" The idea of rebirth came from the belief that Europeans had rediscovered the superiority of Greek and Roman culture after many centuries of what they considered intellectual and cultural decline. The preceding era, which began with the collapse of the Roman Empire around the 5th century, became known as the Middle ages to indicate its position between the classical and modern world. The world of architecture felt the impact of the decline in a great way, and Fillipo Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, and Andrea Palladio made renowned buildings that characterize and express the development of Renaissance architecture.
"In the case of Fillipo Brunelleschi; just like Forese da Rabatta and Giotto he was insignificant to look at, but his genius was so commanding that we can surely say he was sent by heaven to renew the art of architecture-(Vasari, 133) Fillipo Brunelleschi overcame the limitations of medieval architecture when he devised a way to cap the Cathedral of Florence with the largest dome built since the Pantheon, about 150 feet across and 308 feet tall. The Florentine dome is made of brick and masonry, restrained by a girdle. Hidden beneath the external covering of the dome, is a structural system of separate stone arches held together by a girdle of heavy , chain linked oak beams that contain the thrust of the stone, making the dome strong and self-supporting. The cathedral dome serves as a clear example of new innovations set to the foundations of the past (Rchardson,1986). Though Brunelleschi gained much of his fame for the dome, some of his other works showed a greater commitment to the classical styles of the past, and serve as good examples of renaissance architecture.
One of Brunelleschi's important buildings is the Foundlings Hospital in Florence. It's graceful series of round arches and it's flat, carefully articulated upper wall rose within the darker, more massive stone buildings of Florence as a completely new architectural statement.
