designed by Brunelleschi, but
considerably modified after his death, the Rucellai Palace by Alberti, a
worthy successor of Brunelleschi, the Guadagni Palace, designed by
Bramante, and the Pandolfini, designed by Raphael, the last very
characteristic of the mature phase of Italian Renaissance.

[Illustration: Facade of a Venetian Palace]

It was in Rome that the style reached its noblest development, and the
Cathedral of S. Peter's, on which all the greatest architects of the
16th and 17th centuries were successively employed, affords a unique
opportunity for its study. Built on the site of the old basilica of S.
Peter, alluded to in the section on Early Christian architecture, what
was to become the largest church in the world was begun by Bramante in
1506. His plan, that of a square with four projecting apses, to be
covered in with a central and four supplementary domes, was followed
until his death in 1514, when the work was carried on by Giuliano da San
Gallo, Fra Giacondo and Raphael, who were in favour of certain
modifications of the original design, that if carried out would have
converted the square into a Latin cross. The withdrawal of San Gallo,
and the deaths of Giacondo and Raphael in 1515, led to Baldasarre
Peruzzi being appointed architect, and under his auspices the plan was
changed to that of a Greek cross. Before his death in 1536 the present
south transept and the vaulting, that was to encircle the central dome
were finished, and the massive pendentives that were to uphold the
latter were begun. The next architect to take up the vast scheme was
Antonio da San Gallo, who, could he have obtained the necessary funds,
would have added a long pronaos or corridor of approach, to be entered
from a domed porch at the western end. In his model the interior of the
central portion of the cathedral, with the notable exception of the
dome, appears much as it does now, so that with its aid a good idea can
be obtained of the state of the building when, in 1546, Michael Angelo
was appointed architect in chief, and set the seal of his genius upon a
complex creation which was already a reflection of the highest
constructive and aesthetic achievement of the golden age of Italian
architecture. Reverencing the noble design of Bramante, Michael Angelo
left the interior, of which the symmetry of plan and beauty of the many
pilasters with their Corinthian capitals are notable characteristics,
much as he found it, but though