The “Model Basilica” reappiled Constantine’s basilica reflected in Alberti’s Sant’ Andrea Basilica de Maxentius A.D 307-315 Case Study B Elisaveta Boulatova
The suggestion that Alberti’s inspiration lies in the grand vaults of Basilica de Maxentius originate in Alberti’s writings, De re aedificatoria, where he discusses the elements and form of the ideal Renaissance church. His analysis of form references back to not only the classical structures, but the architecture of the ancients. He examines the ideal church in reference to the ‘Temple’ (of Vitruvian influence) and the ‘Basilica’. This comparison between the ideal church and the “model basilica” will outline the form, ideas, and inspiration of the given time period. Program of the Ideal Church The Basilica de Maxentius was one of the precedents Alberti studied along with the Roman baths (Thermae), the Pantheon, the Parthenon (Case study page 22) and the Etrus-
can Sacrum. Sant’ Andrea was to be, “a large edifice where many people might come and see the blood of Christ” (Letter to Marquis/Tavernor 159). Alberti studied Roman and Greek architecture to apply the rules and purposes of an ancient typology as was common at the time of the Renaissance. The Basilica de Maxentius was begun by Emperor Maxentius in 307 A.D and completed by his successor Constantine five years later. The basilica was programmed as a sheltered hall for commercial and legal dealings (Davison 36). It was one of the last Basilicas to be built on the Roman Forum, of which only an aisle remains today. Although already in ruins, the Basilica of Maxentius was continuously studied. It serves as the prime base of inspiration not only for Alberti, but for Bramante’s St. Peters (Life 36-39).
ABOVE Cassanelli, R., & David, M. (2002). Ruins of Ancient Rome: the drawings of French architects who won the Prix de Rome, 1796-1924. Los Angeles, Calif.: J.P. Getty Museum. [Accessed: November 17, 2012].
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