A central dome dominates this space, while greyish-green stone articulates its perfect geometry. Filippo Brunelleschi, Pazzi Chapel by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
Romanesque, Gothic, or ancient Greek? Whether you divide this façade by styles or squares, its stones come alive. Alberti, Façade of Santa Maria Novella, Florence by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris
Night and day, rough and polish—this chapel embodies opposition and traps the viewer in a moment of transition. Michelangelo, Medici Chapel (New Sacristy) by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
Squaring the circle? At this burial site, pendentives unite the dome of heaven and the gravity of earth. Brunelleschi, Old Sacristy, San Lorenzo, Florence by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
Renaissance Florence, or ancient Rome? This church remade the classical. It’s energetic and dense, but also severe. Filippo Brunelleschi, Santo Spirito, Florence by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
This treasure of a building marks the site of St. Peter’s crucifixion. Its ideal geometry looks back to antiquity. Donato Bramante, Tempietto, Rome by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris
From granary to—church? Once open to the city, this building and its niches blend the spiritual with the everyday. Orsanmichele and Donatello’s Saint Mark, Florence by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris
Down and out, but still afloat. This huge, hollow dome stays put thanks to its skeletal ribs and “girdle.” Filippo Brunelleschi, Dome of the Cathedral of ... by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
The greatest minds of the High Renaissance worked on this vast church. Construction took more than a century. Saint Peter’s Basilica by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
Three ancient Roman forms combine to bring the grandeur of classical architecture into a Christian context. Leon Battista Alberti, Sant’Andrea in Mantua by Dr. Heather Horton