Roman Florence and the 11th Century Revival

This weekend was hectic comparatively but, at the same time, really interesting! On Friday we got to hike through the 5 villages of Cinque Terre and on Saturday Father Brian took us on a walk through the city of Geneva (where we also went to a pretty impressive aquarium).

What I found really interesting though was the difference in the color schemes of the churches between Genova and Florence. While Florentine churches (such as the Duomo) have a pattern of red, green and white, Genova alternately uses stripes of black and white in their designs.

(Genova)

(Florence)

One example of this too, is St. John's Baptistery which we looked at during our tour last week.

"[The Baptistery] is one of the oldest constructions of Florence and goes back to the IV century. The Baptistery's colorful 13th-century mosaics illustrating the Last Judgement are set above the large octagonal font where many famous Florentines, including Dante, were baptized. The gilded bronze doors are by Andrea Pisano (present south door: 1336) and Lorenzo Ghiberti (north and east doors: 1427 and 1452). The latter is the famous Gates of Paradise, whose original panels has been removed for restoration and there are copies in its place." (iastate.edu)

In addition to this, we had the opportunity to see the column of St. Zenobius, the Roman Public Baths (or Thermae), the Borgo dei Greci, Roman Theater and Roman Amphitheater. These items date back to early Florence, the latter in or around the 1st century BC. St. Zenobius himself was the first bishop of Florence (around the 4th century AD) and the column marks the spot where a dying tree came back to life once his relics were transferred from San Lorenzo to Santa Reparata. The majority of these places, especially the Cardus Maximus (North to South main via) and the Decumanus (East to West main via) converging at the 'Roman' Forum, demonstrate a deep Roman influence when Florence was first established as a castrum (4 walled, fortified city).

We also managed to see the Church of Santa Trinita, which is Vallombrosan and contains frescos by Ghirlandaio. The order it is linked to was originally founded by Giovanni Gualberto whom, after chasing down his brother's killer, suddenly forgave him when he outstretched his arms in a way that was reminiscent of the crucified Christ. After this incident, he left a life of nobility and instead entered into the Benedictine monastery at San Miniato.

After this, we visited both the Church of Santi Apostoli (or Holy Apostles) and the Badia Fiorentina (or Florentine Abbey). The former is Romanesque (primarily characterized by semi-circular arches) while the latter is both Romanesque and Gothic (characterized by pointed arches) in style. Romanesque super-ceded Gothic and is attributed to the 11th to 13th centuries. Santi Apostoli also contains a central portal which was redone in Renaissance style (which places high value on symmetry and the balancing of parts). The architectural styles developed as such:
Romanesque (11th to 13th c.) --> Gothic (14th c.) --> Early Renaissance (15th c.) --> High Renaissance / Mannerism (16th c.) --> Baroque (17th c.)

Bibliography

[iastate.edu] http://www.music.iastate.edu/courses/471/baptistery.htm