In Florence, the Church of San Lorenzo is a great example of how Renaissance architecture is poetry — stony, mathematical, and timeless poetry. You’ll need to turn up the volume to better hear my guide, Alessandra, riff in a stream of consciousness manner about the mathematical underpinnings of all this beauty. And even though I don’t really get it, I’m happy to simply enjoy it and accept the fact that this visual harmony is not accidental, but logical. Next time you’re in a Renaissance church, enjoy the math.
This is Day 24 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.
I didn’t get all of it, either, Rick. I wish she would have pointed out what in the church was “1,” what was “1/2,” etc. I would have understood the logic better!
Woah! Studying math in a church!
The left nave of San Lorenzo houses Bronzino’s poignant testimony to the end of an era. His towering late Mannerist fresco, Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence (1569), while overtly religious in pretext only, pays homage to Michelangelo’s lifelong obsession with the male nude in torment. When Bronzino died a few years later, Florentine fresco ceased to play a central role on the world stage.