In 1419, Brunelleschi began the first phase of the Ospedale degli Innocenti (Foundling Hospital) in Florence. The project’s regular arches, columns, and measured proportions helped establish a new Early Renaissance architectural language based on classical-looking order and clear geometry.
Construction of the dome for Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore) began in 1420 under Brunelleschi’s leadership after he won the commission. The dome was an engineering challenge because it was built without a full wooden support frame (centering), pushing builders to use new methods for lifting and masonry work.
Work on the Sagrestia Vecchia (Old Sacristy) of San Lorenzo began in 1421, funded by the Medici. Its design—built from simple shapes like the square and the circle—showed how careful proportion and repeated measurements could create a calm, unified interior.
Around 1421, Brunelleschi began major design work for rebuilding the Basilica of San Lorenzo, shaping the nave and side aisles with a modular plan (a repeated unit of measurement). This project linked architecture to Medici family power, since the church served as their parish church and burial place.
By 1423, Brunelleschi had reasserted sole responsibility for the cathedral dome after early shared oversight arrangements. This shift mattered because the dome depended on consistent technical direction, including planning the brickwork patterns and managing specialized hoists and scaffolding.
In 1427, Brunelleschi’s direct supervision of the Ospedale degli Innocenti’s first construction phase ended. Even though later architects continued and altered the complex, the early loggia and its proportional design remained the clearest statement of his plan.
By 1428, the Old Sacristy at San Lorenzo was largely complete as a building. Its centralized space (organized around a clear center) became a model for later Renaissance architects who wanted a balanced, mathematically planned interior.
In 1429, the Pazzi family assembled funds to commission what became the Pazzi Chapel at Santa Croce. The project is closely associated with Brunelleschi’s design ideas, especially the use of simple geometric planning and a disciplined, classical vocabulary.
In 1434, Brunelleschi was commissioned to design an oratory at Santa Maria degli Angeli, planned as a rotunda (a round, centrally planned building) with an octagonal core. The design pushed Renaissance planning toward pure central forms, showing a new direction beyond basilica-style churches.
Brunelleschi began designing the Basilica of Santo Spirito in 1434, with construction beginning in 1436. The plan used repeated square units and consistent proportions, extending his modular approach to another major Florentine church project that would continue long after his death.
The cathedral was consecrated on 1436-03-25, marking the effective completion of the dome structure. This milestone confirmed that Brunelleschi’s engineering approach worked at unprecedented scale and became a key reference point for Renaissance architecture across Europe.
In 1436, Brunelleschi’s design for the dome’s lantern (the structure that crowns the dome and admits light) was accepted by the Opera del Duomo. The lantern was not just decoration: its weight and form were intended to help stabilize the dome’s structure.
In 1437, construction at Santa Maria degli Angeli stopped when funds were seized by the Florentine government to support war efforts. The unfinished building shows how political and financial pressures could interrupt even high-profile Renaissance projects.
On 1445-01-25, the Ospedale degli Innocenti was formally opened as a functioning institution, even though construction had continued in phases and included later changes. The opening highlighted how Brunelleschi’s architectural ideas were tied to civic life, not only church building.
In 1446, the first stone for the cathedral lantern was laid, beginning the next major stage of the Duomo’s completion. The timing shows a transition from the dome’s bold structural achievement to the long, complex process of finishing its crown.
Filippo Brunelleschi died on 1446-04-15 in Florence. By then, his major projects had reshaped architectural practice through clear proportion, revived classical forms, and ambitious engineering—especially the cathedral dome—setting patterns that later Renaissance builders expanded.
Filippo Brunelleschi's Major Projects (1419–1446)