| Bramante Staircase | |
|---|---|
 The "Momo", modern evolution of 'Bramante' spiral stairs of 1932. | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | Vatican Museums |
| Coordinates | 41°54′23″N12°27′16″E / 41.9064°N 12.4544°E /41.9064; 12.4544 |
Bramante Staircase is the name given to two staircases in theVatican Museums in theVatican City State: the original stair, built in 1505, and a modern equivalent from 1932.
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The original Bramante staircase, in thePio-Clementine Museum, was built in 1505 to adouble helix design byDonato Bramante. It connects theBelvedere palace ofPope Innocent VIII to the outside and stands in a square tower of that building.[1]
The Bramante Staircase features graniteDoric columns and aherringbone paving pattern, and was designed to allow people and pack animals to ascend and descend without interruption.[1]The stair is cited as the inspiration forAntonio da Sangallo the Younger's design for the double helix passageway at thewell of San Patrizio inOrvieto, to solve a similar logistical problem. The staircase was built to allowPope Julius II to enter his private residence while still in his carriage, since walking up the several flights in heavy papal vestments would have been onerous.[citation needed]
It is not generally open to the public, though specialist tours do visit.[1]
The moderndouble helix staircase, also in the Pio-Clementine Museum, and commonly referred to as the "Bramante Staircase", was designed byGiuseppe Momo, sculpted byAntonio Maraini and realized by theFerdinando Marinelli Artistic Foundry in 1932 and was inspired by the original Bramante Staircase.This staircase, like the original, is adouble helix, having two staircases allowing people to ascend without meeting people descending; as with the original, the main purpose of this design is to allow uninterrupted traffic in each direction. It encircles the outer wall of a stairwell approximately fifteen meters wide and with a clear space at the centre. The balustrade around the ramp is of ornately worked metal. A canopy located above provides the necessary light to illuminate the stairs. The staircase is located at the end of the museum visit and all visitors leave by this route.[2]
Several architecture professors have speculated that Momo’s staircase (particularly the skylight and atrium, and the helical nature of the ramp and the technical aspects of its construction) was the inspiration forFrank Lloyd Wright’s design for theSolomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.[3][4][5]
