Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

Though Brunelleschi was given increased freedom to oversee the construction of the dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, he knew that the Opera del Duomo would reconvene when the dome reached a height of 30 braccia (almost 70 feet). At this meeting, they would decide whether the dome could be built—as Brunelleschi insisted—without the wooden supports and scaffolding—known as centering—that were typically used throughout the construction of such domes during this time. By 1426, however, the Opera del Duomo had come to trust Brunelleschi’s vision and agreed to continue without centering. Following this, Brunelleschi implemented new herringbone patterns for the brickwork in the dome. Where Brunelleschi received the inspiration for this pattern is not known, but the approach was used in Asia and in antiquity. It helped to fix each brick in place during the difficult construction process. Each brick was carefully molded and inspected before being used on the project, as was the mortar. At their current rate, Brunelleschi’s workers were raising the dome by approximately one foot each month. With the increased height came increased risk, so Brunelleschi ordered the construction of a series of safety measures that were designed to mitigate (though not eliminate) risk.