Façade of S. Marcello

     This building was dedicated as a memorial in remembrance of San Marcello. During the reign of Emperor Maxentius, Pope Marcello was captured and detained. Kirk (December 01, 2006) tells us that he was later freed by the Christians and taken in by one of them called Lucina. He was eventually arrested again and made to work as a stable in harsh conditions. He later died and was buried in the Catacombs of Saint Priscilla. After the reign of the emperor, a church was built over Lucina's house. The pope's remains were then exhumed and transferred to the church. It was designed by Carlo Fontana.  The church was built between in 1682-1686. It was later consecrated in 1952. It was traditional believed that the church was built over the confinement of Pope Marcello. Beneath the main altar, there are some relics of several saints including Pope Marcello. Similarly, there is a Crucifixion by Giovanni Batista Ricci (Kirk, December 01; 2006). The execution is located behind the façade.  The crucifix miraculously escaped the fire that had burnt down the prior version of the church. The building was later evaluated and decided to be finished 1952.

Two stories can be noticed from afar. The entrance door-case of the first story is molded. A floating cornice was placed just above it. On top of it, there is a magnificent sculpture of a saint by the name of St. Philip Benizi.  The portrait depicts the saint refusing to accept a tiara handed to him by Antonio Raggi. It was perceived that Philip did not consider himself worthy of being the Vicar of Christ. The story's sides have a pair of statues of both St. Philip and Pope St. Marcello.

The other story, however, is built on an attic. Its outer corners that correspond to the design is chamfered; the chamfers apparently is a pair of columns are placed under the chamfers.  The main entrance of the second story has four rectangular columns that are facing a large window that is rectangular in shape. 

The second story has statues that are embodied in it; the statues are those of Blessed Gioacchino, and Blessed Francisco are sculptured on the outer corners of the attic. On the entrance, there are pictures used to represent Faith and Hope to its faithful's. The allegories seem to appear cheerful and at peace.

The church is known for having five chapels structured in the same building. The first chapel is located on the right-hand side. The chapel belongs to Marchese Maccarani and it is seen to hold the Annunciation by Lazzaro Baldi. The second chapel, however, is the work of Francesco Ferrari. It portrays the martyrdom of Sst. Digna and Emerita of Pietro. The third chapel there is a portrait of Giovanni Batista. (Kirk, December 01; 2006)

Reference .

Kirk, T. (December 01, 2006). Framing St. Peter's: Urban Planning in Fascist Rome. The Art Bulletin, 88, 4, 756-776.

Portinari Chapel at St.Eustorgio

     This is a chapel located at the eastern end of the Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio.   It is located in the Northern Italy. According to the history, the chapel was originally meant to act as both mortuary to house the remains of Saint Peter of Veronica and at the same time to serve as a family chapel.

On top of the chapel's altar is a donor portrait. The portrait shows a figure of Pigello Portinari in what seems like he is kneeling in prayers before the figure of Peter Verona. The history has it that indeed Peter appeared to Pigello when he was in the middle of praying and instructed him to construct a chapel. In the chapel, he was to preserve his remains in that particular chapel.

The chapel is made up of the cubic roof. Its roofing appears to project square apse. The lower section of the apse seems to be surrounded by a structure that is octagonal in shape. The insides of the chapel are outlined by the orders and instructions of the architecture, moldings and a ribbed dome that appears to have all the structure retrieved from gray stone that contradicts with the traditional flat plasters.

The features of the chapel are richly ornamented with formal motifs. Several surfaces in the chapel are painted in fresco. The outlines of the walls depict scenes from the life of St. Peter of Verona. On top of the arch, there is an Annunciation. The dome showcases the entrance to the apse. There is also an Assumption of the Virgin that faces the arch. 

Several paintings of unknown Lombard artists are also located in the chapel.  Some of the paintings include the portrait of the martyrdom of St Peter and some frescoes like the great Miracolo dellanuvola e miracolo dellafalsa. The head of St. Peter rests in the marble shrine that acts as the chapel's focal point.

The chapel entrance showcases a huge room filled with hundreds of remains of the saints. The relics are stored and preserved in glass cabinets. It also has a very remarkable paleochristian cemetery. There seems to be an astonishing image of Virgin Mary and Jesus' with devil horns. According Furnari "Portinari Chapel or Chapel of St. Peter Martyr" (January 01, 1995); to the story behind those grotesque images showed that those were not the real Mary and his son Jesus but a pretense of the devil.

The chapel was built in a Renaissance style of architecture. There is a section in the channel that describes a story of a young man who had kicked his own mother and then cut off his leg in remorse and regret. The portrait shows St Peter miraculously healing the boy whose name was Narni. The ark of St Peter was known to be carved by a man known as Giovanni  diBalduccio. (FURNARI, January 01, 1995)

Reference 

FURNARI, M. (January 01, 1995). Portinari Chapel or chapel of St. Peter Martyr. 16.

S. Maria at Vicoforte

This is one of the most magnificent domes in the world; it is rated fifth in the world due to its size. The other masterpieces rated before it are the St Petersburg which is number one, it is situated in Vatican, the second is Pantheon found in Rome, the third is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore located in Florence, the fourth is the Indian Gol Gumbaz, and the fifth is our topic building.

Its historical background is dated 15th century, it stated as a violated shrine which stood in woods, but currently, it is lost at the foot of Viconforte hills. The first stone was laid in the year 1596. The original structural design was proposed by Ascanio Vitozzi. The architecture was from Orvieto which was active at the Court of Savoy. Moreover, the construction was started again and completed by Francesco Gallo who was from Mandovi. He ensured that the building stood as a landmark which was symbolized by an impressive elliptical dome which was finalized in the year 1733. It has a lantern above it which illuminates light into the spiritual house.  The house was primarily built for religious purposes and as a sanctuary for the main pilgrim destination. A good historical point according to Rivoira (1972) is where Charles Emmanuel of Sovery made a decision to have the building act as a tomb in the 16th century for the royal family i.e. the Dukes were allowed to be buried in the Sanctuary of Vicoforte. After Duke Charles had died in the year 1630, the building was faced with political and financial hardships which led to it being halted for over 100 years. Soon Mondovi restarted it and completed the structural flaws; build the drum and also the magnificent elliptical dome which stands at the top of the house. In the 19th century, the façade and bells were erected as such that the bells were in a bell-tower. The bells were later on demolished to due to safety precautions in the year 1906 (Rivoira, 1972). The same year also saw some changed in the cover of the dome which was replaced with the current copper cladding.  

The decoration is also brilliant and has a great historical background, which is the same as the architectural and structural designs. The sanctity is very spacious and has a surface area of 6,000 square meters; it has a single-theme fresco of decoration. Religious picture surrounds the sanctuary such that the life of Virgin Mary is depicted in it as well as her Glorious Assumptions. The interior of the doom is perfectly smooth and is continuous with decorations which are painted; hence creating a perception of an increased area and also an imagination of architectural decorations which is centered on the figurative portion of the Fresco.  

The path that currently allows visitors to access the building basement is very adventurous; there is a 75m climb which gives the viewer spectacular aerial ways, the chambers, the winding staircase which is restricted to the workforce and not the public. For the purpose of maintenance, a 250-meter fall restraint system, and support devices were erected in the sanctuary for the purpose of safety. The building has an estimate of 20000 tourists. It has employed 35 permanent employees. Besides being a religious building, it is a good tourism destination for many people around the world (Rivoira, 1972). 

Work cited

Rivoira, G T. Roman Architecture and Its Principles of Construction Under the Empire: With an Appendix on the Evolution of the Dome Up to the Xviith Century. New York: Hacker Arts Books, 1972. Print.

      Pergamum could be one of the ancient cities in Turkey; situated 16 km from the Aegean Sea. Pergamum became the ancient capital of the Pergamom kingdom. History indicates that Pergamum existed in the 5th century and only came to be of great importance to the people around the Hellenistic Age (Tribus 2016). During this age, Pergamum served as the residence to the Attalids dynasty. The Attalids controlled most of the civic governing extending the kingdom to Lydia, Lycaonia, and Pisidia. Thereby controlling most of these areas and by 118 BC, Pergamum occupied 52 acres. The Attalids intended to expand the kingdom and hence, brought great artisans to construct major buildings of the city.

Pergamum contained various buildings that Attalus erected while in power, the Acropolis, both upper and lower that have different structures. For instance, the upper acropolis which served as the great altar of Pergamum contains structures such as; the library of Pergamum, the royal places, the temple, the sanctuary of Athena, the Hellenistic theater, and the Roman bath complex (Bruce & Clark (2013). The Pergamum was the second best library in the entire Roman Empire, and the town served as the parchment production sector. 

On the other hand, the lower acropolis contains the following structures; the gate of  Eumenes, all the Gymnasium,;  Upper, Middle and Lower Gymnasium, Temple of Demeter,  Sanctuary of Hera, House of Attalus and Lower Agora.  There is also a town down the acropolis sanctuary of Asclepius that also form part of the Pergamum city. Sanctuary of Asclepius referred to a god of healing where people with illnesses could come here and bath from the water of sacred healing. People would dedicate different gifts to these place when they were coming to receive the healing. The main structures in this place include; Roman theater, North and South Stoa, the Temple of Asclepius, a healing spring and an underway passage (Rao 2013). 

The library of Pergamum takes account of the events and major materials used in building most of the buildings. For instance, the library making comprised of decorated paintings and decorations from the artist who built it. More so, the library had big reading room and shelves that contained perched papyrus (Bruce & Clark (2013). Besides, the architects left space between the outer walls and the shelves to allow air circulation; to create an enabling atmosphere for the preservation of the information materials.

Besides, there are various statues present in this city that represent the early rulers of the kingdom such as the statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The altar in Pergamum depicts the different materials used in the construction of most of the buildings in Pergamum (Rao 2013). The building exhibit marble composition that the Attalus used in the construction of these buildings.

References

Tribus, M. (2016). Rational Descriptions, Decisions and Designs: Pergamon Unified Engineering Series. Elsevier

Rao, S. S. (2013). The Finite Element Method in Engineering: Pergamon International Library of Science, Technology, Engineering and Social Studies. Elsevier.

Bruce, J. P., & Clark, R. H. (2013). Introduction to Hydrometeorology: Pergamon International Library of Science, Technology, Engineering and Social Studies. Elsevier.

        Well Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral in well, built in the 12th century to serve as a place of worship for the British. The building captures the entire of English building style between the 1145 and 1490.  The uniqueness of the building is the absence of a Romanesque; that Normans introduced in the most country in the 11th century (Caroe 2013).  The Normans contributed to the building of most of the building during this era, for they had great expertise in building skills and styles of beautifying a building especially by the adoption of Gothic styles across the Europe. Well Cathedral occupies a total length of 415 feet.

Built in English Gothic style, Well Cathedral exhibits unique features that distinguish it from French Cathedrals. For instance, well Cathedral exhibits less specification in weight and length when compared to these French Cathedrals. Besides, the building has big three doors and a large rose window; distinguishing it from other Cathedrals in France. The Gothic style adopted by the Wells Cathedral gave rise to other Cathedrals in England such as the Westminster Abbey, and Salisbury Wells characterized with more decorated Gothic style. (Reeve 2013).

The earliest architect of Well Cathedral is not known; however, Adam Lock was the second architect to continue with the building of the Wells Cathedral. The building exhibits clustered piers and contains a gallery of similarly pointed arches. The building of Wells Cathedral started at the east corner, the choirs’ position followed by the exterior side. The east end possesses tainted glasses, which is rare to find in England.

Besides, the building rocks of the Cathedral are from weathered sedimentary rocks, which dated over 250 million years’ span. At the front of the building, the building material comprises of pure limestone and pennant sandstones (Donovan 2011). Another rock identified in the building of the Cathedral include the Triassic sandstone that is the majority type of rock involved in the building of the cathedral. 

Well, Cathedral comprises of many sectors; the elevation, exterior, west front, crossing tower, north porch, cloisters interior and the chapter house. The elevation consists of three sections, the clerestory, arcade, and triforium gallery. On the other hand, the exterior exhibits the Gothic styles features, with large ancient windows and Pinnacle frames. The west from joins with the elevation to form a paired tower. The west end covers 30m high and 45m wide. Besides, this west front contains paintings, standing figures and angles crafted to portray a good image (Donovan 2011).

The crossing tower of the building usually contains pinnacles and parapet after the origin timber burnt down. The north porch, on the other hand, serves as the main entrance; is rectangular with plain walls. The interior marks great molding and smooth carvings especially the arcade, which distinguishes the interior with the exterior front (Reeve 2013).  Well, Cathedral thus serves as one of the great building of the ancient times representing the early building styles in depth.

References

Caroe, M. (2013). Wells Cathedral: Conservation of figure sculptures 1975-86. Final report and assessment. Studies in Conservation.

Donovan, D. T. (2011). Wells Cathedral: conservation of figure sculpture 1977–1986. International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 5(6), 586-612.

Reeve, M. M. (2013). The Capital Sculpture of Wells Cathedral: Masons, Patrons and the Margins of English Gothic Architecture. Journal of the British Archaeological Association.

Ostia is simply a large neighborhood located in the X Municipio of Rome, Italy near Rome’s ancient port. Ostia is located close to Ostia Antica, a major archaeological site in Rome today on the coast of Tyrrhenian coast near Acilia. The mouth of Tiber River separates Ostia from Fiumicino. At the height of Ostia back in the 2^nd century, its population stood at around 50,000. In order to accommodate the ever growing population, tall brick apartments of between three and five stories were constructed. The floors of these apartments were paved using mosaic, and the walls were elaborately painted. Largest flats were made up of up to 12 rooms. The town’s immense growth led to its wealthiest people being very generous to the poor leading to public funds being restricted. However, the magistrates were expected to appreciate the honor given to them in a practical way (Aldrete, 2004). 

        Ostia is the only district or municipio of Rome located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, something that leads to many Romans spending their summer holidays here. Today, Ostia boasts o a population of around 85,000 inhabitants, making it either the first or second most populate frazione of Italy. However, Ostia’s position in terms of population depends on whether Mestre is counted. 

Ostia was founded back in 1884 near Ostia Antica’s remains, Rome’s ancient port city. The founding of Ostia was influenced by the reclamation of the surrounding marshland (pond of Ostia) that was heavily infested with by malaria. The first inhabitants of this place were peasants that came from Ravenna, in Romagna. As a result of the opening of the urban Roma-Ostia railway back in 1924, the new village that accommodated peasants became a significant sea resort for Romans. This situation led to many Art Nouveau being built on the waterfront. The new village was connected to the central parts of Rome through Ostiense opened in 1907 (Meiggs et al, 1973). This neighborhood was immensely expanded during the Fascist period by the government. This expansion eventually led to the area getting its ultimate its current architectural thanks to the construction of new buildings in Stile Littorio. Some of the structures that were built during this period are the promenade, a water airport and a second road to Rome. After the Second World War, several bathing establishments were constructed in the sea side, something that led to Ostia experiencing a tourist boom. However, Ostia’s popularity as a sea resort was lowered in the 1970s as a result of sea pollution. 

Today, Rome-Lido railway line connects Ostia to the center of Rome. Daily, this railway line carries over 90,000 passengers by providing 12 journeys with an hour during the rush hour. The full length of this railway line stands at 28.359 kilometers and has 13 stops. Overall, the journey on this railway line lasts for around 37 minutes. At the same time, the Roman terminal located at Roma Porta San Paolo Station is very close to Rome Metro, line B (Piramide stop and further close to the Roma Ostiense railway station. Some of the rail stops Ostia include: Ostia Lido Nord, Ostia Antica, Ostia Stella Polare and Cristoforo Colombo. 

References

Aldrete, G. S. (2004). Daily life in the Roman city: Rome, Pompeii and Ostia. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press.

Meiggs, R., & American Council of Learned Societies. (1973). Roman Ostia. Oxford [England: Clarendon Press.

Arthur Ashe Stadium

Arthur Ashe Stadium 

Arthur Ashe Stadium is a tennis stadium located in Queens borough of New York City. The stadium opened in 1997 around Flushing Meadows and Corona Park and it is a part of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and it was designed by the Rossitti, an architecture firm in Detroit. According to Biography.com, the stadium was named after Arthur Robert Ashe Jr, the first and only African-American U.S Open title winner. Arthur was born in Richmond, Virginia on July 10, 1943 and died in New York City on February 6, 1993, four years before the stadium was opened.

The stadium has been one of the greatest tennis since the day it opened, with the largest capacity of 23,771 seat as a specific tennis stadium. However, the recently added retractable roof just made the stadium very special and pulled attention to the U.S open 2016 as it is the first time to be hosted with the retractable roof. The roof now makes it more convenience and keeps the games on schedule instead of having delays caused by the weather such as having rainfall or any other similar situations. And Ashley said in the US open website, “The new $150 million retractable roof debuts at this year’s US Open, putting an end to lengthy rain delays inside the biggest stadium in Grand Slam tennis. And while fans look up and marvel at the giant structure closing above them, there’s actually a whole team behind the scenes making sure the process runs smoothly from start to finish.”  Ashley Marshall, USopen.org

The design and structural support of the stadium’s roof. As the Chase bank is the financial sponsor of the stadium, the architecture firm designed a roof that is very stable structurally and also a great representor of the Chase bank logo. After trying many different designs for the roof, The Rossitti found the Chase bank logo design for the roof is actually the best to hold and support the retractable roof and cheaper than some other designs; which was a great deal for both, the engineers and the sponsors. 

The roof is supported by eight steel columns according to the site of the architecture firm, Rossitti.com 

“The main support for the retractable roof features eight steel columns that surround the stadium's perimeter. These tree branch-like columns sit on massive concrete bases, each of which is supported by approximately 24 piles driven 175 to 200 feet in the ground for maximum support. The pilings are so deep, a Manhattan skyscraper could be built on the foundation. Additionally, the structure is engineered to withstand hurricane-strength weather. Utilizing the independent columns was the most efficient way to minimize the impact to the existing stadium as they are able to stand on their own to support the roof without touching the current stadium. In addition, the isolated foundation elements allowed the project to avoid much of the dense, underground infrastructure from not only the current campus, but also the site’s history as the home of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs” Arthur Ashe Roof Background, http://www.rossetti.com/arthur-ashe-roof 

As a conclusion, The Arthur Ashe Stadium is valuable sport building that keeps fans experience a great time watching the games and also it is a place that keeps history for the sport itself, tennis, and also the great tennis player Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. 

References:

Biography.com

Rossitti.com 

USopen.org

Propylaea

Propylaea 

Propylaea or Propylaia, means any entrance or gate to a tamale an Acropolis Rock in the ancient Greece era. The ancient Greek built the Propylaea and designed them as guides to lead visitors to destinations in the building in a certain way. The Acropolis meant a lot to them and they designed it beautifully and they also were so precise about the circulation and the movement of people. The Propylaea’s are usually on top of a hill and there is a ramp leads all the way up to it. “The Propylaia is a building of the Doric order with few Ionic columns supporting the roof of the central wing. It was a complex structure to conceive and assemble, and was clearly designed to make a lasting impression for the approaching visitor.” Ancient-Greece.org

There are a lot of propylaea’s in there and we can focus in the most important ones. for example, The Propylaea of Athens that was built in c. 437 BCE as part of Pericles great rebuilding programme for Athens. the building is separated to three parts, the first is Pinakohtake, the second is the Propylaea, and the third is The tamale of Athena Nike. There are 24 Doric and Ionic columns located in three different parts of the building. The main 12 big

Doric columns are placed horizontally in the front divided to six on the lower level, three on the right of the entrance and other three on the left, and once you step up the stairs inside the building there will be other six organized in the same way of the previous ones.  Beside the Doric columns, the Ionic columns are aliened vertically in your way stepping inside the building three to the right and other three on the left. as Mark explained the measurement and circulation in his article that says “The principal entrance to the acropolis had always been on the west side of the escarpment since Mycenaean times and the Propylaea was built on the exact site of the Old Propylon (a modest columned porch) built from 490 BCE and destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE. Constructed with white Pentellic marble, the new Propylaea lies on an east-west axis and was designed to mirror the architectural style and proportions of the nearby Parthenon. A steep bank 80 meters long and 10 meters wide (with steps added under Claudius c. 52 CE) leads up to the Propylaea which consists of a central porch in the style of a Doric temple with a six Doric columns façade, a corridor with three Ionic columns either side and another six Doric columns on the west side exit. Independent wings stand on either side of the porch and it is the inner chambers of these annexes which were the part of the original project left unfinished. One of these wings, the Pinakotheke, measures 10.75 by 9 meters and was originally planned to be a gallery for art and a place for banqueting. The Propylaea actually provided five entrances, four for pedestrians and one larger central entrance for wheeled traffic and the coffered roof interior had a design in gold stars and palmettes on a blue background.” Mark Cartwright, Ancient History Encyclopedia

In this way, we can see the details of the building that is still very inspiring and shows us how great was the ancient Greece architecture. In addition, this design had a strong influence at that time and we also can find a lot of similarities in most of the other propylaea’s that were built in the time of ancient Greece. The materials are heavy and solid as well as the circulation and organization that it makes. 

References:

http://www.ancient.eu/Propylaea/

http://ancient-greece.org/architecture/propylaia.html