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Comparison between the Interiors of San Lorenzo and Santo Spirito
Arc 335: Renaissance Architecture in Italy, 1400-1500
Instructor: Jane Zaloga
Oct. 2001, Florence, Italy
The Church of S. Lorenzo and Sto. Spirito were both designed by Brunelleschi. The basic shape of their plans is very similar. Both are a Latin Cross with a square central crossing, a square choir and square transepts on both sides, and a aisles on both sides of the nave.
Both of them have proportional plan. The basic unit is the square of one aisle bay. (or the distance between two columns). This unit is repeated to form the central crossing, the choir, the transepts, the nave and the chapels. However there are differences in the level of proportion system, special treatment and details.
1. The Aisles
The aisles in S. Lorenzo are on both sides of the nave, while in Sto. Spirito the aisles and the columns are around the whole church.
2. The Chapels on the Sides of the Nave
The plan of the chapel in Sto. Spirito is a semi-circle, and the depth of the chapel is equal to half of the depth of the aisle. The height of the chapel is equal to the height of the arcade, with a half-hemispherical dome. However, in S. Lorenzo the plan of the chapel is a rectangle, and the depth of it is half of the aisle. The height of the chapel is equal to the height of the column, with a tunnel vault.
3. Column and Pilaster
Corinthian columns are used in both churches. In S. Lorenzo, flat pilasters are used at the opening of the chapels, which responds to the columns, and also attached to the big columns that support the central crossing. Though in Sto. Spirito, engaged columns are used in stead, which create a more sculptural spatial feeing.
Due to the raised floor at the entrance to the chapels, different details are applied on top and bottom of the pilasters. In S. Lorenzo, the pilasters stand on the same level of the chapel, higher than the columns on the nave. In order to make them leveled at the top, the entablature is used on top of pilasters, while a dosseret is used on top of columns. In Sto. Spirito, the engaged columns stand on the same level of the columns, which create more continues feeling for the aisle. Same dosserets are used on top of both of pilasters and column.
As a result of 2 and 3, the aisle and the chapel have very different spatial character in both churches. In S. Lorenzo, the pilasters are read more as the still frame for the chapel than defining the aisle. Spatially, the chapels are more independent, as a different layer of space outside the aisle. In Sto. Spirito, the engaged columns are identical to the columns, which creates more continues spatial feeling for the aisle. The Chapels are extended space from the aisle, or from the central nave.
4. Central Crossing
In Sto. Spirito, there is a drum under the dome, which has round-shaped windows and visible ribs. However in S. Lorenzo, the central crossing is a hemispherical dome on pendentives with no drum, window and visible ribs. In Sto. Spirito, the spatial qualities of 4 sides of the central crossing are similar, the choir and the transepts are identical. In S. Lorenzo, the choir is more important as the extension of the nave, with the transepts on the sides.
5. Sectional Proportion
The height of the interior wall (from the top of the entablature to the bottom of the ceiling) is equal to the half width of the nave, which is the same in two churches. The entablature in Sto. Spirito is higher than in S. Lorenzo, while the columns are lower (columns between nave and aisle). Therefore the whole proportion of the clearstory and the arcade in Sto. Spirito is larger/taller than in S. Lorenzo.
6. Details
Some structural and decorative details are different between two churches, such as the plan of the big column supporting the central crossing, the frieze on top of the columns, the console in the middle of arches, etc.
The church of S. Lorenzo and Sto. Spirito have very similar plan and big proportion. But there are very important differences in the treatment of aisles, chapels, columns, pilaster, dome, and decorations, which, work together, create very different spatial feelings.
In S. Lorenzo, the spatial connection between the nave and the aisle is much stronger than the aisle and the chapel. The spatial proportion (nave and aisle together) is flatter. With the choir in the end, as the extension of the nave, the linear movement is emphasized. In Sto. Spirito, the spatial connection between the aisle and the chapel are much stronger. They are two stepped down spatial layers surrounded the central space, which include the nave, the choir and the transepts. The spatial proportion in the nave is upward, and is mostly celebrated at the central crossing with light coming above.
(study sketches are attached)
