The urban renewal of Faenza was carried out by its lord Carlo II Manfredi between 1468 and 1477, in agreement with his brother, Bishop Federico. The theme is of fundamental importance for the urban history of Faenza, as well as for the urban history of the Italian Renaissance. The research was conducted on the basis of unpublished documentary sources and providing new readings also to already known documents, with the result of shedding new light on historical processes established by the existing bibliography. The first work created by Carlo was the two-level portico which gave his medieval palace of residence a new facade. This architecture would have been the prelude to a general reorganization of the main square of the city, probably in order to recreate an ancient forum, as prescribed by the treaties of Vitruvius and Alberti. This is a very original case among the Italian squares renovated in the Renaissance: Faenza is the first example of a fully Vitruvian space in northern Italy, as well as being the only example of a square with a double loggia, described by Vitruvius and Alberti, but never made in other Italian squares. The original appearance of the Renaissance loggia, inferable from archival and iconographic documentation, allows it to be attributed with some probability to Giuliano da Maiano. Carlo Manfredi profoundly reformed the urban fabric, demolishing many wooden arcades of medieval origin, rectifying the main streets, completing the walls. Bishop Federico Manfredi in 1474 began the construction of the Cathedral, rebuilt from the foundations to a design by Giuliano da Maiano himself. The architecture of the church has a style largely indebted to the sacred architecture of Brunelleschi, but with significant differences (such as the nave defined by an alternation between pillars and columns, or the covering made up of sail vaults). The apse of the cathedral, unrelated to the da Maiano project, was built in 1491-92 and shows some details close to the contemporary architecture of Bramante. In Faenza a profound transformation of the city (loggia, reform of the square, reorganization of the streets, a new cathedral) took place in a very short period of time, contributing to giving prestige to the Manfredis, who attempted to make Faenza a modern city in which they put into practice the dictates of Vitruvius and Alberti.
Il volume ha come oggetto il rinnovamento urbano realizzato a Faenza per opera del suo signore Carlo II Manfredi tra il 1468 e il 1477, d’accordo con il fratello, il vescovo Federico. Il tema è di fondamentale importanza per la storia urbana faentina, nonché per la storia urbana del Rinascimento italiano. La ricerca è stata condotta basandosi su fonti documentarie inedite e fornendo letture nuove anche ai documenti già noti, con il risultato di gettare nuova luce su processi storici dati per assodati dalla bibliografia esistente. La prima opera realizzata da Carlo fu il portico a due livelli che dotò di una nuova facciata il suo palazzo di residenza, di origini medievali. Questa architettura sarebbe stata il preludio di un riordino generale della piazza principale della città, probabilmente allo scopo di ricreare un foro all’antica, come prescritto dai trattati di Vitruvio e di Alberti. Si tratta di un caso originalissimo tra le piazze italiane rinnovate nel Rinascimento: Faenza è il primo esempio di spazio compiutamente vitruviano dell’Italia settentrionale, oltre a essere l’unico esempio di piazza con doppio loggiato, descritto da Vitruvio e da Alberti, ma mai realizzato in altre piazze italiane. L’aspetto originale del loggiato rinascimentale, desumibile da documentazione archivistica e iconografica, permette di attribuirlo con una certa probabilità a Giuliano da Maiano. Carlo riformò profondamente anche il tessuto urbano, demolendo molti portici lignei di origine medievale, rettificando le principali strade, completando la cerchia muraria. Il vescovo Federico Manfredi nel 1474 diede inizio alla fabbrica della Cattedrale, ricostruita dalle fondamenta su progetto dello stesso Giuliano da Maiano. L’architettura della chiesa ha uno stile largamente debitore all’architettura sacra di Brunelleschi, ma con significative differenze (come la navata definita da un’alternanza tra pilastri e colonne, o la copertura composta da volte a vela). L’abside della cattedrale, estranea al progetto maianesco, fu realizzata nel 1491-92 e mostra alcuni dettagli riconducibili alla coeva architettura di Bramante. A Faenza si realizza in un periodo di tempo brevissimo una profonda trasformazione del volto della città: loggiato, riforma della piazza, riordino delle strade, una nuova cattedrale, tutto contribuisce a dare lustro ai Manfredi e a fare di Faenza una città moderna e in cui si mettono in pratica i dettami di Vitruvio e di Alberti.
Una piazza del Rinascimento. Città e architettura a Faenza nell'età di Carlo II Manfredi (1468-1477)
Daniele Pascale Guidotti Magnani
2021
Abstract
The urban renewal of Faenza was carried out by its lord Carlo II Manfredi between 1468 and 1477, in agreement with his brother, Bishop Federico. The theme is of fundamental importance for the urban history of Faenza, as well as for the urban history of the Italian Renaissance. The research was conducted on the basis of unpublished documentary sources and providing new readings also to already known documents, with the result of shedding new light on historical processes established by the existing bibliography. The first work created by Carlo was the two-level portico which gave his medieval palace of residence a new facade. This architecture would have been the prelude to a general reorganization of the main square of the city, probably in order to recreate an ancient forum, as prescribed by the treaties of Vitruvius and Alberti. This is a very original case among the Italian squares renovated in the Renaissance: Faenza is the first example of a fully Vitruvian space in northern Italy, as well as being the only example of a square with a double loggia, described by Vitruvius and Alberti, but never made in other Italian squares. The original appearance of the Renaissance loggia, inferable from archival and iconographic documentation, allows it to be attributed with some probability to Giuliano da Maiano. Carlo Manfredi profoundly reformed the urban fabric, demolishing many wooden arcades of medieval origin, rectifying the main streets, completing the walls. Bishop Federico Manfredi in 1474 began the construction of the Cathedral, rebuilt from the foundations to a design by Giuliano da Maiano himself. The architecture of the church has a style largely indebted to the sacred architecture of Brunelleschi, but with significant differences (such as the nave defined by an alternation between pillars and columns, or the covering made up of sail vaults). The apse of the cathedral, unrelated to the da Maiano project, was built in 1491-92 and shows some details close to the contemporary architecture of Bramante. In Faenza a profound transformation of the city (loggia, reform of the square, reorganization of the streets, a new cathedral) took place in a very short period of time, contributing to giving prestige to the Manfredis, who attempted to make Faenza a modern city in which they put into practice the dictates of Vitruvius and Alberti.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
