The Façade of Santa Maria Novella
Title
The Façade of Santa Maria Novella
Description
Santa Maria Novella (New St. Mary) is a famous gothic church in Florence, Italy. The church's construction began around 1278 and was completed in 1350. The early Rennaisance-era façade of the church was completed by Leon Battista Alberti in 1470 ("Santa Maria Novella:..").
To this day, the marble façade by Alberti remains as one of the most well-known works of early Italian Renaissance architecture. Alberti took a great amount of inspiration from the Parthenon for the top section. The use of white marble, as well, pays homage to ancient Greek architecture.
The attention to harmony on the façade, at the time, stood out from other, old-style, churches in Florence. Despite its simple look at first glance, there are many complex parts that come together to form an elegant unit at the end. The Greek-inspired column, for example, are spaced out according to exact values ("Santa Maria Novella."). The small arches are all identical in height and their placings are symmetrical. The main door is in the middle and everything else revolves around it. Just like Brunelleschi's architecture, the proportions were calculated according to the golden ratio and geometrical rules.
Alberti, besides being an artist and a craftsman, was a classicist, poet, scientist, and mathematician. Artists like Alberti and Brunelleschi were getting praised and acknowledged for their artistic contributions to society. The "Renaissance Man", as Alberti put it, was a man who could do as he willed. Consequently, Santa Maria Novella marks a significant change in the transition from the Gothic era to the Renaissance ("Renaissance Man").
References:
"Renaissance Man." Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed November 18, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/
"Santa Maria Novella." Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed November 18, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/
"Santa Maria Novella: Church and Cloisters." The Museums of Florence. Accessed November 18, 2018. http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/santa_maria_novella-cloist.html.
To this day, the marble façade by Alberti remains as one of the most well-known works of early Italian Renaissance architecture. Alberti took a great amount of inspiration from the Parthenon for the top section. The use of white marble, as well, pays homage to ancient Greek architecture.
The attention to harmony on the façade, at the time, stood out from other, old-style, churches in Florence. Despite its simple look at first glance, there are many complex parts that come together to form an elegant unit at the end. The Greek-inspired column, for example, are spaced out according to exact values ("Santa Maria Novella."). The small arches are all identical in height and their placings are symmetrical. The main door is in the middle and everything else revolves around it. Just like Brunelleschi's architecture, the proportions were calculated according to the golden ratio and geometrical rules.
Alberti, besides being an artist and a craftsman, was a classicist, poet, scientist, and mathematician. Artists like Alberti and Brunelleschi were getting praised and acknowledged for their artistic contributions to society. The "Renaissance Man", as Alberti put it, was a man who could do as he willed. Consequently, Santa Maria Novella marks a significant change in the transition from the Gothic era to the Renaissance ("Renaissance Man").
References:
"Renaissance Man." Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed November 18, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/
"Santa Maria Novella." Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed November 18, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/
"Santa Maria Novella: Church and Cloisters." The Museums of Florence. Accessed November 18, 2018. http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/santa_maria_novella-cloist.html.
Creator
Leon Battista Alberti
Source
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Santa_Maria_Novella.jpg
Date
1470
Contributor
Kaan Taskintuna
Rights
(CC BY-SA 3.0), Free to share with appropriate credit
Original Format
Photograph
Citation
Leon Battista Alberti, “The Façade of Santa Maria Novella,” HIST 139 - Early Modern Europe, accessed April 25, 2026, https://earlymoderneurope.hist.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/149.