Harmony in Architecture

Church of Santa Maria Novella
Picture taken by Cava H.

Ancient ideals of beauty based on harmony and proportion were revived in Italian Renaissance architecture by Leon Battista Alberti. Alberti studied the ancient Roman architectural treatise of Vitruvius, and applied the classical formula to his works. According to Vitruvius, the circle and the square derived from the human body provided the model for proportion. Harmony is achieved when parts of a building are proportionally related to the whole. Alberti applied such principles when he designed the facade of the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. The facade of the church fits into a square (its width equals its height). The upper structure fits into a square that is one-fourth the size of the square of the entire facade. To cover the sloping roofs on the sides of the church, Alberti designed two scrolls that frame the upper “classical temple” part of the facade. The scrolls also unite the narrow upper part with the broad lower part of the church facade. The mathematical proportions of the building create a sense of calmness and balance that demonstrate the Renaissance ideal of beauty and harmony.