The dome in the tempietto altars: examples of architectural culture in Lombardy

Abstract The altars with the tempietto overlapped represente a particular typology in the architecture of altar, characterized by a real small temple often imposing, sets above the table and overlapping the tabernacle, formed by bent jambs and columns embellished by elaborate capitals, reassumed in top by lintels supporting a dome or an half-dome. The first idea of columns temple overlapped by dome is derived from the biblical passage in the Exodus “Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he. And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars. And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses.” [Ex 40:19-32] in which the tabernacle is built on columns (the tempietto) surmounted by the tent (the dome of the tempietto) inside which are placed the tablets (the sacred species) in the ark (the ciborium). The tempietto will assume in the centuries many forms, and especially in the XVIII century it will find, as is showed by the examined altars, its proper qualification that will testify, besides the renewal of the tradition, to a refined taste, rich in experienced equilibriums of architectural composition, to references, echoes and subtle connections among the altar, the table, the tabernacle, the tempietto. On these cultural data will be based the realization of the tempietto altars, in the Diocese of Brescia in the middle of XVIII century, and particularly the chief altar in the Sanctuary of the castle in Carpenedolo, near Brescia, work of Andrea Solari. In the variations of taste and value that conduct from the first Renaissance idea of the precious ciborium to the elaboration of the project for the tempietto for the tabernacle in the Milan Cathedral, work of Pellegrini, to the fundamental variation of altar and ciborium of the Holy Sacrament in St. Peter, to the further variations of taste, of value and of spatial idea of Juvarra, up to the architectural structures of the Lombard altars, is constant the first idea: the original idea of a columns temple overlapped by dome. Keywords Tempietto, ciborium, Lombardy