Facade of the Church of San Lorenzo (1516-1520)

"... for at that time the death of Pope Julius happened, and therefore this work was abandoned due to the election of Pope Leo X, who, shining with enterprise and power no less than Julius, wished to remain in his homeland, for he was the first high priest, from there occurred, in memory of himself and the divine artist, his fellow citizen, such miracles that could only have been created by such a great sovereign as he.
And therefore, since he ordered that the facade of San Lorenzo in Florence, the church built by the Medici family, be entrusted to Michelangelo, this circumstance was the reason that the work on the tomb of Julius remained unfinished. Michelangelo was ordered to express his opinion, draw up a project and lead new job. Michelangelo opposed this with all his might, citing the obligations regarding the tomb that he had entered into with the Cardinal of the Four Saints and Aginense. The Pope answered him not to think about it, that he had already thought for him and freed him from his obligations to them, promising to allow Michelangelo to work on the figures for the said tomb in Florence in the spirit in which he had already begun them; but all this upset both the cardinals and Michelangelo, who retired in tears.
It is not for nothing that subsequent discussions of all this were varied and countless, especially since they wanted to divide the work on the facade between several persons; many architects came to Rome to visit the pope, and the designs were drawn up by Baccio d'Agnolo, Antonio da Sangallo, Andrea and Jacopo Sansovino, as well as the lovely Raphael of Urbino, who for this purpose was sent to Florence later, when the pope arrived there. Therefore, Michelangelo also decided make a model, expressing the desire that only he, and no one else, be the main leader of the architectural work. However, this refusal to help was the reason that neither he nor the others started work, and the named masters gave up on everything. returned to their usual activities, and Michelangelo, having gathered in Carrara, received an order that Jacopo Salviati pay him a thousand crowns; however, since Jacopo was sitting locked in his room, discussing business with some townspeople, Michelangelo did not want to wait for the reception, but , without saying a word, he turned and immediately left for Carrara...
Michelangelo spent many years quarrying marble; True, while getting it, he sculpted wax models and did some other things to fulfill the order, but the matter became so difficult that the money intended by the pope for this work was spent on the war in Lombardy, and the whole work remained unfinished by the death of Leo; after all, nothing else was done except the front part of the foundation, under the facade, and a large marble column was brought from Carrara to Piazza San Lorenzo" Vasari.

Significant obstacle to completion tomb of Pope Julius II Michelangelo was a new order from Pope Leo X. If Julius II took Michelangelo away from sculpture and ordered him to paint, the new pope ordered him to become an architect and finish the facade of the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence, where his father, grandfather, great-grandfather and many other representatives of the house were buried Medici. In vain Michelangelo refused, citing his obligations to the heirs of Pope Julius, and the fact that architecture is "not his specialty", - he had to obey.

The new Pope Leo X decided to complete the facade of the Church of San Lorenzo - the Medici Church in Florence - during his stay in Florence in 1515. Initially, many architects and sculptors were involved in the development of the project (Antonio Sangallo, Andrea and Jacopo Sansovino, Raphael, Baccio d" Agnolo), on January 19, 1518, Michelangelo alone received the order for the second time. Drawings of his designs are preserved in the Uffizi and in the House of Buonarroti, where a wooden model of the facade is also kept.

Leo X wanted 10 statues to be placed on the façade: four below, four above and two even higher. The lower statues should depict Saints Lawrence, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul, above them the four evangelists (Luke, John, Matthew and Mark), and at the very top the home saints of the customer’s family - Cosmas and Damian.

September 27th, 2013

If you look at the white marble facade of the Milan Cathedral with a fresh look, it seems to be a product of some other, fantastic world in which architecture developed according to its own alternative laws. At first glance, it seems to look like gothic, but instead of rushing into higher spheres, the cathedral stands firmly on the ground. And white marble is reminiscent of ancient sanctuaries rather than medieval temples. If you come closer, then instead of subtle, almost ethereal Gothic sculptures, you can see quite realistic images of very full-blooded people...

However parallel worlds and alternative dimensions, of course, have absolutely nothing to do with it. The reason for the fantastic decoration lies in the ordinary earthly (and even more ordinary Italian) history. And it was like this...

When construction began on the Milan Cathedral in 1386, it was decided to build it in the Lombard Gothic style. This style represented a special, Italian, version of Gothic, largely based on the achievements of Romanesque architecture. From her he adopted a number of design features, as well as the traditional material - baked brick.

Italian Gothic is characterized by the composition of the western façade, which fits into a triangle. The Milan Cathedral demonstrates just such a composition. In addition, it is interesting for its clear application of the principle of triangulation - a method of proportioning the plan and facade. A surviving drawing by the mathematician Gabriele Stornalocco (1391) shows triangulation cross section of the cathedral along the transept and middle cross.

Drawing of a cross section of the Milan Cathedral along the cross. G. Stornalocco. 1391


Source: Vlasov V.G. New encyclopedic dictionary fine arts: 3 vols. - St. Petersburg: ABC-classics, 2005.

Unfortunately, no drawings of the facade dating back to the start of construction of the Milan Cathedral have reached us. However, how the first architects of the famous temple saw it can be judged by the coat of arms of the Factoria of the Milan Cathedral.

Coat of arms of the Factoria of Milan Cathedral. Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, Milan. Relief from the Renaissance.


Source: Wikipedia.

In the second half of 1387, the Duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Visconti decided to take personal control of the construction of the cathedral. He sought to establish the political prestige of his signoria and wanted to make the Duomo of Milan a kind of symbol of his rule, recognizable throughout Europe. According to his idea, the cathedral was supposed to resemble the great temples that rose in the most influential kingdoms and principalities on the other side of the Alps. New approach assumed the use of new material. It was then that the Factoria of Milan Cathedral (Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano - the organization that supervised the construction of Milan Cathedral) took over the quarries of Candoglia, where marble was mined.

Coat of arms of the Factoria of Milan Cathedral depicting the white marble facade. Fragment of the Codex Gaffuriani, 1490

Source: The Duomo of Milan. A Tale spanning 600 years.

The issue of the façade, however, was not particularly acute at the time construction began. Firstly, churches were traditionally built starting from the altar, so it would not have been possible to reach the façade right away. Secondly, an excellent “temporary solution” was found. The fact is that the Milan Cathedral was not built from scratch. Before him, there were several churches in the central square of Milan, which were decided to be demolished to make way for a new grandiose temple. The facade of one of them, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, was supposed to temporarily cover the nave of the cathedral under construction.

Almost 300 years later, at the end of the 17th century, the façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore was still standing. During this time, the design of the cathedral has already changed several times. At first, the changes were due to the fact that Factoria was forced to look for Gothic specialists abroad, primarily in Central Europe. They brought their past experiences to their work, and the cathedral acquired some features characteristic of Rhenish and Bohemian Gothic. From these styles he adopted the spaciousness of the interior space and elaborate sculptural design.

Cologne Cathedral. Rhine Gothic.

Kutna Hora, St. Barbori Cathedral. Bohemian Gothic.


Photo source: Wikipedia.

Fundamental changes in the cathedral construction project occurred in the middle of the 16th century. They are associated with the appearance in Milan of Archbishop Carlo Borromeo (1565) and his architect Pellegrino Pellegrini (1567). This was the time of the beginning of the Counter-Reformation. It was important for the archbishop to emphasize the proximity of the Milan Church to Rome and clearly demonstrate the close ties with the papal throne. This was expressed in the reworking of the design of the cathedral in the style of Roman church architecture and the introduction into it of some elements of the style of the late Michelangelo period.

Pellegrini's design for the facade of the Milan Cathedral was a two-level structure, decorated with giant Corinthian columns and obelisks.

Work on the construction of this facade began only in 1609, already under Cardinal Federico Borromeo, a relative and like-minded person of Carlo Borromeo. By this time, some additions had already been made to his project in accordance with the Baroque style that had come into fashion at that time. The obelisks on the second level were abandoned, but the central fragment with a niche became much larger.

Project of the facade of the Milan Cathedral with additions by Francesco Rechini and Alessandro Bisnati.

Source: Wikipedia.

The construction of the “Roman” façade of the Milan Cathedral was interrupted in the 1630s. Over the course of almost a quarter of a century, five gates were built, and the façade rose to the level of the lower windows.

Gate decor.

The stoppage of construction work was associated with the death of Ferderico Borromeo and the appointment of a new archbishop, Cardinal Cesare Monti, in his place. The spiritual and cultural influence of the Borromeo family weakened. In addition, the political situation has changed. Reformation no longer threatened catholic church in Italy. As a result of all these events, it was decided to redesign the facade of the Milan Cathedral in the Gothic style, according to the original concept. New projects began to arrive at the Factoria of Milan Cathedral.

Project of the facade of the Milan Cathedral, Carlo Buzzi.

Source: Wikipedia.

After lengthy discussions, in 1653, among many projects, Carlo Buzzi's proposal was chosen. Elements that were already built in the Roman style were integrated into this project.

In 1683, the facade of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore still had to be demolished. There was nowhere to go, and in its place they began to build a wall for a new facade. However, despite the existence of a seemingly approved project, controversy over its final appearance did not subside.

As a result, by the middle of the 18th century the situation looked something like this: everyone continued to offer new options to the Factory council, which gave rise to endless discussions...

The facade of the largest cathedral in Milan is a not particularly aesthetic “technical” wall, the appearance of which does not change much over the years...

Marc Antonio dal Re. Milan Cathedral (engraving from the series "Views of Milan", circa 1745).

A lot has been written about the Hosios Loukas monastery, but few people pay attention to the rich decor of the facades of its churches. Except traditional patterns made of brick, marble slabs with relief are widely used here, very similar to the pluteo of the altar barriers. True, most of them are suspiciously new and white, but there is no doubt that they were copied from exactly the same prototypes.
For myself, I divided the local decor into three groups - brick patterns, window sashes and marble reliefs.

On the southern facade you can see all these decorative techniques at once.


Western façade. I don't think I've ever seen such huge windows in Byzantine churches. All the reliefs in the lower part of the windows are of a standard size and have the same design, which means they are not spolia, but most likely made specifically for this temple. As for the design - another version - restorers found fragments of old slabs only with this design. :-)
Judging by the door in the center of the second floor facade, there was a balcony.

Rows of curbs and cloisonne masonry alternate with pseudo-Kufic inscriptions laid out from plinth.

Window grilles very elegant, decorated with braids and plant motifs. It’s difficult to say what they are made of. For stone ones, in my opinion, they are too thin; from a distance they look more like terracotta.
By the way, the color of the illuminated surfaces is slightly distorted by the evening sun.

In one of the churches in another place, you could see a closer look at such an old grating, and it looked very similar to stone.

On the archivolt windows there are figures of animals, reminiscent of Italian Romanesque, but more naturalistic.

Marble carved decorative elements- the most interesting part of the decor.

A piece of an authentic ancient slab.

Above it is an interesting pattern reminiscent of a Kufic inscription.

A relief similar to the previous one, but not the same.

The brackets and capitals are decorated with flourished crosses.

On the sides of the window there is a cornice with krin ornament.

Stained glass windows confuse me with their modernity.
Pluteos with similar ornaments are found very often in a variety of places. The central composition, however, is rarer.

Most of the slabs under the windows have this pattern.

To make mosaic icons, as a rule, smalt is used - colored opaque glass in the form of cubes or plates, but you can also take multi-colored squares of stone. Each material has its own characteristics. The stone is not transparent and does not glow from the inside like smalt. Smalt has a number of undeniable advantages: this coating is very frost-resistant and heat-resistant, so glass mosaic can be used on facades. Thanks to the wide selection of colors from smalt, you can create any mosaic composition. Today, to make mosaics, they most often use not pure smalt (since it is very expensive), but its combination with glass with the addition of aventurine and glass with gold leaf.

IN modern practice They use the technology of assembling mosaic compositions in art workshops on a base made of a polymer mesh using adhesive compositions such as the cement-polymer composition “kerabond” with the addition of “isolastic” dispersion, which increases the plasticity of the glue. Finished mosaic compositions are glued to prepared surfaces with adhesives.

The basis for the Roman mosaic is calcareous soil, consisting of slaked lime (1 part), fine quartz sand (2 parts), dry pigment (up to 20% of the mass of sand).

The basis of the Florentine mosaic, consisting of plates of polished marble selected according to the pattern, are asbestos-cement slabs, to which they are glued with glue.

Painting works

Before painting the facades, all window drains, trims, sandriks and other protruding architectural details, the installation of gutters and roof overhangs has been completed.

Materials for painting facades must be durable. Of the modern paint and varnish materials used for this purpose are limestone, organosilicate (VN-30 OSM-5), organosilicon (KO-174) enamels, perchlorovinyl facade paints (ХВ 161), facade paints based on chlorosulfonated polyethylene (ХП-71Ф), emulsion casein paints. Water-dispersion paints are not recommended due to their low weather resistance. Alkyd-acrylic paints with organic pigments should also not be used, since the pigments quickly burn out, and the coatings attract dust and quickly become dirty.

It is traditional to paint brick and plastered facades of temple buildings with lime paints based on low-magnesium lime with the addition of inorganic pigments or silicates. Coatings based on lime paints are decorative and have bright colors. The use of magnesium and dolomite lime significantly reduces the service life of such coatings. To extend their service life, paraffin, potassium alum, water-repellent agents are added to paints, or additional surface treatment is carried out with water-repellent agents. Hydrophobization of facades painted with lime paints is carried out using sodium alkyl siliconates (GKZh-10, GKZh-11), polyethylhydridesiloxane (GKZh-94), silazanes (174-71 former K 15/3).

Painting is carried out on brick or a durable plaster layer after completion of facade work. If there are defects after cleaning, the plaster surface is rubbed with lime (lime paste) mixed with fine washed sand in a ratio of 1:1.2. The primer for lime paints is a lime soap maker with the following composition, kg: boiling lime 1.2 - 2.0, drying oil, laundry soap 0.15 - 0.2, water no more than 0.025 - 0.310 l.

To increase adhesion in lime paints containing large quantities pigments, you can introduce 35 - 40 g/l of casein.

When painting facades with perchlorovinyl paints, the surfaces, if necessary, are puttied with perchlorovinyl putty and primed with 5% perchlorovinyl varnish.

When painting internal surfaces surfaces should be prepared with polyvinyl acetate compositions in the same way as for oil painting, with obligatory priming before painting with a polyvinyl acetate primer.

The silicate multi-stage painting system "Kaim-Farben" (Germany) is intended for external and interior works. A wide palette of deep velvety colors makes it possible to perform monumental paintings on the facades and interiors of temples, reminiscent of ancient frescoes. Painting can be carried out on cement plaster, monolithic concrete base and natural stone. As a painting system, painting can be carried out using “Kaimovsky” plasters, primers and putties, providing high quality and durability.

Alfrey surface finishes are usually produced using high-quality paint coatings. Finishing of surfaces with painting of individual areas - panels, friezes, borders, etc. - in different colors is made so that the joint lines of the painted areas are decorated with panels or baguettes with an appropriately selected color tone, combining areas with different color tones into one harmonious whole.

Continuing the recently raised topic of the facades of famous Italian cathedrals...

If you look at the white marble facade of the Milan Cathedral with a fresh look, it seems to be a product of some other, fantastic world in which architecture developed according to its own alternative laws. At first glance, it seems to look like Gothic, but instead of rushing into higher spheres, the cathedral stands firmly on the ground. And white marble is reminiscent of ancient sanctuaries rather than medieval temples. If you come closer, then instead of subtle, almost ethereal Gothic sculptures, you can see quite realistic images of very full-blooded people...

However, parallel worlds and alternative dimensions, of course, have absolutely nothing to do with it. The reason for the fantastic decoration lies in the ordinary earthly (and even more ordinary Italian) history. And it was like this...

When construction began on the Milan Cathedral in 1386, it was decided to build it in the Lombard Gothic style. This style represented a special, Italian, version of Gothic, largely based on the achievements of Romanesque architecture. From her he adopted a number of design features, as well as the traditional material - baked brick.

Italian Gothic is characterized by the composition of the western façade, which fits into a triangle. The Milan Cathedral demonstrates just such a composition. In addition, it is interesting for its clear application of the principle of triangulation - a method of proportioning the plan and facade. A drawing by the mathematician Gabriele Stornalocco (1391) has survived, showing the triangulation of the cross-section of the cathedral along the transept and cross.

Drawing of a cross section of the Milan Cathedral along the cross. G. Stornalocco. 1391


Source: Vlasov V.G. New encyclopedic dictionary of fine arts: 3 volumes - St. Petersburg: Azbuka-classics, 2005.

Unfortunately, no drawings of the facade dating back to the start of construction of the Milan Cathedral have reached us. However, how the first architects of the famous temple saw it can be judged by the coat of arms of the Factoria of the Milan Cathedral.

Coat of arms of the Factoria of Milan Cathedral. Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, Milan. Relief from the Renaissance.


Source: Wikipedia

In the second half of 1387, the Duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Visconti decided to take personal control of the construction of the cathedral. He sought to establish the political prestige of his signoria and wanted to make the Duomo of Milan a kind of symbol of his rule, recognizable throughout Europe. According to his idea, the cathedral was supposed to resemble the great temples that rose in the most influential kingdoms and principalities on the other side of the Alps. The new approach involved the use of new material. It was then that the Factoria of Milan Cathedral (Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano - the organization that supervised the construction of Milan Cathedral) took over the quarries of Candoglia, where marble was mined.

Coat of arms of the Factoria of Milan Cathedral depicting the white marble facade. Fragment of the Codex Gaffuriani, 1490

Source: The Duomo of Milan. A Tale spanning 600 years.

The issue of the façade, however, was not particularly acute at the time construction began. Firstly, churches were traditionally built starting from the altar, so it would not have been possible to reach the façade right away. Secondly, an excellent “temporary solution” was found. The fact is that the Milan Cathedral was not built from scratch. Before him, there were several churches in the central square of Milan, which were decided to be demolished to make way for a new grandiose temple. The facade of one of them, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, was supposed to temporarily cover the nave of the cathedral under construction.

Almost 300 years later, at the end of the 17th century, the façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore was still standing. During this time, the design of the cathedral has already changed several times. At first, the changes were due to the fact that Factoria was forced to look for Gothic specialists abroad, primarily in Central Europe. They brought their past experiences to their work, and the cathedral acquired some features characteristic of Rhenish and Bohemian Gothic. From these styles he adopted the spaciousness of the interior space and elaborate sculptural design.

Cologne Cathedral. Rhine Gothic.

Kutna Hora, St. Barbori Cathedral. Bohemian Gothic.


Photo source: Wikipedia.

Fundamental changes in the cathedral construction project occurred in the middle of the 16th century. They are associated with the appearance in Milan of Archbishop Carlo Borromeo (1565) and his architect Pellegrino Pellegrini (1567). This was the time of the beginning of the Counter-Reformation. It was important for the archbishop to emphasize the proximity of the Milan Church to Rome and clearly demonstrate the close ties with the papal throne. This was expressed in the reworking of the design of the cathedral in the style of Roman church architecture and the introduction into it of some elements of the style of the late Michelangelo period.

Pellegrini's design for the facade of the Milan Cathedral was a two-level structure, decorated with giant Corinthian columns and obelisks.

Work on the construction of this facade began only in 1609, already under Cardinal Federico Borromeo, a relative and like-minded person of Carlo Borromeo. By this time, some additions had already been made to his project in accordance with the Baroque style that had come into fashion at that time. The obelisks on the second level were abandoned, but the central fragment with a niche became much larger.

Project of the facade of the Milan Cathedral with additions by Francesco Rechini and Alessandro Bisnati.

Source: Wikipedia.

The construction of the “Roman” façade of the Milan Cathedral was interrupted in the 1630s. Over the course of almost a quarter of a century, five gates were built, and the façade rose to the level of the lower windows.

Gate decor.

The stoppage of construction work was associated with the death of Ferderico Borromeo and the appointment of a new archbishop, Cardinal Cesare Monti, in his place. The spiritual and cultural influence of the Borromeo family weakened. In addition, the political situation has changed. The Reformation no longer threatened the Catholic Church in Italy. As a result of all these events, it was decided to redesign the facade of the Milan Cathedral in the Gothic style, according to the original concept. New projects began to arrive at the Factoria of Milan Cathedral.

Project of the facade of the Milan Cathedral, Carlo Buzzi.

Source: Wikipedia.

After lengthy discussions, in 1653, among many projects, Carlo Buzzi's proposal was chosen. Elements that were already built in the Roman style were integrated into this project.

In 1683, the facade of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore still had to be demolished. There was nowhere to go, and in its place they began to build a wall for a new facade. However, despite the existence of a seemingly approved project, controversy over its final appearance did not subside.

As a result, by the middle of the 18th century the situation looked something like this: everyone continued to offer new options to the Factory council, which gave rise to endless discussions...

The facade of the largest cathedral in Milan is a not particularly aesthetic “technical” wall, the appearance of which does not change much over the years...

Marc Antonio dal Re. Milan Cathedral (engraving from the series "Views of Milan", circa 1745).