tempietto by Bramante

More than four hundred years ago, in 1570, Andrea Palladio published his Quattro Libri dell’Architettura, one of the most influential treatises on architecture ever printed. It contains a number of woodcuts of ancient Roman buildings, as well as two illustrations of a small church by Bramante, known as the Tempietto, the ‘little temple’, which is the topic of my paper. It stands, rather awkwardly, in a courtyard apperently one size too small for it, next …

…affect the basic structure or the balance between the various elements, which is the first thing to strike the spectator on entering the courtyard. However, Bramante’s plan of the cortile as a suitable surrounding for his Tempietto has not been executed, due to a lack of space. This is a pity because it would contribute to the meaning of the structure of the Tempietto and enlightens the way of thinking of a Renaissance architect.