In 1253, Marco Ziani, the son of Doge Pietro Ziani, gave land that had been a vineyard to the Franciscans for a convent. In 1534 Doge Andrea Gritti laid the foundation stone for the present church. It was designed by Jacopo Sansovino. Father Francesco Zorzi, a priest and close associate of Doge Gritti, assisted Sansovino. St. Francesco della Vigna was completed by Andrea Palladio who also designed the facade. Francesco Zorzi was a great thinker in his days, and Vigna was built to his cosmic proportions, echoing the measurement of the Temple of Solomon and the magic of the Jewish Kabbalah. Interestingly everything in the church is extrapolated from the number three, the perfect number, because of the Trinity. Three-squared-three is nine, and nine by three is twenty-seven. On those numbers all measurements of the church were constructed. Vigna's nave is 9 paces wide and 27 paces long. The facade Palladio constructed is 27 paces wide.
Palladio
b. Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, Padua 1508 - d. Vicenza 1580
He began his career studying to be a stonecutter and mason. Gian Giorgio Trissino, a leading scholar Palladio met in Vicenza, became his mentor and promoter, introducing him to Classical models in architecture, philosophy, and even his nickname, which derives from Pallas Athena. He is best known for the villas and palaces designed for wealthy families along the Brenta River on the mainland and other cities near Venice. In Venice, his work began on his design for San Giorgio Maggiore in 1566. Unofficially, he followed Jacopo Sansovino as chief municipal architect in Venice in 1570. The church of Il Redentore was begun in 1576. A third church, St. Lucia, was demolished to build the railroad station. He lobbied for, but never got, commissions to design civic buildings in Venice. He continued to work on projects in and around Vicenza. He published his four volumes entitled 'I quattro libri dell'architettura' starting in1570. They included meticulous woodcuts of his own buildings and those from Classical antiquity. His models were adopted by Vicenzo Scamozzi after his death, and the architect Inigo Jones interpreted some of his designs in England. Palladio's Classical architectual ideals were widely promoted until the late 19th Century.
Jacopo Sansovino
b. as Jacopo Tatti, Florence 1486 - d. Venice 1570
Jacopo Sansovino began his sculpture career in Rome. He adopted the last name of his teacher, Andrea Sansovino. After the sack of Rome in 1527, he left for Venice, fully expecting to return to Rome. He never did. With the encouragement of Doge Andrea Gritti, Sansovino quickly became the most influential architect of Venice. He is responsible for the re-design of the Piazza San Marco. He designed the Biblioteca Marciana and the Loggetta near the base of the bell tower of San Marco. He designed San Francisco della Vigna, and participated in the design of other parish churches, and many other projects. His sculptures include the 'St. John the Baptist' in the Frari, the 'Mars' and 'Neptune' at the top of the Scala dei Giganti at the Doges' Palace, and several works in San Salvatore.
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1) San Francesco della Vigna Exterior [161]
