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Robert Brier
CSIHSIS
The Monument as Architecture
January 10th, 2014
Palazzo Strozzi

American architects have gained much of their inspiration from the Italian Renaissance
and Roman monuments, so much inspiration that the buildings we see today resemble these great
Italian monuments very closely. The two main American buildings that have been inspired by
great Italian Renaissance art and Roman monuments are the U.S. Capitol building and the
Jefferson Monticello. These two great American buildings are closely related to three major
monuments- the Pantheon (Rome), the Florence Cathedral Dome (Florence), and lastly Saint
Peters Dome (Rome)- that were constructed in the Italian Renaissance era and Ancient Roman
times. These three fine Italian creations were the heart, soul, and inspiration behind United States
architecture. The two major similarities between American architecture and the Italian
Renaissance and Roman monuments are the domes and the pillars.
The Italian Renaissance and Roman monuments were created between four hundred and
two thousand years ago and have much importance to their surrounding areas. These buildings
still stand today due to the materials used during construction and the way they were built, along
with the great symmetry, geometry, proportion, and regularity of parts that go along with each
design.

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The Pantheon is in fact a roman temple that was built for and by Publius Aelius
Hadrianus, in the year 126. This monument is 1,888 years old and it has been able to withstand
all the conditions it must face. This building is made of travertine, tufa, and brick and the doors
are made of great bronze. These materials were used because they could withstand torturous
conditions and, because this great monument was built in commemoration to the Roman gods.
The people believed that the gods deserved the best, therefore they built a virtually indestructible
temple, to show their love and respect to the gods for thousands of years to come. This
monument stands at about 141 feet, 8 inches, or 145 Roman feet.
The exterior of the Pantheon is an example of one of the greatest pieces of classicism
known to man. This building shows great work with symmetry, geometry, proportion, and
regularity of parts. The Pantheon is in fact known for its dome structure. Some may even say that
it is the greatest example of Roman architecture ever. The design of the temple itself succeeds the
traditional Roman style. The entrance is graced with eight roman columns which hold up the
pediment. This pediment shows dedication to the Agrippa, a Roman general and statesmen. The
dome, perhaps one of the most innovative pieces of work ever seen, allowed for magnification of
light brought into the temple. This allowed for less use of artificial light such as a candle. The
Pantheon shows the gods the respect that the designers were trying to portray in the creation of
this magnificent piece of art.
The Florence Cathedral was built in 1436 by designers Arnolfo di Cambio, Giotto,
Francesco Talenti, and Filippo Brunelleschi. The Florence Cathedral was painted by Leonardo da
Vinci. This great monument was finally completed in 1446 (A Little History of the World, pg.
167). The Cathedral is also known as the typical Italian Gothic building, and is dedicated to
Santa Maria del Fiore (The Italian Renaissance, pg. 7-9). The Florence Cathedral was built to

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be a church, which it functions as today. The Cathedral's outstanding dome was designed and
created by Filippo Brunelleschi. The benefactor of Florence's cathedral was Boniface VIII. The
Madonna is said to have a more symbolic role in the construction.
Flilippo Brunelleschi, the architect of the Cathedral's Dome, is perchance one of the
most famous and inspiring architect and engineer of the Italian Renaissance; his work is seen all
over the world. Brunelleschi is considered most distinguished for his advancement of his linear
perspective and for his superb engineering. Brunelleschi is well known for many extensive and
major achievements within many alternative architectural examples of art, such as his sculpture,
mathematics, engineering, and even his outstanding ship design. The construction of the dome of
the Florence Cathedral began in 1420; the final product was completed in 1436. The lantern
presented within the dome was designed by Brunelleschi. The lantern itself was concluded after
the death of Brunelleschi. The dome upon the monument was made mostly of copper; it was
placed there in 1472 by architect, Andrea del Verrocchio.
The design of the monument exemplifies a geometrical design that defines perfection.
This monument stands 376 feet and is 502 feet in length. The Florence Cathedral dome is
comprised of brick and marble. These two materials ensure the safety of the monument in even
the worst conditions. Perhaps one of the most conspicuous details is the tiles that surround the
outer shell of the monument. These tiles allow for easy and rapid assembly and external
covering system, which consists of tiles specially designed for easy assembly, and preservation.
This monument exemplifies the perfection of a dome structure, symmetry, proportion, geometry,
and regularity of its parts.

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Some believe that the Florence Cathedral's creation brought with it a new age, where the
large cities of central Italy began to prosper greatly (A Little History of the New World, Page
163). They wanted to ensure a long lasting product and to commemorate the people it was
designed for. This work of art portrays outstanding design that thousands of architects use today.
Saint Peters Basilica was built in 1626 by Donato Bramante, Antonio da Sangallo the
Younger, Michelangelo, Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola, Giacomo della Porta, Carlo Maderno and,
Gian Lorenzo Bernini. These seven great architects built this structure to be a church in the
Vatican City. Michelangelo was the main architect behind the construction of the basilica.
Michelangelo brought about the idea of adding the dome to the basilica and he was the architect
that constructed this very dome. This monument is 730 feet long, 500 feet wide,

and 452 feet

tall. Saint Peters Basilica is made up of limestone, brick, and marble. These great Italian
renaissance and Roman monuments were built with the main purpose to last for thousands of
years and their materials help them accomplish that. Michelangelo designed the dome so that it
would actually be smaller in diameter then the Pantheon, in Rome, but be extraordinarily taller
(The Italian Renaissance, pg. 15). The masonry used to construct the dome allowed for it to be
extremely sturdy. To ensure that this massive dome had the proper support, the architects who
designed the basilica instilled three iron rings within the great walls of the dome. The dome itself
portrays a great deal classicism, based on the sole ideas of columns, proportions, symmetry,
geometry, pillars and regularity of parts. Saint Peter's Basilica is dedicated and named after the
saint Peter. Saint Peter's tomb lies beneath the great monument. The basilica is well known for its
dome structure and is one of the most influential and extensive monument of the Italian
Renaissance era, which is also known as the rebirth of Italy (A Little History of the World, pg.
165).

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Jeffersons Monticello and the United State Capitol building are two of the many wellknown monuments that depict our nation and have been inspired by the Italian Renaissance and
Roman monuments. Jeffersons Monticello was the primary residence of the third president of
the United States, Thomas Jefferson. This 5,000 acre plantation mainly consisted of tobacco and
mixed crops, which were planted and harvested by African American slaves due to the fact that
slavery was legal at this time. The Monticello was built in 1772 by Thomas Jefferson, yet it
wasnt completed until 1809 (Icons of American Architecture, pg. 314-315). Jefferson
designed his house primarily off of the Italian Renaissance and the Roman monuments. The
dimensions of the Monticello are 110 feet long, 87 feet, 9 inches wide, and 44 feet 7 inches high.
The Monticello was made up of primarily stone, brick and wood.
Jeffersons Monticello greatly resembles the Italian Renaissance and Roman monuments.
The Monticello takes after the Italian monuments in three ways; materials, dome structure, and
columns. Firstly, the Monticello is made up of mostly brick, which is quite similar to all three
Italian monuments: the Pantheon, Florence Cathedral, and the Saint Peters Basilica. The brick
construction allows for great durability. These brick fortresses can withstand any type of
condition it is presented with. Also, the Monticello takes after the Florence Cathedral and Saint
Peters Basilica due to the dome construction that is placed on top of the building. This part of
the construction added beauty and elegance to both the inside and outside of the house. The
dome made for a beautiful sight when looked at the ceiling in all three of these monuments,
because when one looks up, he or she sees beautiful Renaissance artwork that was hand painted
on the ceiling. The last similar feature is the columns placed in front of the buildings. These
columns in the front of this monument resemble the columns in the Pantheon. The columns are
used to give the building a classical look while giving it support. These pillars can withstand tons

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of pressure and weight which is good for heavy large buildings such as these monuments. The
pillars were the very foundation of the monument. Therefore, Jeffersons Monticello was in fact
inspired by the Italian Renaissance and Roman monuments.
The United State Capitol building was also inspired by the great Italian Renaissance and
Roman monuments. The Capitol building was built to be a meeting place of the U.S. Congress,
the legislature of the U.S. federal government. The building was constructed in 1793 by architect
William Thornton. The Capitol building has a floor count of five floors and over sixteen and a
half acres of land surrounding it. The building is primarily made up of cast iron. These two
buildings have many aspects that relate back to the Italian Renaissance and Roman monuments.
The building itself portrays classicism that was first presented in the Roman and Renaissance
eras, through columns, proportions, symmetry, geometry, dome structure, and regularity of parts.
The United State Capitol building also took great inspiration from the Italian Renaissance
and Roman monuments to be what is was constructed to be. It took the idea and values of
columns, proportions, symmetry, geometry, dome structure, and regularity of parts which came
about in the Roman and Renaissance era. The Capitol building takes after the Italian monuments
in two ways; the dome structure and the columns. The builders of the Capitol building acquired
major insight from the construction of the Saint Peters Basilica. Both of these great monuments
consist of a massive dome on the top of the existing structure. These domes have many
similarities such as the pillars that surround it and the point on the top of the dome. They also
consist of windows every few feet in order to bring in natural light during the daytime. These
two domes have Renaissance style artwork engraved and painted on the ceilings. The second
similarity is the columns that are presented in the front of the Capitol building. These columns
were first portrayed in all three of the Italian Renaissance and Roman monuments. These pillars

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were used to ensure a sturdy foundation for the existing structure. Therefore, the Capitol building
resembles the Italian Renaissance and Roman monuments.
Upon closer examination, the Renaissance classicism remained widely intact for more
than half a millennium due to the fact that its structure can withstand even the most brutal
punishment and still be intact. The American architects who built the Capitol building and the
Monticello had no reason to change designs based off of the Italian Renaissance and Roman
monuments because the created beautiful classical looking structure was ensured to last.
When architects are planning a building they want something that will look beautiful and
will last. Due to previous architectural successes of the Italian Renaissance and Roman
monuments, this is surely the way to construct a monument that has characteristics that resemble
the classicism instilled by the great Italian Renaissance and the Roman monuments. Moreover,
American architects used the Italian Renaissance and Roman monuments as an inspiration to
create beautiful and enduring monuments that resemble these great Italian works of art.