How an Amateur Built the World's Biggest Dome
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- Опубліковано 23 січ 2014
- In 1418, Filippo Brunelleschi was tasked with building the largest dome ever seen at the time. He had no formal architecture training. Yet experts still don't fully understand the brilliant methods he used in contructing the dome, which tops the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence, Italy.
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PRODUCER, EDITOR, AND WRITER: Hans Weise
ART DIRECTOR: Fernando G. Baptista
ART AND ANIMATION: Fernando G. Baptista and Matthew Twombly
MAP AND TYPOGRAPHY: Lauren E. James
ADDITIONAL WRITING: Jason Orfanon
NARRATOR: Paula Rich
RESEARCH: Fanna Gebreyesus and Elizabeth Snodgrass
SPECIAL THANKS: Riccardo Dalla Negra, Massimo Ricci, and Francesco Gurrieri
How an Amateur Built the World's Biggest Dome
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If Brunelleschi found out you called him an amateur, he'd be throwing eggs at you rn
Instablaster...
Medici?
he'd balance the narrator's skull on one end and make it stand on it's own.
That was my immediate thought! How dare you call this genius an 'amateur!'
@@CPorter
Hahaha
He wasn't an amateur at all. He was indeed a mathematician and geometrician, he invented one point perspective (still fundamental today) and the planning of the dome took him several years.
Good animation in the video but false informations, he worked really hard and was very well known as an architect at the time they gave him this project. It's not that he woke up and build the dome.
Yeah they miss things
I was wondering how can anyone assign such a challenging project to an ameture? Thanks for this info
How to get views and money in 2021? bend the truth. The same trick merchants have been using for thousands of years. seems like without prescience this basic trick will be forever effective.
@@ozymandias7592 *2014
I agree with you 100%
i climbed on top of it, as Ezio
I climbed on top of it as etzio and as myself
aYYY
I clicked on this video just because it reminded me of AC II.
I think it was in the brotherhood..had to kill someone and disguise himself to deliver a box
666th like
Imagine how scary it would be to work so high up on a sketchy building lol
A sketchy building that has stood for over half a century...
well you can't really predict if it will last that long from the start.
B All95 o
malenotyalc It's five centuries not half.
All in the name of God
This video is very very nice but... Brunelleschi amateur?!? Let's be serious! I am an art historian and I can say undoubtedly Brunelleschi was not an amateur but an architect (and not only), one of the greatest and talented architect in history.
The term amateur describes a person who had no formal training in a subject. And Brunelleschi had none. Due to little biographical information about his life it is not even clear how he transitioned from his actual profession as a goldsmith to architecture.
I also know of the smaller dome. And this explains why they trusted him with this project even though he had no working samples speaking for his expertise by that time. This and the fact that he was the only applicant. ^^ Of course he studied architecture in Rome. He most likely worked as a goldsmith there too to make a living while spending his free time studying. But he did it completely on his own. Meaning there has been no professional training involved. He was a self taught architect - an amateur.
Yea it's weird to call Brunelleschi Amateur
Don't forget that in Italy during this era, most artisans and craftsmen began their careers as apprentices to Masters, and only upon several years of training and completion of a "master piece" were they elevated. Plus you had strong guilds (cf. unions) with their sets of rules.
Am I the only one who is not an art historian??
As an Italian guy, hearing Brunelleschi being called “amateur” sounds like blasphemy to me. Respect for the Italian geniuses
It is blasphemy
He was an amateur when you compare him to the Islamic architecture which he copied!
@@3-Kashmir definitely didn’t copy. He made it much more beautiful than any Islamic building. The prettiest mosque in all of Islam is the blue mosque in Turkey which they actually stole from the Roman Christian’s when the Muslims invaded the whole of Europe as they pillaged and colonized
"Amateur" doesn't mean unskilled
@@3-Kashmir😂😂
I live in Florence, near to the dome, I watch it each and every day, it's so nice and interesting!!
Guzman Tierno siamo in due! É veramente un'opera d'arte
Gappie Al Kebabi you?
Gappie Al Kebabi ???
@Gappie Al Kebabi lol wtf
I'm jealous
7 years later.
I mean, Brunelleschi clearly didn’t have any experiences. But he studied, his whole life, many architectural books and was also a great mathematician. He was a genius, a prospective master, and you can comprehend this by seeing his magnificent tile showing the Sacrifice of Isaac. Certainly, many aspects of his biography are uncertain and still a mystery. But one thing is sure: he wasn’t just a mere amateur.
I love how he gets an idea candle instead of an idea bulb :)
In medici (Netflix series) he gets the idea from an egg shell
@@bulletboy6572 i guess he's referring to the light bulb modern people get when they figure things out or have a great idea. Back then they didn't have light bulbs so the animation of that was a candle.
@@16olsii ohh, alright, that’s smart
@@16olsii I thought he was referring to the shape of the dome
it's probably because light bulb hasn't yet been invented in 1418
The 'secret' is not one anymore. He interlocked the bricks in a 'fishbone' pattern that avoided the bricks to fall down under their own weight before the dome was completed. A genius design indeed. I am amazed that the dome is still standing today. Surely the most beautiful basilica in the world.
what is fishbone pattern can you send me a link? thanks
I believe you meant herringbone pattern. Fishbone is completely different my friend.
@@thomascaprio5589You are right. I saw this in a video that was saying the bricks of the dome were arranged in a fishbone pattern. After checking, it is Herringbone pattern. Thanks for pointing out this mistake! 🙂
I climbed the Duomo when I was in Florence. You go in between the two shells on a tight curving staircase. It was incredible 😍
It feels unreal until you see it with your own eyes, I played Assasin's Creed and 7 years later I visited Florence. The sheer size of the building is overwhelming and to top it off, the detailed designs unknowingly keep your mouth wide open. 'Florence, for me is the world's best city.'
I got to see this a few months ago in real life. I had no idea how revolutionary this dome was or that it was the largest, but let me tell you that in person you would be left with no doubts that it is the largest. That thing is HUGE. And you can barely even make out a human silhouette when people are at the top. Truly an Italian masterpiece that joins the plethora of all the other marvels of the old Italian world.
FYI: if you get paid for the job, then you're not an amateur by definition. you're a professional.
amateur - a person inexperienced or unskilled in a particular activity, from dictionary.com. Here they meant this meaning as he had no formal training in architecture. Do a bit more research before pointing out a mistake.
Karpov Liam is
If he had built domes professionally before, he'd be a professional. Since he was hired for a job he didn't do, he was an amateur.
As pointed out "amateur" doesn't necessarily mean unpaid. It could simply mean unskilled or low skilled, or inexperienced. Or in my case, I am an unpaid professional UA-cam commenter.
If you watched the video you would see that he got paid.
Any other fans of he show Medici: Masters of Florence here? I know the show is far from a documentary but the dome and Brunelleschi are featured as major things
I'm getting an Assassin's Creed flashback right now.
Climbed it countless times.
I feel you
Tropico myself. At least, for the narrator's voice.
"We cant explain today" literally explains it...
Literally doesn't explain how he COULD use those techniques
Depends which part.
Victorbrine Cassini Act 2 depends which part.
In 500 years people will wonder how a big tower built in 16 years can just fit 3 minutes of UA-cam. A wonder.
What we Italians did in our history is just incredible 🇮🇹
Italian here, she mispronounced every italian word....why the fake accent?
Not italian here. It was nice lol.
Bummer that shes not actually italian but i gotta say i did enjoy the accent as a non italian
sorry to broke the dream...
.....so you'd rather have her not even try?
I dun understand
Perhaps its not an Italian accent?
This video explains to us that we don't understand "How an Amateur Built the World's Biggest Dome" even though the title is "How an Amateur Built the World's Biggest Dome"
It's how as in "how it was built", not how as in "how an amateur achieved such a feat." Both uses are correct
Miguel Bartelsman but it fails at even that. Click bait or what. Thumbs down
Well the video is not giving all the details, probably it means how he achieved the way how he built it or how come it resists after 500 years, if you don't want to stay ignorant just learn, don't criticize
I love Italian artists, wish to see more of them in our modern times to witness more groundbreaking pieces of art.
Please, don't call Brunelleschi an amateur
but he was at the time
He was though.
Brunelleschi an amateur
do you people really not know what the words "amateur" and "professional" mean?
if a person gets hired by a client/employer and gets paid for the job, then this person is a professional by definition!
had ideas ahead of his time, yet called amateur lol
I remember being taught there was an iron chain at the base of the dome. The integration of metal and masonry was the innovation behind the dome. The problem is not the dome itself but the outward forces at its base. There would be a tremendous force from the weight from the beginning of construction and the horizontal element of that weight would push out the walls supporting the dome. Not to take away from the dome's actual construction but the use of the metal with the higher tensile strength would be a precursor for modern architecture and larger domes.
Altho I get why they used the word amateur. It’s just.... the guy is (arguable) the bloody father of the renaissance, calling him a amateur just under plays all his other achievements of which is many, the guy was a genius.
How will they get views then?
It's an insult.
And then the Renaissance era began.
Renaissance altready started in Brunelleschi era smh...
The 12th century renaissance: Am I a joke to you?
I've seen this, and ran the stairs to the top. It's an amazing feat of design and assembly that protects an equally beautiful interior.
Italians are so creative and artistic with everything they make
even their debt !!
The etymology of the word bank is "banco": the Italian ancient word for "table". The bank was invented in Florence in the fourteenth century. Can I tell you what there was elsewhere in 1300?
They make a mean spaghetti bolognese dish. *kisses fingers*
thats because we're the best of the best
germans had bach & kant as well as hitler, italians had great of everything as well as fabulous mafia,wtf!
Make Italy Great Again!
As an architecture Engginering student, I now he is not amateur. What a masterpiece
It was an absolute marvel to see his masterpiece in person over the summer.
I absolutely love this story. The fact that they still don't know exactly how he did it makes it even better
Um gênio. Maravilhoso!
next mr.beast video : breaking the world record for largest dome using 1 billion legoes
No
@@JustGeorgeGG it something he would do tho
@@ashtonhashbrown6155 that's the sad part
Bruhhh
The very best explanation and sketch of the dome .
reminds me of an xkcd strip with the quote "Some engineer out there has solved P=NP and it's locked up in an electric eggbeater calibration routine. For every 0x5f375a86 we learn about, there are thousands we never see."
Maravilloso ejemplo de ingeniería y arquitectura, entonadas dentro la armonía de las formas y la belleza de la perfección, propuesta por un extraordinario genio
Una manera sencilla y agradable para entender que tras estos importantes monumentos siempre existio ingenio, paciencia y visión..!
Geniuses in every generation. This was great. Thanks for posting it.
He turned out to be a master, not an amateur.
he was never an amateur in the first place. he invented point perspective, he was a mathematician and a master architect. Idk why they call him amateur in this video.
He was NOT an amateur,
also shout-out to Cosimo de Medici.
Brunelleschi built this without having taken any architecture studies, and today i cannot run a counselling office in a school because i haven't taken a super expensive 4 years long study AFTER i DID take a master degree in psychology, 1000 hours of unpaid internships and a final huge qualifying exam that only exists in Italy and nowhere else in the world. Italy hasn't learnt from its past.
+E Lisa Brunelleschi IS the first engineer/architect in modern history and he did take extensive studies. You should learn from Brunelleschi and study!
+Foc4ccin4 he must have studied a lot by himself but he didn't have anything like a degree, if it even existed. the video, thus Nat geo says so, not me!
E Lisa You first comment said: "Brunelleschi built this without having taken any architecture studies"
which is false, he indeed studied roman architecture and engineering.
"he must have studied a lot by himself but he didn't have anything like a degree, if it even existed."
It didn't exist but he did study nonetheless.
+E Lisa save your sob story
...actually the video said wrong because degrees in modern way didn't exist in that time but that doesn't mean architects and co. have no knowledge and competence, so it 's an error and is very naive draw a parallel between Brunelleschi time and contemporary studies or universities (the fact the dome still stands after centuries proves Brunelleschi was an architect). :)
I love how they tell this story❤️❤️
I want more clips like this!!! This was amazing!!!!
He adopted a brick laying technique used by the Persians and imported in Venice. Historians state that he had consultants, and in this case most likely a Persian mason expat that showed him how to lay bricks in complex geometric patterns. His knowledge as a clock maker allowed him to comprehend and apply the complex method that was otherwise unknown in Europe at the time.
So he was able to build the biggest dome in the world but somehow didnt know how to lay brick ? GTFOH
First Ladt like it was stated, he was not an architect or a builder by training or trade. He was, however, very intelligent and highly industrious in his vision. As such he acquired the knowledge from any sources he could, in this case, Persians.
he lived years in Rome studying anciant roman buildings, so i don't think he took his knowledg from the persians, more like from the romans
There is more than one architect in that time that were goldsmiths. Perhaps goldsmiths could be trusted because they worked with gold and there were ways to make sure they weren't stealing even if it was tempting. It was a technical and artistic field that required thought and planning and the trust of wealthy people. One had to be a nerd that could be trusted, knew their stuff. and knew when they were getting over their head, and didn't exceed their depth. This kept out charlatans, fools, sociopaths, liars, thieves from the profession. It kept out Trumps.
Interesting. I'd like to learn more about this theory ; I've never heard it before and I can't find any source after a quick search in Google and also an academic database. Where did you hear about this?
Hey someone had to invent new ways of building these structures. I think it's awesome that someone with a fertile imagination, can create such groundbreaking methodologies.
This was helpful. We are doing a schoolwork on the Renaissance this is useful thank you.
He had help from the Aliens known as the 'dome-a-trons'
It is. I watched it in History Channel. Can't be a lie.
"The Government build that, he did not build that on his own".
Barack Obama!
No, he had help from de pyramid builders, dey wuz kangz!
Totally, Europeans those days did not have the necessary technology!
some one must have had shown him da wae
Yup, sure looks like an "amateur". It was the 15th century, by modern standards no one back then had "formal architecture training", engineering was taught by experience. There weren't even modern universities at that point, all they could study was the highly advanced Arabic architecture or reverse-engineering Roman buildings with 1500 years.
In no way was he an amateur, the dude spent all his life studying mathematics and engineering. Plus he had already been the lead architect of an earlier building.
We might argue he had no pre-defined idea how to build a dome of these dimensions, but that's because no one in Europe else had either.
why the unnecessary italian accent?
Santiago Gutierrez and not even a real Italian accent!
Unnecessary but pleasant to hear nonetheless. She has a calming voice
That was supposed to be Italian? 😂
Whassa madda for yew? You no lika da accent? It's a me, Mario!
@@nicolasblume1046 Mamma mia!
thankyou for bringing this inspirational piece to us natgeo
Astonished with amazement with this engineering genius.
Wonderfully illustrated.
I love how your first to this MASSIVELY blown up video, and you comment thus
When I went up there i was truly amazed how he did it
Totally mind blowing construction. Thanks for the excellent video.
Wow a true genius with no formal training, this is really inspiring but also everyone knows not anyone could do what he did
Wow this is legendary
Italy was bombed by the British, Germans and Americans... yet the dome survived.
Astroflight because allies did not target that have historic values..
I love her accent :-)
Gabor Kecskes let's keep it at 69. :P
Sounds like a German or French accent to me.
sounds like romanian
Neither French nor German at all! Maybe Italian!? But definitely not German and French
Gabor Kecskes it's fake
I think she could have also mentioned that he travelled to Rome, looking at ancient architecture, to get ideas on how to build the dome. The classical knowledge made this Renaissance architecture possible.
I have been to the beloved Duomo. I have climed the steps to the top. Yes there are places where you can see the inner dome as you scale round and round the staircase. Firenze is one of my favorite places in the world. Stayed a week there and roamed the streets, the Pitti Palace, the Ufizzi, Academia..... Ahhh Italia
2:25 Crazy when the worker rebelled and attacked the King WITH A BRICK!
Underrated.
Italian Genius 万歳！
Absolutely love the animation!
Tomorrow's my history exam and guess what,, i was stuck on this topic! Saw this on my feed just now.. what a coincidence😂NatGeo saved me again.. yaay!!❤
Amateur? hahahahaha
Anyone without previous experiences are considered a amateur.
Ja
@@ZantidesYea, But Brunelleschi had studied architecture and by the time he won the competition for the design of the dome had already worked on three major buildings in Florence. He wasn't an amateur by any definition.
@@nikolaos9652 yes he was.
Gosh, it was built 600 years ago
It's beautiful to read the name of my great professor Salvatore Di Pasquale, a magnificent architect that spent half of his career as a researcher to discover the secret of the dome. A Genius in his field and a great teacher for thousands.
So beautiful video , thanks National Geographic
I was in florance last year ^^
"No formal architecture training" ... mmmm this was the Renaissance. There were no specialized 'architects' unlike we do now, but at that time you studied mathematics, art, architecture etc in one... Calling Brunelleschi, the genius mathematician/engineer of the Renaissance, an 'amateur' is too much of a stretch
...not his profession, and without internet. Truly a marvel of an accomplishment.
Loved it and I also love domes!
Anyone here after watching Medici: Masters of Florence
Nat Geo has stooped to hire fake-accent-makers(suggestions for alternative titles are welcome) to make their videos feel more "genuine"...
_actors_ and thus your comment is senseless
I find the narration too annoying to finish the video
I've been there 1 month ago, I've been in Tuscany for 3 weeks, and as soon as I so the thumbnail, I knew it was about Florence! ^^
Thank you for giving us this wonderful animation for free!
He was Italian, that was enough. Bravissimo.
Nat Geo is speaking down to the public as if we were little kids.
Your arrogance makes you a kid
I got mesmerized by the narration.
Such a great and very informative video!
That’s the guy Cósimo Di Medici hired, not an expert but I never thought Brunelleschi was an amateur? And many will agree.
Cosimo*, dei*
More impressive than anything modern architects have achieved
Thank the Bauhaus for all the uglyness in modern cities.
by far....
Brilliant !!! Very, very interesting.
I always wonder how to build the dome. This video solved my question. He was a great genius. I really want to be Florence again and I climb on top whatever it takes.
"Methods they don't fully understand today" they do. They have been doing so for hundreds of years. It's called a chain model. You get acouple chains and just hang them upside down. The shape you get is the ideal shape for transfering weight down when you flip the chain upside down.
That is called a catenary. Well understood for a long time.
Her: you are not an engineer, you have no degree and you are very poor. You will never be able to get far in life.
Him:
Great video, more architecture content please! :)
very motivational and inspiring!!!
I dare you to go back in time and call him an "amateur" to his face.
I guess showing respect is second to having a title that gets more clicks.
Jerks.
And it's completely wrong! By the time he won the competition for the design of the dome, he had already started working on at least three two major buildings in Florence (Ospedale & San Lorenzo). He wasn't an amateur by any definition
who would dislike this?
+Xeriox01 Satanists
All the Italians because of the fake accent and the way the video describe Brunelleschi
I loved the candle in place of the light bulb, nice little detail
Amazing...!!
Any assassin Creed II Fan ?
Anti christ games
I Climbed to the top of the Duomo
IN THE GAME
They say Filippo told the town fathers that he could do it and the fathers didn't believe him. Then Filippo said to hold a contest to see who could stand an egg upright without it falling to the side. All of the expert architectures came to complete and no one could stand an egg upright. At the end, Filippo just smashed an egg onto the table so that it could stand upright, with the crack as its base. He won the rights to build the dome.
this video explains this better than both the museum of the construction and the stuff when you climb the dome itself
the editing of this video is just AMAZING. great info as well. the only thing i don't get is why you label him as an "amateur" when he was a mathematician and architect in the first place
Sometimes, nature creates people of insignificant aspect at birth. But it provides them with such greatness and such a brave heart, that they can’t rest if they don’t undertake and realize difficult and impossible works, with the aim of delivering them to the world for the surprise of whom contemplates them."
Vasari.
Discover Bunelleschi in #gameinflorence..........
ha usato il formaggio per progettare questo
i realy feel that the narrator did an equally beautiful job ...........
Loved it and the commentary
So subscribed