MARCIN FABIAŃSKI

plausible that theoretical reconstructions of both those
temples, in Jerusalem and Constantinople, must havo
played a certain part in Filarete’s choice of an architectural
shape for his shrine that, as I have tried to provo, correspon-
ded to the Domus Sapientiae.
*
* *
The next stage of the travel of the laureates, crowned
before the statuę above the musaeum in Filarete’s Pałace,
was the Tempie of Virtue, which was used for saying Masses
and also for scientific loctures, i.e. as an acadomy such as the
mouseion in Alexandria63. Filareto’s musaeum rosę in the
middle of a square terrace, in whose corners there wero four
towers of winds. Along the sides of the figuro he formed
bands (bandę), 25 braccia wide. On so reduced a square field
he built a domod rotunda, whose diameter was equal to its
height. In the four tangential points of the rotunda there
were porches loading insido. The lower part of the Tempie
comprised twenty four chapols, covered by a parapetto
encircling the fabric. Neither the description, nor the accom-
panying drawing representing the plan of the Tempie allow
to determine the shapo and the exact situation of the chapels.
The interior side of tho cylindrical walls was adorned by
three storeys of arcados supportod by Persians. The tiers
were of various height. The arcades were also to be seen from
the outside. Above them there was a dome homispherical
inside and stopped externally, crowned with an extensive
lantern embellished with figures of Mars, Mercury and Apollo-
-Phoebus — patrons of arms, articrafts and eloquence, sur-
rounding Minerva, goddess of wisdom64.
The structure of the rotunda, whose diameter equalled
its height and whose dome was steppod, is reminiscent of that
of the Roman Pantheon, which was familiar to tho author
of the treatise who had worked by St. Peter’s in Vatican. The
ancient building, as well as the Colosseum, could also furnish
the idea of the arcades adorning the exterior walls of tho

Tempie of Virtue. In the 15th century ono or several tiers of
architectural orders surrounding the Rotunda were frequontly
reconstructed65. The church of Hagia Sophia in Constantino-
ple was represented in a similar way (fig. 3).
Filarete’s Tempie was used as a church and a musaeum.
Tho latter function was marked by the sclection of tho statues
of the lantern: images of Mercury, Mars and Phoebus, patro-
nizing intellect, martial arts, wisdom and grace as woli as
numerous other skills surroundod Pallas, goddess of wisdom.
Therefore the architectural form may be explained in the
same way as in the case of the domed musaeum in tho Pałace
of Virtue, also connected with the acquisition of wisdom.
The motif of deposing the fruit of their work by the
laureates in the chapols of this Tempie is an interesting
novelty. This is a reforence to the ancient custom of offoring
triumphal wreaths and other things in temples. For instance,
Horace mentionod that books were given to the Tempie of
Apollo on the Palatine66. It is also known that in 1314,
after being crowned with a łaurol on tho Capitol, Potrareh
attended a Mass in St. Peter’s, where he deposited the
wreath67. Interesting seems also tho fact that according to
medieval tradition, which was still vivid in the 16th eon tury,
the basilica of St. Peter had been erected in tho place of an
anciont tempie of Apollo, thus being its counterpart68.
Although Petrarch himself did not mention Apollo Palatinus
directly, he said that poot’s bays belonged also to Caosars69,
thereby appealing apparently to Antiquity. Indirect connec-
tions witli temples of Apollo, in Filarete’s time idontified
with Phoebus, and the fact that an imago of tho god was
placed in the lantern of the Tempie of Virtue, might be
anothor analogy to the domed musaeum with the statuo
of Apollonia Virtue.
Assembling trophies in the Tempie could in a way bo
compared to forming permanent collections, built up for
historical reasons, e.g. to commemorate famous people. The
Tempie of Virtue, remombering deeds of doctors, knights
and other men, was thus a kind of commemorativo structure;
therefore round shape was suitable here.

63 FILARETĘ, Treatise..., o.c., fol. 146 v, p. 251: There was a tempie:
at the foot of the theater which serced the artisans and those who lectured on
the arts. Mass was said here; — For the Mouseion in Alexandria see CALE-
PINUS, loc. cit.; — R. VOLTERRANUS, Commentariorum urbanorum
octo et triginta libri, Parrhisiis 1515, lib. XII, fol. CXXIII r; —FULYIUS,
o.c., fol. XCIII r; — LOMAZZO, o.c., p. 606; — LIPSIUS, o.c., p. 31; —
C. CLAUDIUS, Musei sine bibliothecae tam prinatae guam publicae Ex-
tructio, Instructio, Cura, Usus..., Lugduni 1635, p. 36.
64 Ibidem, fols. 149 r—150 r, pp. 255—256; It is reduced to a circle
[...] supported by columns [...] They go all around this circle and support
the dome. It is as high as it is wide [...] It is a hemispherical dome [...] It had
four main entrances [...] There were nine steps to this tempie. The height
of 25 braccia was mentioned from this point. Hence the lower chapels were 24.
Abone the chapels and in their width there was a parapet along the front by
which one could go all around [...] The dome was built in a stepped fashion
on the ezterior [...] On the top of this tempie there was a lantern and atop
it a large bali [...] The four figures were also so arranged that this light could
be seen through their eyes at night. They were the figures and portraits of

Mars, Mercury, Phoebus, and Minerca. Since this building was dedicated
to intellect, arms, wisdom and grace, they stand abone their own tempie. They
are each dedicated to one of these arts: Mars to battles, Mercury to many
endeanors — to the intellect, commerce, eloguence and other faculties. Phoebus
was also there. In the midst of these three gods was the goddess Pallas to whom
wisdom is dedicated.
65 Some examples of such visual reconstructions are given in FABIAŃ-
SKI, o.c., notes 26—27, fig. 6.
66 HORACE, Ep. I, iii, 15—20.
67 See PETRARCH, Ep. poet. 2,1; — K. BURDACH, Rienzo und die
Geistige Wandlung seiner Zeit, Berlin 1913—1928 ( = Vom Mittelalter zur
Reformation. Forschungen zur Geschichte der deutschen Bildung, Bd. I,
T. 1), pp. 106—107.
68 See E. SCHROTER, Der Vatikan ais Hilgel Apollons und der Musen.
Kunst und Panegyrik von Nikolaus V. bis Julius II., „Romischo Quartal-
schrift fur christliche Altertumskunde und fiir Kirchengeschichte” LXXV,
1980, pp. 235—240.
69 See notę 39.

200