TheSagrestia Vecchia di San Lorenzo, orOld Sacristy of San Lorenzo, is the older of twosacristies of theBasilica of San Lorenzo inFlorence,Italy. It is one of the most important monuments of early ItalianRenaissance architecture.[1] Designed byFilippo Brunelleschi and paid for by theMedici family,[2] who also used it for their tombs, it set the tone for the development of a new style of architecture that was built around proportion, the unity of elements, and the use of the classical orders. The space came to be called the "Old Sacristy" after a new one was begun in 1510 on the other side of S. Lorenzo's transept.[2]
The structure was begun 1421 and largely complete in 1440.[2] When finished, it was, however, quite isolated, the reason being that construction for the new building for San Lorenzo, the design for which Brunelleschi was also responsible, was not far along. It was only in the years after 1459 that the Old Sacristy was unified with San Lorenzo, connected to its left transept.[3]
The plan is a perfect square with a smaller squarescarsella oraltar on the south side. Thescarsella is axially positioned in the wall, and connected to the main space by an arched opening. The interior of the main space is articulated by a rhythmic system ofpilasters,arches that emphasize the space's geometric unity. The pilasters are for purely visual purposes, and it was this break between real structure and the appearance of structure that constituted one of the important novelties of Brunelleschi's work. The pilasters support anentablature, the only purpose of which is to divide the space into two equal horizontal zones. The upper zone featurespendentives under the dome, another relative novelty, more typical ofByzantine architecture. Thedome is actually an umbrella dome, composed of twelvevaults joined at the center.[4] It was not an uncommon design and Brunelleschi may have learned the technique from a visit toMilan or other places where such domes existed. What was new was the way in which the dome was integrated into the proportion of the space below. The use of color is restricted to grey for the stone and white for the wall. The correct use of theCorinthian order for the capitals was also new and a testament to Brunelleschi's studies ofancient Roman architecture.
The decorative details are byDonatello, who designed thetondos in thependentives, thelunettes, thereliefs above the doors and the doors themselves.[5]
The smaller dome above the altar is decorated with astrological depictions of starconstellations. The arrangement of the constellations is accurate enough to estimate the particular date they represent, although there has been disagreement on the intended date represented there. In 1911,Aby Warburg first made an attempt with the help of a Hamburg astronomer and concluded that the date was the July 9, 1422, the date of the consecration of the altar.Gertrud Bing later rejected this in favor of a calculation byArthur Beer for July 6, 1439, the date of the closing session of theCouncil of Florence, in which theArticles of Union between Eastern and Western Christendom were signed by Latin and Greek delegates. More recent recalculation by ProfessorJohn L. Heilbron has independently confirmed this date and even estimated the time of day at about noon.[6]
In the center is the sarcophagus ofGiovanni di Bicci de' Medici andPiccarda Bueri, byBuggiano. Set along one of the walls is the porphyry and bronze sarcophagus ofGiovanni andPiero de' Medici byVerrocchio.[7]
Media related toSagrestia Vecchia at Wikimedia Commons
43°46′28.97″N11°15′13.13″E / 43.7747139°N 11.2536472°E /43.7747139; 11.2536472
