May 17th - Ospedale degli Innocenti & San Lorenzo

Today we visited a few sites with architecture created by Brunelleschi, the first being the Ospedale degli Innocenti. Meaning "hospital of the innocents", this place was what would be considered an orphanage in our language (the word orphanage did not exist in Italian at the time of the building's construction). The Ospedale is another example of Brunelleschi's vision of harmonized architecture through the use of mathematic principles and numbers. For example, at the Ospedale, the height of the columns is equal to the width AND depth of the semi-circular arches, creating a perfectly proportional square. To emphasize this proportion, Brunelleschi uses grey stone on the floor to draw a line from the columns back to the wall, and fills the square in with red terracotta flooring. In this way, Brunelleschi lets the architecture speak for itself, and easily allows the eye of the viewer to pick up on his ratios and proportions. Unfortunately, the ceiling of the center semi-circle was later filled in with a fresco, something Brunelleschi would have despised. He most likely would have felt that it was an "illusion" and distracted from the simplistic harmony of his work.

"Ospedale degli innocenti - Brunelleschi's perfect proportions"

The other building we visited today is the basilica of San Lorenzo. The Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo is another masterpiece of Brunelleschi. You can tell that it is an example of his architecture from the room's harmonious proportions (seen in 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 and 1:6), as well as in his use of white and grey stone- the grey stone being used to emphasize important architectural elements such as pilasters, arches, and other linear components. In addition, the ceiling is domed, a building technique that Brunelleschi is most famous for (after his completion of the dome at the Duomo cathedral). These components lend to the Old Sacristy and sense of unity and harmony that is symbolic of Brunelleschi and the new style of architecture that began to arise during the Renaissance period.

"The Old Sacristy at San Lorenzo"