GREEK CROSS PLAN

Greek cross plan: translation

   This is a type of central plan shaped like a cross with four arms of equal length. The first Greek cross building of the Renaissance was Leon Battista Alberti's San Sebastiano in Mantua (1460), built for Duke Ludovico Gonzaga. It was followed by Giuliano da Sangallo's Santa Maria delle Carceri, Prato (1484-1492), and Antonio da Sangallo the Elder's Church of the Madonna di San Biagio, Montepulciano (1518-1534). The ultimate Greek cross structure of the Renaissance was New St. Peter's, Rome, completed by Michelangelo in 1564 and inspired by Donato Bramante's plan of 1506.