Doge of Venice: San Giorgio Maggiore

Architecture in San Giorgio

It is understood that in the Cinquecento, a sense of history did not yet exist. Palladio probably shared the same sentiments as Raffaello and Vasari concerning the Medieval past, that is, everything that followed the fall of the Roman Empire was considered barbaric. The Benedictine friars, carried away by their enthusiasm to enlarge and renew their domain, instead demonstrated a passionate iconoclasm. The façade of San Giorgio was inspired by that of San Francesco della Vigna. Both represent a solution to the problem of combining the pediment of a classical temple with the structure of a Christian church, reminiscent of the Roman basilicas which are characterised by the placement of the central nave and the lateral naves on different levels. In keeping with this idea, Palladio conceptualised two wings overlapped by parts of the pediment, and adorned by a minor order (column and entablature).

San Giorgio	San Francesco della Vigna

Since the façade of San Giorgio is a posthumous work and was built by an unknown follower, doubts have been raised concerning its fidelity to the original plan. In contrast to the church of San Francesco della Vigna, the minor order rises from ground level. In an earlier plan, however, the colossal order, (a group of columns that extends through several stories), does the same. The adopted solution compliments perfectly the internal arrangement where the main order of the nave rests on a base of the same height as that of the external order.