To browse Academia. B egun by pope urban iv reg. Its architecture has, nonetheless, been praised for its innovative treatment of the structure, ornament and the design of its elevations. The virtually unchallenged pre-eminence of generous traceried windows at clerestorey level all around the edifice, which, upon completion, would have imparted to this three-aisled basilica the aspect of a centrally planned shrine, the sophisticated layering of tracery patterns, which blur viewers' perception of depth and introduce a sense of spatial open-endedness, and the precariously fragile-looking, almost skeletal supports and flying buttresses all amount to a unique vision of Rayonnant architecture, which had little immediate following in subsequent decades.
Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, The Baptistery of Pisa has long been known to be one of the most accurate medieval copies of the Rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Despite the many similarities, there are, naturally, some divergences in Pisa from the plan and section of Jerusalem as it was in the 12th century.
These have been noted and seen as following the general tendency in the Middle Ages for selective copying, as outlined by Richard Krautheimer. Yet a close reading of the Baptistery's architecture, both in plan and in section, hints that the divergences are deliberate and occur only when they add symbolic value.
They seem even more conspicuous in light of some previously unmarked similarities of architectural elements that coincide exactly with those in Jerusalem, but whose placing is deliberately changed in Pisa. The changed location of some elements demonstrates a reflection on their significance and symbolism. This paper analyzes the architectural elements, direct quotes and deviations, in this Pisan interpretation of the Holy Sepulchre and shows its innovation.
The analysis leads to a re-assessment of the relationship between the two buildings and points to the Baptistery as a building that does not conform to the known characteristics of medieval architectural translation, but ushers in an innovative approach to the idea of copy and representation. Society and Culture in Late Antique Gaul. Revisiting the Sources, Chapter in a collection of articles focused on the transformations that occurred in Late Antique Gaul, in a volume edited by Ralph Mathiesen and Danuta Shanzer.
