Maginardo (
fl.
''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...
1006–1032), called Aretino, was an
Italian architect active in the
Diocese of Arezzo during the episcopates of
Elempert (986–1010),
William (1010–1013),
Adalbert
Adalbert is a German given name which means "noble bright" or "noble shining", derived from the words ''adal'' (meaning noble) and ''berht'' (shining or bright). Alternative spellings include Adelbart, Adelbert and Adalberto. Derivative names inclu ...
(1014–1023), and
Tedald (1023–1036), who called him ''arte architectonica optime erudito'' (
Latin for "the most erudite in the architectural art").
Maginardo's career began in 1006–09, when he participated in the reconstruction of the eighth-century
cathedral at Arezzo dedicated to
Stephen the Protomartyr
Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...
and the
Virgin Mary. Maginardo's second great project was the addition of a
chapel dedicated to
Saint Donatus
Saints who were named Donatus include:
* Saint Donatus of Muenstereifel, 2nd century military martyr and a patron against lightning
* Saints Donatus, Romulus, Secundian, and 86 Companions, 3rd century
* Saint Donatus of Arezzo, bishop of Arezzo (?- ...
to the side of the cathedral. This building was finished in 1032 and dedicated on 12 November.
In 1019 or 1026 Maginardo was sent to
Ravenna by his bishop (probably Tedald) to study the
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire.
The Byzantine era is usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great moved the Roman capital to Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until th ...
of its monuments. He probably produced sketches of these monuments, but if so they do not survive. The result of his studies was a confluence of
pre-romanesque styles: Aretine, Byzantine, and
Lombard. This resulted in Maginardo's greatest work: the renovation of the old cathedral on the Pionta, a hill at the centre of Arezzo. This work lies in ruins today, since
Cosimo I de' Medici ordered its destruction during his sack of 1561.
References
*Conant, Kenneth John (1978). ''Carolingian and Romanesque Architecture, 800 to 1200''. Penguin Books.
*Stalley, Roger (1999). ''Early Medieval Architecture''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
.
{{Authority control
11th-century Italian architects
category:Romanesque architects