B A S 



B A S 



doTijes fupported on pfndentives enabled the architcfts to 

 give fize and dignity to the centre, without interrupting 

 the villa of the aifles. The church of St. Sophia at Con- 

 ftantiiiople was the firft example of this form. 



The feat of the Roman empire being transferred to Con- 

 fbantinople, it is natural to fuppofe that the difpofition of the 

 ancient St. Peter's of Rome, eftcemed at that time the moft 

 magnificent church in the world, was imitated in that which 

 Conftantine erefted for his new capital under the name of 

 St. Sophia. This laft d-d not exiil long : Conllantins the 

 fon of Conftantine, railed a new one which experienced 

 many difafters. Deftroyed in part, and rebuilt under the 

 reign of Arcsdius, it was burnt under Honorius, and re- 

 eilablifhed by Theodolius the younger; but a furious fedi- 

 tion having arifen under Juftinian, it was reduced to alhes. 

 This emperor having appeafed the tumult, and wifhing to 

 immortalize his name by the edifice he was about to ereft, 

 aflembled from various parts the moft famous architefts. 

 Anthemius of Tralles and Illdore of Miletus were cholen ; 

 and as they had the boldnefs to attempt a novel conftruAion, 

 they experienced many difficulties and difafters : but at laft 

 they had the glory of finilhing their deiign. 



The plan of this bafilica is a fquare of about 250 feet. 

 The intjrior forms a Greek crofs.that is, a crofs with equal 

 arms ; the aifles are terminated at two ends by femicircles, 

 and at the other two by fquare recefies, in which are placed 

 two ranges of tribunals. The aifles are vaulted, and the 

 centre, where they interfeft, forms a large fquare, upon 

 which is raifed the dome, of about no feet diameter. The 

 dome, therefore, is fupported upon the four arches of the 

 naves and the pendentives or fpandrels which conneft the 

 fquare plan of the centre with the circle of the dome. 



The general effect of the interior is grand ; but whatever 

 praifes the bold invention of this immenfe dome may merit, 

 it muft be confefled that there are times in which princes, 

 however great and liberal, can onlv produce imperfect 

 monuments, of which this edifice is a ftriking example. All 

 the details of its architefture are defective and barbarous. 



However, from the communication eftabhflied between 

 Greece and Italy at the revival of letters, this bafilica, the 

 laft as well as the moft magnificent of the lower empire, was 

 that which influenced moft the form and architefture of the 

 new temples. The Venetians, in the tenth century, copied 

 with fucceis the bell parts of the difpofition of St. Sophia in 

 the church of St. Mark. This is the firft in Italy which 

 was conftrufted with a dome fupported on pendentives; and 

 it is alfo this which firft gave the idea, which has been imi- 

 tated in St. Peter's of the Vatican, of accompanying the 

 great dome of a church with fmaller and lower domes to 

 give it a pyramidal effccl. 



From this time to the erection of the bafilica of St. Peter's 

 we find the churches approach, more or lefs, to the form of 

 the ancient bafilica or the new conllruftion. The church 

 of Santa Maria del Fiore of Florence, from the magnitude of 

 its dome and the fl<ill which Brunellefchi difplayed in its 

 conftruclion, acquired a celtrbrity which made the fyftem of 

 domes prevail ; and this fyllem was finally eftabhflied in the 

 noble bafilica cf the Vatican, which has become the type 

 and example of later ones. The form of the antique bafilica 

 was entirely loft, and the name, which has been retained, is 

 the only remain of their ancient refeinblance. 



In thepontificateof Juhus 11. the beginning of the fisteenth 

 century, the bafihca of St. Peter's was begun from the de- 

 figns of Bramante. This great man formed the idea of 

 fufpending in the centre of the building a circular temple as 

 large as the pantheon, or, as he exprefled it, to raile the pan- 

 theon OB the temple of peace j and, in fad, we trad great 



rcfemblance in fize and difpofition between thefe tvro edifices 

 and the proje<£l of Bramante. He was fucceeded in his 

 office by San Gallo, who almoft entirely loft fight of the 

 original plan ; but Michael Angclo, to whom at liis death 

 the undertaking was committed, concentered the difcordant 

 parts, and contracted the whole into the form of the Greek 

 crofs. Michael Angelo died in 1564, while he was engaged 

 in crefting the dome ; but he left plans and models, \vhich 

 were flridly adhered to by his fiiccefTors Vignola, J. de la 

 Porte, and Fontana, who terminated the dome. The build- 

 ing was carried on under many fucceeding pontiffs ; and at 

 laft, by lengthening the longitudinal naves, it acquired the 

 form of the Latin crofs ; in that particular, approaching to 

 the original defign of Bramante. 



The general form of this edifice externally is an oblong, 

 with circular projeftions in three of the fides ; the plan of 

 the interior confifts of a Latin crofs, the interfeftion of the 

 aims of which is enlarged and furmed into an oSagon ; the 

 head of the long aifles and the ends of the crofs aifles are 

 terminated in hemicycles, and the great naves are accompa- 

 nied with lateral aifles aad with feveral inclofed chapels. 

 The oftagon centre fupports a circular waU enriched with 

 pilafters and pierced with windows, above which rifes the 

 magnificent dome. 



Thus we have traced the progrefs of the bafilica from 

 the quadrilateral hall of the ancients with its fingle roof and 

 flat ceihng fupported on ranges of columns, to the crofs- 

 ftiaped plan, central dome, and vaulted aifles fupported on 

 mafly piers of the modern cathedral. It only remains to 

 treat of the 



Moikrn Bajilka. We give this name with Palladio to the 

 civil edifices which are found in many Italian cities, and the 

 deftination of which is entirely fimilartothe antique bafilica. 



In imitation of the ancients, fays th's celebrated archi- 

 teft, the cities of Italy conftrudl pubhc halls which may 

 rightly be called bafilicas as they form part of the habita- 

 tion of the fupreme msgiftrate, and in them the judges ad- 

 minifter iuftice. The bafilicas of our time (he continues) 

 differ in this from the ancient ; that thofe were level with 

 the ground, while ours are raifed upon arches in which are 

 ftiops for various arts and the merchandize of the city. 

 There the prifons are alfo placed, and other buildings be- 

 longing to public bufinef?. Another difference is that 

 the modern bafilicas have the porticos on the outCde, while 

 in the ancient they were only in the interior. Of thefe halls 

 there is a very noble one at Padua ; and another at Brefcia, 

 remarkable for its fixe r^nd ornaments. 



But the moft celebrated is that of Vicenza ; the exterior 

 part of which was built by Palladio, and the whole fo much 

 altered that it may pals for his work. The body of the 

 building is of much greater antiquity, though the date of 

 it is unki\pwn. 



Time and various accidents had reduced this edifice to 

 fuch a ftate of decay, that it was neceflary to think ferioufly 

 of preventing its total ruin: for this purpofe the moft emi- 

 nent architefts were confuhed, and the defign of Palladio was 

 approved. He removed the ancient loggias, and fubllituted 

 new porticos of a verj' beautiful invantion. Thefe form two 

 galleries in height, the lower order of which is ornamented 

 with Doric engaged columns, at very wide intervals, to an- 

 fwer to the internal pillars of the old building; the fpace 

 between each column is occupied bv an arch retting on 

 two fmall columns of the iame order, and a pilafter at each, 

 fide agaiiift the large columns, which leaves a fpace between 

 it and the fmall columns of two diameters. The upper 

 portico of Ionic columns is difpofcd io the fame maa- 

 ner, ai;d a baliuftrade is plated ia the archways. The 



entablature 



