Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Page concordance

< >
< >
page |< < of 320 > >|
1The Republick conſiſts of Things ſacred,
which
appertain to the publick Worſhip: The
Care
of which is in the Prieſts; and of Things
profane
, which regard the Welfare and good of
the
Society; the Care of which is in the Sena­
tors
and Judges at Home, and in the Generals
of
Armies and Fleets Abroad.
To each of
theſe
belong two Kinds of Building, one upon
account
of the Perſon's Office, the other for
the
Uſe of his own private Family.
Every
Man
's Houſe ſhould certainly be ſuited to the
Condition
of Life which he is in, whether he
is
a King, a Tyrant, or a private Perſon.
There
are
ſome Circumſtances which in a particular
Manner
become Men in high Stations. Virgil
very
judiciouſly makes Anchiſes have his Houſe
in
a private Part of the City, and ſhaded with
Trees
; knowing very well that the Habitati­
ons
of great Men, for the Dignity and Quiet
both
of themſelves and Families, ſhould be re­
mote
from the Concourſe of the Vulgar, and
from
the Noiſe of Trades; and this not only
for
the Pleaſure and Conveniency of having
Room
for Gardens, Groves, or the like, but
alſo
that ſo large a Family, conſiſting of diffe­
rent
Sorts of People, may not lie in the Way
to
be corrupted and debauched by an ill
Neighbourhood
, ſince (as is rightly obſerved)
more
Miſchief is done by Wine Abroad than at
Home
: And moreover, in order to avoid the
eternal
Torment of numerous Viſitors and At­
tendants
.
I have indeed obſerved that wiſe
Princes
have not only placed themſelves out of
the
Way of the Crowd, but even out of the
City
itſelf, that the common People might not
be
troubleſome to them, but when they were
in
ſome particular Want of their Protection:
And
, in Reality, what ſignifies all their Wealth
and
Greatneſs, if they can never enjoy a few
Hours
of Repoſe and Leiſure?
However, their
Houſes
, let them ſtand where they will, ought
to
have large ſpacious Apartments to receive
thoſe
that come to attend them, and the Street
which
leads from them to the Places where the
publick
Affairs are tranſacted, ſhould be of a
good
Breadth, that their Servants, Clients,
Suitors
and Followers crowding to attend their
Patron
, may not ſtop up the Way, and breed
Confuſion
.
The different Places where the
Magiſtrates
are to exerciſe their Offices, are
known
to every Body: The Buſineſs of the
Senator
, is in the Senate-houſe; of the Judge,
in
the Tribunal, or Court of Juſtice; of the
General
in the Army; of the Admiral on board
the
Fleet.
But what ſhall we ſay of the Prieſts?
to whom belongs not only the Temple, but
alſo
the Cloyſter, which might be called a
Lodgement
, or Camp for Soldiers, ſince the
chief
Prieſts, and all his inferior Miniſters, are
employed
in a ſtubborn and laborious Warfare,
(as we have ſhewed in the Book called The
Prieſt
) namely, that of Virtue againſt Vice.
Of Temples, ſome are principal, as is that
wherein
the chief Prieſt upon ſtated Seaſons ce­
lebrates
ſome ſolemn Rites and Sacrifices:
Others
are under the Guardianſhip of inferior
Prieſts
, as all Chapels in Town, and Oratories
in
the Country.
Perhaps the moſt convenient
Situation
for the principal Temple may be in
the
Middle of the City; but it is more Decent
to
have it ſomewhat remote from the Crowd:
A
Hill gives it an Air of Dignity, but it is more
ſecure
from Earthquakes in a Plain.
In a
Word
, the Temple is to be placed where it
may
appear with moſt Majeſty and Reverence:
For
which Reaſon it ſhould lie entirely out of
the
Way of all Filth and Indecency, to the In­
tent
that Fathers, Matrons and Virgins, who
come
to offer up their Prayers, may not be
ſhocked
and offended, or perverted from their
intended
Devotions. Nigrigeneus the Archi­
tect
, who wrote about the Termini, informs us,
that
the ancient Architects were for having the
Fronts
of their Temples facing the Weſt: But
this
Cuſtom was afterwards quite altered, and
it
was thought better to have the Temples and
the
Termini look to the Eaſt, that they might
have
a View of the riſing Sun.
But I have ob­
ſerved
myſelf that the Ancients in the ſituating
of
their ſmaller Temples or Chapels, generally
turned
their Fronts ſo as they might be ſeen
from
the Sea, or ſome River or great Road.
To conclude, a Structure of this Kind ought
to
be ſo built as to entice thoſe who are abſent
to
come and ſee it, and to charm and detain
thoſe
that are preſent by the Beauty and Curi­
oſity
of its Workmanſhip.
An arched Roof
will
ſecure it moſt againſt Fire, and a flat one
againſt
Earthquakes; but the former will be
the
leaſt liable to Decay by the Injury of Time.
And this may ſuffice as to the Temples, be­
cauſe
many Things which ſeem neceſſary to be
ſaid
here, belong more properly to their Orna­
ment
than to their real Uſe: And therefore of
thoſe
we ſhall treat elſewhere.
Smaller Tem­
ples
and Chaples muſt imitate the Greater, ac­
cording
to the Dignity of their Situation and
Uſes
.

Text layer

  • Dictionary
  • Places

Text normalization

  • Original
  • Regularized
  • Normalized

Search


  • Exact
  • All forms
  • Fulltext index
  • Morphological index