The church of Santo Spirit() is a beautiful example by Ptunellesehi. All the fronts are complete except the prin cipal one, and it is certainly the finest of Brunelleschi's designs ; though subsequent to the architect's death, as the works were then unfinished, they were carried on with some departure from the original design. These alterations, though not affecting the general conception, have justly excited the anger of Vasari against those who fancy themselves better qualified than artists. Oh that Vasari were alive now ! The plan is a Latin cross, with aisles carried round the transepts of the choir. The intersection is surmounted by a dome ornamented with leaf-work, and rising from a low tholobate, pierced with circular clerestory and aisles leave circular-headed The wall great thickness, there is sufficient space for large niches, which occupy each intereolumn, and the wall of the lower clere story, or that to the aisle is above the inside to the IHWer wall, similar to those of the tholo bate. Thus there were three distinct levels of roof besides the dome. The interior has Corinthian colunins, each sup porting an entablature, from which spring semicircular arches. At the extremities of the choir and transepts there are four windows, instead of au odd number. The high altar beneath the dome is surmounted by a magnificent canopy. There is an internal dome with a lantern beneath those of the exterior. It is panelled, and perfbrated by the windows of the tholo bate. In this church we remark most perfect harmony of lines. Character is given to the building by the constant use of eircular forms, whilst too great sameness is prevented by the occasional use of horizontals. The sa-risty attaehed to this church, and the see ,.»,(1 cloister, are both tine works,'' The edifices of are of a very different character to those of Florence ; they have lost the massive appearance of the latter, and assumed an air of lightness and elegance.
This style forms the connecting link between the Florentine and the Venetian ; for while, on the one hand, it is much less heavy and severe than the former, it is not so gay and light some as the latter. Columns are of frequent introduction in the facades, in which, also, the entrance becomes an impor tant feature. The interior courts are mostly surrounded by arcades, and from them a grand staircase of imposing dimen sions leads to the principal apartments. The churches con sist of nave and aisles, separated by arcades, the latter being flanked by chapels. The transepts are not extended flir beyond the nave, and the intersection is covered mostly by a dome, upsides are common. The facades are generally of an inferior description, often plain ; and when decorated, it is without taste ; they are often only masks, having no rela tion to the internal distribution of the edifice. 13ramante was the founder of this style ; and the principal examples are St. Peter's cathedral and the ramose palace, which we proceed to describe. Of the former, which is a subject of general interest, we shall take this opportunity of giving a full description.
The plan of St. Peter's is that of a Latin cross, with a narthex, or porch, at the west end, extending in width beyond the general line of the building. Internally, the breadth of the church is divided into three portions, central nave and aisles on either side, by means of an arcade, supported on massive piers, four of which, at the angles formed by the intersection of the nave and transept, are more massive than the rest, and serve to support the central dome. There are
four arches on each side of the nave, and one in the choir, all springing from piers which are ornamented with pilasters. A chapel is formed at the extremity of each aisle, where they meet the transept, which is rectangular in plan. project ing beyond the general line of building on the exterior, and covered with a spheroidal dome. At the western of the nave is a porch, asabove noticed, extending in from north to south beyond the main line of the building, and projecting from the extremity of the nave as much as 51) feet; this porch is separated from the nave by a wall containing five doorways, to agree With the number of doors in the outer wall if the porch itself, which forms the grand facade and entrance. The elevation of this facade is adorned with half columns and pilasters, ten in number; leaving nine inter columnar spaces in the whole facade ; the CI d 111111IS are sur mounted by an entablature, the height to the tap of which is 125 feet, and the four central columns are included tinder a pediment rising above the entablature, N‘ Ilia in consequence is broken above these columns as it is also above every column beyond the pediment. This order contains two stories in height, the lower one being ocenpied by the entrances, and the upper by windows. In the central •c»»partment of the lower story is the principal doorway, with horizontal head, and in the nearest com pm Wields on either side a smaller door way with semicircular head, on either side of which again is one more similar to the first. In each of time extreme inter columns which project beyond the main building is a magni ficent doorway with seinreiroular head, mid similar ones on the two other sides of each of those projections which are not contiguous to the church. In the upper story of each of the inte•eolumns is a window, with a segmental or triangular pediment, the two forms alternating with each other. Above the entablature is :mother story or attic, and above this again a balustrade.
From the four great piers at the intersection of the nave and transept, spring four large semicircular arches which a drum or cylindrical wall 70 feet high, and perfo rated at intervals by windows. The windows are rectangular, surmounted alternately by triangular and segmental peril mcnts; and between every two are a pair of coupled Corin thian columns, supporting an entablature projecting over each column. Above the entablature the wall rises 20 feet, and upon the top of this, springs the magnificent dome : it is a double dome consisting of an external and internal shell at a short distance from each other, the extreme diameter of the outer one measuring 189 feet, and that of the other on the inside, 138 feet. Both domes are of the spheroidal shape, but the inner is flatter than the outer one, the height of the former being 77 feet, while that of the latter is 100 feet ; they are connected together by sixteen vertical ribs of masonry. Above the cupola is a lantern 40 feet in height, and above that a small spire supporting a ball and cross. There are three tiers of windows in the dome.