TEMPIETTO of San PIETRO of MONTORI:

- The Tempietto by Donato Bramante in the cloister of San Pietro in Montorio,

literally means "St. Peter at the Golden Hill"
- Regarded as one of the finest example of High Renaissance.
Built: 1502 AD (15th century)
Builders:

Spaniards

Architect:

Donato Bramante

Cause & Date of Destruction: still in existence

Modern Location: Montorio, Rome, Italy
Construction System: Post and Lintel Construction, Dome
Columniation Capital:
Materials:

Doric Columns

Masonry (Concrete and Marble)

Tempietto is a small circular chapel erected in the courtyard of San Pietro in

Montorio in Rome. The work was funded by the Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabel of
Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon, as a monument commemorating the
martyrdom of Saint Peter and was built in 1502 after designs made by Donato
Bramante.
late 1490s The commission for the Tempietto was made by Cardinal
Carvajal, who was acting as the agent of the Spanish monarchs.
1502 It have been made by 1502 as the date inscribed in the crypt.
1502 may also have been the date it was begun rather than commissioned.
The date of the Tempietto's completion is also uncertain. The fact that it was not
included in a guidebook to Rome that was published in 1511 suggests that it was
finished after that date.

Additional infos:
Tiempetto Italian term for small temple

the church of San Pietro in Montorio sits overlooking the eastern slope of
Gianicolo hill. Built in the 15th century, the gorgeous church holds
copious amounts of renaissance art including frescoes from Italian
masters

Currently, the temple occupies a quadrilateral courtyard and is only visible to

the public from a single, fixed, exterior point.
INSPIRATION:
Taking inspiration from ancient buildings such as the Temple of Vesta and
the Roman Pantheon, the building is a single chamber temple with a hemispherical,
concrete dome at the top and a perfectly-spaced series of niches and pilasters on
the main body.
FUNCTION:
Given the temples small size it does not seem to serve a great deal of
functional purpose, but as a show of architectural precision and serves as a
monument commemorating - in this case the crucifixion of Peter.

Additional infos:
The original draft included a circular patio that was not done.

the tempietto sits in the middle of the larger churchs rectangular

plaza, a hidden but influential piece of architectural history designed by
one of the most visionary architects of the Italian renaissance.

For function:
In being centrally planned and not having projecting features that designate a front facing, the
Tempietto is one of the most perfect embodiments of centralized designbuilt in the Renaissance.

PARTS OF TEMPIETTO:
The Monastery of San Pietro in Montorio, a Spanish monastery of the
Franciscan Order, was later built around the site.
The Tempietto's main parts are based on regular
geometric solids.

CELLA - A two-cylinder arrangement is created by the

structure's main circular core. The upper part of the cella is
comprised of the drum, which supports the
hemispherical dome.

PERISTYLE - the ring of columns that surrounds it.

PARTS:
1 Cella
2 Peristyle Collonade
3 Chapel
Cella is formed by 16 Doric columns with also 16 pilasters, with 8 niches on the
exterior.
Height: 46 feet
Diameter of colonnade: 29 feet

Additioanal infos

Relative Dimensions of the Cylinders

The two cylinders formed by the building's main parts are related to each other
mathematically. The width of the wider cylinder forming the peristyle is equal to
the height of the narrower cylinder forming the cella.

The drum and dome are of equal height.

Columns:
The sixteen columns forming the peristyle were constituted from both old
and new parts. (Re-using ancient building materials was a common practice in the
Renaissance.)

The gray-granite shafts, which stood out in contrast to the lighter marble
forming the building, had originally been part of an ancient Roman building. The
marble capitals and bases were carved in the Renaissance.
Wall Articulation
Sixteen pilasters on the same radii as the sixteen columns articulate the
cella wall on each story. This arrangement of pilasters is not directly reflected on
the interior, where eight pilasters stand between large and small niches.
Cornice:
The metopes and cornice external triglyphs is repeated in the cornice and the
internal wall of the body, reducing the steps in just keeping the plant and the
standard. The metopes external decoration which alludes to the martyrdom of Saint
Peter, is available from the main building.
The metopes depict papal symbols and items used in prayers.

Additional infos:

Suitability of the Doric Order

The Doric order's plainness and masculinity lent a gravity that was in accordance
with the building's solemn purpose of marking the place of St. Peter's martyrdom.

this small church seated only ten worshipers. It is the earliest of the great
achievements that made Rome the new center of Italian art during the first quarter
of the 16th century.

Niches:
The diagonal quadrants of both the building and the courtyard were to have
been composed of apsidal niches flanking openings, which took the form of
windows.
Because the eight pilasters, half a many as on the exterior, are placed
between large and small niches, their spacing is in pairs and does not correspond to
that of the sixteen pilasters of the exterior.
Interior of the Dome:
Inside the dome, the illusion of seeing a sky beyond the dome's ribs is
suggested by the painting of gold stars against a blue sky. In the Renaissance, such
images were understood as references to the Christian Heaven.
Crypt:
On the back side just beyond the colonnade, a pair of stairs leads down to
the crypt. The position corresponding to the ground-story entrance is occupied by
an altar. A circular window through the ceiling of the crypt enables visitors on the
ground storey to see the sacred spot below through the floor.

Additional infos:

The large niche opposite the entrancecontains a statue of St. Peter holding the keys
to the kingdom in one hand and the gospel in the other. On the pedestal below at

around eye level is a relief of St. Peter's crucifixion,which was carried out in an
upside-down position.

The space is evenly illuminated by placing the windows on multiple levels and
facings.