chapel is balanced, symmetrical, strong and tightly structured. The Pazzi chapel is highly decorated.

What is the effect of the Pazzi Chapels Composition?

It creates the Pazzi chapel to have a strong & weighty presence, which promotes the Pazzi Family. The dome highlights its religious significance & classical connections. This reflects the Pazzi family and Florence, who connect themselves to their heritage, as Florence was an Ancient Roman Colony. It also promotes Theological & Cardinal virtues.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Structure and Form?

The Pazzi chapel is trabeated & has a voluted loggia. The dome is raised on loggia. The trabeation is evident in the posts, which is the columns and lintel, that create the entablature. The actuation is evident in the interior vaulting and the dome. The Corinthian columns hold up the entablature and screen wall, which was used for decorative purposes. The Pazzi chapel has roman arches, and a dome in an umbrella form.

What is the effect of the Pazzi Chapels Structure and Form?

The Roman architecture reflect antiquity & Humanism. Florence was believed to be the daughter of Rome. Thus this Roman architecture highlights & commemorates Florence's heritage importance. The grandeur of the Classical architecture & decoration of the Pazzi chapel, promotes the Pazzi Family & generates civic pride of Florence.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Volume and Mass?

The Loggia creates air space. The dome, screen wall and the columns create mass. In the interior of the chapel there is a strong sense of massiveness due to the arcuation. However, this is relieved due to the air space, which is created by the uncluttered central chamber, and the light, that gently enters (due to the oculus on the top of the Dome), as well as the tall scale of the chapel creating space in the upper register. The Dome has an oculus which allows light in, this creates it to have an airy presence too.

What is the effect of the Pazzi Chapels Volume and Mass?

The structure of the Pazzi Chapel creates order. This signifies the order and the religious importance of the chapel. However, the open spaces created by the loggia, contrasts to the dense appearance of the screen wall and the mass of the columns, which creates a harmonious effect.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Site/Location?

The Pazzi Chapel is located near the Santa Croce. This determined the plan, as Brunelleschi could not create a square plan. The Pazzi Chapel is located in the cloisters of the Santa Croce in Florence, a Franciscan church, thus the chapel is situated with the Franciscan monks.

What is the effect of the Pazzi Chapels Site/Location?

It highlights the religious significance of the Pazzi chapel and that the Pazzi family were Franciscan supporters. The Dome and the lantern break the skyline, thus the people of Florence would have been aware of the Pazzi chapel even though it was for private use. Therefore promoting the Pazzi Family and generating civic pride.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Scale?

For a chapel it has a large scale, however it is small compared to other religious building. The Pazzi Chapel has a proportionate smaller scale, as the chapel is small compared to the church.

What is the effect of the Pazzi Chapels Scale?

Its proportionate smaller scale, creates an intimate feel. The chapel had to be large enough to hold the meetings of the Franciscan monks as it was their chapter house, but small enough to be intimate for personal use for the Pazzi Family.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Architectural Elements?

The Pazzi family has classical vocabulary, such as a roman arch, corinthian capitals and pilasters, entablature, cornice, frieze with rosettes, and an architrave. The Pazzi chapel also has a hemispherical dome, loggia, drum, roundels with pendentives, ball eye windows, and barrel vaulting.

What is the effect of the Pazzi Chapels Architectural Elements?

The classical vocabulary highlights the classical and Roman influences. This also highlights the importance of the Pazzi family and generates civic pride, as it reflects their and Florence's roman heritage. It also highlights the Pazzi family and the Chapels Cardinal and Theological virtues. It creates a very harmonious and strong effect too.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Texture, pattern and ornamentation?

The Pazzi chapel has smooth surfaces that are articulated, (broken up) by entablature, that consist of an architrave, frieze and cornice. The roundels, and corinthian capitals provide pattern and decoration. The contrast between the Pietra Serena, white marble on the floors & the terracotta roundels also creates detail and decorates the chapel.

What is the effect of the Pazzi Chapels Texture, pattern and ornamentation?

It creates grandeur and highlights the importance of the chapel. As well and generating civic pride and promoting the importance of the Pazzi family, and their wealth, through their chapel. It also highlights the religious symbolism of the chapel, due to the simplicity of the hues used as well.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Materials, Techniques and Processes?

The roundels were made from glazed terracotta, which is baked clay. The local grey stone, which is known as Pietra Serena, is highly expensive and is seen in the pediments and in the vaulting, and contrasts harmoniously with the white marble.

What is the effect of the Pazzi Chapels Materials, Techniques and Processes?

It creates the Pazzi chapel to be aesthetically grand and luxurious, however simplistic as well. This as a result signifies the theological virtues and the religious importance of the chapel, as well as the importance of the Pazzi Family. The Pazzi Chapels simplicity is due to the fact that the Pazzi family couldn't show off their wealth, as it could have led to a riot from the people in Florence. However they still wanted to supersede the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo, as the Medici family were their rivals, so they created a luxurious yet simplistic chapel.

How is the Pazzi Chapel linked to the Foundling Hospital, of 1421?

The Pazzi Chapel is a development of the new ideas that Brunelleschi had explored in The Foundling Hospital, of 1421.

How is the Pazzi Chapel revolutionary, and how was this idea inspired?

Brunelleschi created a totally new structure that had never been seen before through the use of classical vocabulary. It was inspired by Brunelleschi's visit to Rome in 1401, where he examined Roman ruins and architectural structures at first hand, with Donatello.

What about the dome links the Pazzi Chapel to Rome?

The use of the dome which punctuates the skyline, makes a direct link to the pantheon in Rome, drawing attention to Florence's Roman foundations.

What other technique did Brunelleschi develop in the Pazzi Chapel?

Brunelleschi also developed his use of sacred geometry and vaulting, seen in the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo, which he completed for the Medici family in 1429.

What was the Pazzi chapel a direct response too?

The Pazzi chapel was a direct response to the Old Sacristy, as the Pazzi family wanted to compete with Medici and go even further in the use of Antiquity to convey power and status.

Who inspired Brunelleschi's architectural techniques?

Vitruvius.

What is the Pazzi chapel heavily influenced by?

The Pazzi Chapel is heavily influenced by Humanism, in the use of classical vocabulary, sacred geometry and proportional planning.

What is so important about the Pazzi Chapel and its plan and what does it convey?

The perfection of the Pazzi Chapel highlighted the importance of the Imago Dei, whilst the desire to turn the rectangular plan into a square showed the importance of centrally planned buildings, as an expression of the ratios and measurements found in the human body.

How bad was the rivalry between the Pazzi and Medici family?

The rivalry was so intense that the Pazzi family plotted to murder Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano, but only succeeded in killing the latter in the cathedral of Florence.

What does the Pazzi Chapel display about the Pazzi family.

The Pazzi Chapel is an extreme display of the Pazzi families wealth, status, power, importance and religious faith, despite the focus on harmony and balance.

What is special about the Pietra Serena?

The grey Pietra Serena, was used to highlight the sacred geometry and modular design of the Pazzi Chapel, and it was extremely expensive, thus displaying the wealth of the Pazzi family.

What did Brunelleschi have an excellent understanding of and why?

Brunelleschi had excellent understanding of trabeation and arcuation, as a result of his extensive travels.

Where would Brunelleschi have learnt about vaulting?

Brunelleschi would have learnt about vaulting from travels to Venice and Bologna.

Where did Brunelleschi learn how to raise a dome?

In Constantinople he learnt the methods of raising the dome above a square space, through the use of vaulting and pendentives.

What is the Pazzi Chapels plan and what did it show?

The Pazzi Chapel seems to be centrally planned, as it is based around multiple axis, and it is comprised of a basic geometric unit, a square. However, in reality the plan was rectangular due to the buildings corner location in the cloisters of Santa Croce. This shows the importance of the Imago Dei and Humanism, as Brunelleschi wanted to express the ratios and measurements found in the human body.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Structure and what did it show?

The Pazzi Chapel has trabeation in the exterior, which is shown through the Corinthian columns, which displays the influence of Humanism, and arcuation in the interior of the building, which is shown through the dome and vaulting. Brunelleschi had an excellent understanding of trabeation and arcuation, as a result of his extensive travels to Rome, Venice, bologna and Constantinople.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Façade and what did it show?

The Pazzi Chapel's façade consists of, 6 Corinthian columns that support a screen wall, that is arched over the central bay and articulated with shallow rectangular panels and pilasters. The use of classical vocabulary displays the influence of humanism, and Brunelleschi's inspiration from his trip to Rome in 1401, with Donatello.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Articulation of Internal walls and what did it show?

The architectural articulation emphasises the modular concept of the chapel, which is shown in the classical pilasters, entablature, semi-circular cornices, and arches. The architectural articulation displays a high level of decoration. This portrays the Pazzi family's wealth and importance, as well as the Pazzi chapel being a response to the Old Sacristy at San Lorenzo, which was commissioned by the Medici family, as the Pazzi family wanted to compete with the Medici family.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Dome and what did it show?

The Dome is supported by pendentives with roundels and is evenly lit by small round windows at the base of the dome. The use of the dome which punctuates the skyline makes a direct link to the pantheon in Rome, drawing attention to Florence's Roman foundations. In Constantinople Brunelleschi learnt the methods of raising the dome above a square space, through the use of vaulting and pendentives.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Colour scheme and what did it show?

The dark grey stone, Pietra Serena, which is a local Tuscan stone, contrasts against the plane white walls and the marble tiled floor. The Pietra Serena was used to highlight the sacred geometry and modular design of the Pazzi Chapel. Pietra Serena was also highly expensive and therefore displayed the wealth of the Pazzi Family.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Marble pavement and what did it show?

The pattern of the marble pavement highlights the special organisation of the central chamber. The Pazzi Chapel was located in the corner of the cloisters belonging to the monks at the Santa Croce complex. This explains the imperfection of the rectangular plan.

What is the Pazzi Chapels Evidence of proportional planning and what did it show?

The same module is used consistently throughout the structure and articulation of the interior, indicted by the pilasters and corbels. The proportional planning highlights the influence of Humanism and the Imago Dei.

How does the composition of the Pazzi Chapel relate to Christian values?

The Roman influence, the revival of Classicism and the influence of Humanism, shown through the chapels ABA composition, that consists of Corinthian columns, Roman arches and a screen wall, which forms a loggia, highlights christian values. As well as the sense of idealism and perfection, that creates a sense of harmony, rhythm, and balance, evoking a sense of calm and religious order reflects Christian values, as well as highlighting the importance of the Imago Dei.

In what ways are structure and form connected to the chapel's multiple functions?

The dome was raised above the square vault which not only supported the dome due to the vaults and pendentives, but also highlighted Florence's Civic Pride as well as the cardinal virtues. The arcuation of the dome provided a circular base for the dome whist also highlighting the religious significance and the rebirth of Antiquity. The Pazzi family's competition with the Medici family, to emulate the old sacristy at San Lorenzo can be seen in the trabeation such as the columns and entablature, highlighting the cardinal virtues and strength, further showing Florence's civic pride.

How would volume and mass have generated Civic Pride during the 15th century in Florence?

The dome has an oculus revealing light, creating airspace and volume, emphasizing the civic pride in Florence during the 15th century. Additionally, the columns and screen wall of the loggia evoke mass which creates density and conveys strength of not only the civic pride of Florence, but the Pazzi family as well, which also portrays the cardinal virtues. Brunelleschi's volume and mass had to be especially strong and powerful, because the Pazzi chapel was a direct response to the Old Sacristy as they wanted to compete with the Medici and go even further in the use of Antiquity to convey power and status.

Explain how the site and location of the Pazzi Chapel determined its design both inside and out? Why was such design helpful in reinforcing Christian beliefs and aiding Christian devotion?

The Pazzi Chapel was located within a corner of the cloisters of the Santa Croce complex; therefore, Brunelleschi couldn't make it square and modular. The basic shape of the chamber is rectangular rather than square, however a square is formed by the central bay of the building which is directly located under the twelve-part umbrella dome. This desire to turn the rectangular plan into a square showed the importance of centrally planned buildings as an expression of the ratios and measurements found in the human body, showing the Christian beliefs, and aiding their devotion.

Discuss the role of scale in relation to the Pazzi Family and their needs?

The Pazzi Chapel has a larger scale compared to most chapels, therefore this promotes the status and importance of the Pazzi family in relation to other rivaling merchant families in Florence, such as the medici and Strozzi family. However, the Pazzi Chapel has a smaller proportionate scale compared to the Santa Croce, and other religious churches. Therefore, the Pazzi chapel was large enough to be used as a chapter house, to hold meeting for the Franciscan monks who lived in the Santa Croce, however it was small enough to be an intimate space for the Pazzi family's worship and burials. Brunelleschi's use of the Dome and lantern, that punctuates the skyline, shows a direct link to the pantheon in Rome, which was inspired by his trip with Donatello in 1401 to Rome. This displays the influence of antiquity and humanism, which was a direct response to the Old Sacristy in San Lorenzo, that was commissioned by the Medici family, thus promoting the Pazzi family's power and status.

Describe the relationship between architectural elements and Humanism

The module design of the Pazzi Chapel is shown consistently throughout the structure, by the pilasters which is evident on the screen wall. These pilasters and moldings, which are the square divisions highlight the geometric modules. This influence of humanism promotes the importance of the Pazzi family, as humanism was a scholarly interest in Florence's upper class.

What messages did texture, pattern and ornamentation convey (refer to interior and exterior)?

Texture, pattern and ornamentation of the Pazzi chapel conveyed Florence and the Pazzi family's roman heritage, through the use of classical vocabulary. This is evident within the interior of the Pazzi chapel, with the architectural articulation, classical pilasters, entablature, semicircular cornice's, barrel vaulting and roman arches. This highlights the influence of roman architecture, and therefore evokes harmony and balance, which is furthermore exemplified by the use of Pietra Serna, a local grey Tuscan stone, which contrasts against the marble, that highlights the sacred geometry and modular design of the chapel. Moreover, pietra serena was highly expensive and so it conveys the Pazzi family's wealth and status. The terracotta glazed roundels portray John the Evangelist and the articulation in the wall space, of the frieze, represents the lamb of god. This conveys the religious importance of the chapel. On the exterior of the chapel, Brunelleschi designed a screen wall, Corinthian capitals and rosettes on the frieze to heighten the chapels decoration, and to create an impactful presence and to highlight the wealth of the chapel, therefore giving it grandeur and symbolises antiquity and humanism. This decoration also creates the chapel to be aesthetically pleasing for the viewer, which competes against the Old Sacristy in San Lorenzo. Moreover, the religious and Humanist influences of the Pazzi Chapel, highlight the importance of these influences and therefore the Pazzi family, as it displays that they are cultured and educated on these popular and important scholarly subjects in Florence.

Explore the relationship between Neo-Platonism and materials, techniques and processes?

Brunelleschi uses materials, techniques, and processes to convey Neo-Platonism. This is shown through the Pietra Serena, a local Tuscan grey stone, in the vaulting and the pediments within the interior of the chapel. This contrasts against the white marble divisions, therefore highlighting the chapels tiled floor and the geometric square shape underneath the dome. As a result, this illustrates Brunelleschi's use of sacred geometry and creates an illusion of centralized planning, creating harmony and balance. Moreover, Brunelleschi uses proportional planning to create geometric perfection, to reflect the perfect proportions found in the human body and to show the importance of the imago dei, which evokes the neo-platonic belief of beauty.

Why is the Pazzi Chapel so important to Renaissance architecture?

It displays true Renaissance architecture, and its architect is Brunelleschi. It uses Petra Serina. It displays perfect geometry, through rectangles, squares, semicircles and circles. It highlights the influence of ancient Roman temples, and therefore the revival of Classism. It displays centrality. The Pazzi Chapel has a hemispherical dome and fluted pilasters. It also has constructed space, especially through the dome, that constructs the space, by creating the illusion of centralised planning, also by the floor that is tiled into squares.

What were the Pazzi Chapel's functions?

The Pazzi Chapel was a chapter house for Franciscan Monks. It was also for private worship, for the Pazzi family to carry out their worship and to be buried there. The Pazzi Chapel promotes Civic Pride. It was for the Franciscan Monks. The Pazzi Chapel was to emulate the old sacristy in San Lorenzo, where the Medici were buried and that Brunelleschi had also designed. This was because the Medici were a rival family to the Pazzi. The Pazzi Chapel also promotes Cardinal values, and has a harmonious, balanced and strong, weighty presence. The Pazzi Chapel also promotes Theological values, such as Karatas for the Monks, and Hope, for religious prayer. These values were used to emphasise Christian virtues.