Sant’Andrea and the design by Leon Battista Alberti
The church of Sant’Andrea in Mantua, built from 1472 onwards, replaced an earlier basilica from the 11th century. Leon Battista Alberti’s design prevailed over the one by Antonio Manetti Ciaccheri. Construction was completed in the 1990s, including the façade, the nave covered by a large barrel vault and the cross vault piers. The transept and apse were built in the 16th century, while the dome was erected to a design by Filippo Juvarra and completed in 1732. Alberti was inspired by the Roman triumphal arch and temple façade for the exterior design, while the interior was modelled on the great imperial structures such as Constantine’s baths and basilica. The architecture of the façade features a unique element: the ”umbrella” above the gable. This forepart open to the nave is of great originality.
San Sebastiano, a new temple for architecture
The church of San Sebastiano, the first building constructed in Mantua from a design by Leon Battista Alberti, begun in 1460 but was incomplete when Ludovico II Gonzaga died. The completion entrusted to the Lateran canons in 1488 is still uncertain. The restoration of 1924-1925 influenced the current appearance of the building. The drawing by Antonio Labacco in the 16th century probably represents Alberti’s design. Some original elements such as the plutei and decorations with Gonzaga heraldic motifs have been placed at the entrance of the temple. The church presents a homogeneous decorative language, and the new layout allows an in-depth study of 15th-century Mantuan architectural decoration and a comparison of sculptures from Alberti’s factories.
