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Renaissance architecture

Started by DonaCatalina, July 12, 2011, 09:48:10 AM

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DonaCatalina

The Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, popularly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox church erected on the Red Square in Moscow in 1555, completed in 1561.
map coordinates 55.7525, 37.623056
A description from the 16th century "The building's design, shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky, has no analogues in Russian architecture: "It is like no other Russian building. Nothing similar can be found in the entire millennium of Byzantine tradition from the fifth to fifteenth century."


Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

Bob of the Lake

I've always thought St. Basil's looked more like it belonged in Disneyland than in Moscow!
I came, I saw, I skipped to my lou.
            - Hammy the Squirrel

Lady Kett

St. Basil's is one of my favorite buildings in the world. I hope to see it in person some day! My father took a work assignment to the outskirts of Moscow in 1980 and had some wonderful slide photography of it (which has been unfortunately misplaced by the various and sundry family, sigh)

operafantomet

I agree, that building is too wicked for words!

As the Wikipedia link points out, there ARE many probable inspirations for the church, it's not like it came out of nowhere. It was typical for Byzantine and eastern Orthodox churches to have a central plan (think Greek cross instead of Latin cross), with one big dome in the middle and smaller ones on the sides, maybe even a couple of spires. All of these had a cupola. What's special for the St Basil's is that the cupolas are onion shaped, a unique Russian trademark, and that it's more colourful and decorated on the outside. But it's still easy enough to see its roots and the tradition it belongs to in these buildings:

Mileseva Monastery, Serbia (1234): http://www.lessing-photo.com/p3/150307/15030703.jpg
Arges Monastery, Romania (early 14th century): http://www.panoramio.com/photo/35578572
Church of Kolomensko (1530s): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Kolomenskoye_cerkvi-1879.jpg
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul (1606): http://www.deedsuponintention.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/blue-mosque.jpg

Central plan of the St. Basil's shows the classic "Greek cross" layout:



It doesn't reveal at all how cool the exterior looks!

DonaCatalina

The Uffizi Gallery (Italian: Galleria degli Uffizi) is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world. Building of the palace was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates — hence the name "uffizi" ("offices").



Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

The Doge's Palace in Venice is possibly the oldest public building in Europe that was never owned by an individual. The current palace was largely constructed from 1309 to 1424, designed perhaps by Filippo Calendario. It replaced earlier fortified buildings of which relatively little is known.






Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess