The history of engineering and architectural thought is full of famous names, but some characters stand apart and deserve a separate page in history.
Birth and childhood
In 1415 the great architect Aristotle Fioravanti was born. His life and work began in Bologna. The boy appeared in a respected family of an architect, and his professional path was predetermined. Childhood in those days was short: from the age of 5, the future architect spent a lot of time in workshops and at construction sites, listening to his father's conversations with workers and looking closely at tools and mechanisms.
Study and development of the profession
Dive into the profession began for Fioravanti with work as an apprentice in the family business. The Artel Fioravanti was in good standing in Bologna, carrying out large and prestigious orders. Even the grandfather of the architect received such significant orders as an extension to the ancient palace of Accursio in Bologna, and his father erected the Palazzo Communale, which was damaged in a fire. The boy grew up on these construction sites and absorbed numerous skills and knowledge. By the age of 15was already a fully qualified engineer and architect. Documents confirm that in 1436 the young Fioravanti participated in the casting of a bell for the Palazzo del Podesta, a process in those days that required many skills.
Becoming a Master
By the age of 25, Aristotle had mastered all the wisdom of the profession and actively continued to work in the family business. When Father Fioravanti died, his brother took matters into his own hands, and the hero of our article became a full member of the artel.
The young engineer needed development, and in search of opportunities to organize an independent business, he went to Rome. In the capital, Aristotle worked in a team that transported and installed the columns in the temple of Minerva. He participated in large-scale projects precisely as an engineer. There he learned to move huge objects, and this made his technical thinking more active.
Years of work: Aristotle Fioravanti - Italian engineer
In 1453, a promising architect returns to Bologna to carry out a responsible task from the local community - he leads the raising of the bell to the tower. In the course of this work, the engineer seriously thinks about the improvement of engineering technologies. This was the reason for the first glory of the engineer Fioravanti.
In 1455, Aristotle showed the world a miracle of engineering: he was able to move the bell tower of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore by 13 meters. To do this, he applied a mechanism of his own invention and was able to complete a task that is still not easy today.
The tower was surroundeda special wooden cage, which saved the structure from tipping over. The engineer applied the principle of distributing the draft force to several gates, unique for those times.
Fioravanti's fame spread throughout Italy, and now the engineer was invited to carry out the most complex orders, which, in addition to fame, brought good money. So, he successfully straightened the leaning tower in Cento and the bell tower in Venice. However, the bell tower collapsed 2 days after the manipulation, and this forever taught Fioravanti to examine the ground very carefully before starting work.
From 1456, Fioravanti began to actively engage in architectural commissions. He works on the reconstruction of ancient buildings in Bologna, repairs the moat and performs many tasks for the city community. The master's works do not go unnoticed, his fame only grows, and in 1458 he was invited to Milan to serve at the duke's court, where Aristotle worked for about 6 years.
Later, the architect returns to Bologna and completes many orders, including bridges, towers, palaces that he built and restored. Since 1464, he was the city engineer of Bologna and remained in this position until his death, despite the fact that the commune sent masters to perform various works in the cities of Italy, as well as in Hungary and Russia.
Aristotle Fioravanti built several outstanding structures for his time. Through his efforts, an aqueduct was erected in the town of Cento, the reconstruction of the Palazzo del Podestà was carried out, but the glory of the master at that time was more engineeringprojects, and fame in the world of architecture was yet to come.
The hard times of Aristotle Fioravanti
Throughout his life, Aristotle Fioravanti faced the intrigues of envious people and competitors. Because of this, he repeatedly had to change places of residence and work. A notable blow of fate was the accusation of the architect of minting counterfeit money, this happened in 1473. The master almost miraculously managed to avoid severe punishment, but he lost hope of finding orders in Rome. Aristotle Fioravanti again returned to Bologna, where he was expected, but he no longer received the previous large orders, and his well-being was somewhat shaken.
Russian smile of luck
In Russia, Tsar Ivan III at that time started a grandiose construction: in the Kremlin, it was decided to build a large-scale cathedral, symbolizing the strength and power of royal power. But misfortune happened - the walls collapsed, and an ambassador was sent to Italy with an order to bring a worthy architect.
Semyon Tolbuzin met with Aristotle Fioravanti and was able to convince him to go to a distant unknown country. Thus, in 1475, the golden period in the life of the architect began.
Arriving in Moscow, the architect, who followed his own rules, carefully examined the soil and materials from which his predecessors built. So he came to the conclusion that two problems need to be solved. First: organize the release of the right strong brick. Second: to create a very deep and reliable foundation, since the soil of Borovitsky Hill was excavated many times and could not withstand the masslarge structure.
And work began, unprecedented in Russia: the creation of deep ditches and the installation of long wooden piles, which were not accepted in Russian architecture. The engineer also opened a brick production, which for many years later provided the capital with high-quality building materials.
Life work: how Aristotle Fioravanti built the Assumption Cathedral
Assumption Cathedral is an example of high architectural thought, it organically combines tradition and revolutionary innovation. The model for the temple was the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin in Vladimir, but Fioravanti implemented in it many revolutionary ideas for Russia at that time.
The architect made a great trip around the country and understood well the traditions of ancient Russian architecture. The master uses these typical techniques in the external design of the temple. At the same time, the architect's innovation allowed him to create a spacious and bright cathedral.
The architect made a number of interesting decisions when creating the interior of the temple. He abolishes the usual choirs and uses atypical pillars as supports, allocates a separate place for roy alty. The master sought to create a cathedral that would reflect the entire originality of Russian culture, but also wanted to fit the most modern trends in architecture into the building.
And as a result, he not only created a harmonious - so Russian and at the same time Renaissance - appearance of the temple, but also thought out all the space adjacent to it,setting the foundation for what is now the pride of the Russian people - the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin.
The architect asked Ivan III to invite students from Italy to realize the idea of creating an architectural ensemble of the Kremlin. So Russia found its symbol and model for architectural imitation. The cathedral was built in record time, and already in 1479 the temple was consecrated. And the architect was awarded and honored, but he is not allowed to go home, because the king has his own plans for him.
Years of honor and glory
Already during the construction of the Assumption Cathedral, Aristotle Fioravanti, the architect, could not forget his engineering habits. He establishes cannon production, trains Russian craftsmen and the military, and is appointed head of the Russian artillery. He is engaged in establishing crossings over Russian rivers, building a pontoon bridge across the Volkhov. The master spends several years in labors, which are generously paid for by the Russian Tsar.
However, the master dreamed of returning to his homeland and asked the king to go home, but he did not even want to hear about it. The last mentions of Fioravanti in the chronicles indicate that he participated in the campaign against Tver, which ended in the victory of Russian weapons.
The influence of Aristotle Fioravanti on Russian architecture
The Assumption Cathedral was enthusiastically received by Russian architects, and therefore structures began to appear throughout Russia, in one way or another repeating the style of the Italian architect. Fioravanti, without suspecting it, laid the foundations of the Russian nationalan architectural school that harmoniously combined the old traditions of Russian architecture with the novelty of the Italian Renaissance.
Unknown works by Aristotle Fioravanti
Architectural historians are still trying to find the buildings that Fioravanti erected in Russia. There is a theory that after the construction of the Assumption Cathedral, the architect traveled around the country and took part in the construction of a number of temples. Some researchers attribute to its authorship the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Antoniev Krasnokholmsky Monastery and the Cheremenets St. John the Theologian Monastery. There is such a point of view, but there is no real evidence for this theory. And officially, Aristotle Fioravanti built one of the most beautiful churches in Russia - the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin.
End of story
It is not known exactly when Aristotle Fioravanti died, the years of the architect's life are only approximate. He spent his last years in Russia, but there is almost no evidence of this time. But still, the approximate date of death - 1486 - indicates that the architect lived a fairly long life for those times (71 years is already a deep old age for the 15th century).
The life of the creator was full of trials, discoveries and successes. The cathedral built by Aristotle Fioravanti is magnificent, the photo shows this in all its glory. The name of the master is forever inscribed in the history of world and especially Russian architecture.
Engineer and architect Aristotle Fioravanti, whose historical portrait has many white spots, is recognizedan innovator for the Russian architectural school. Its influence on the face of Russia cannot be overestimated. For our country, this is an architect of special significance, because he formed the ensemble of the main state complex and built the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin.
Aristotle Fioravanti, whose photos of buildings can be found today in the album of every traveler in Moscow, has become a truly Russian treasure. He was a true renaissance man: creative, educated, striving for perfection and achieving greatness. His life is an example of love for his work, to which he was devoted to his last breath.
