The Laurentian Library (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana) is a historical library in Florence, Italy, built in a cloister of the Medicean Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze under the patronage of the Medici pope, Clement VII. The vestibule, executed to Michelangelo’s design in 1559 by Bartolomeo Ammannati, was built above existing monastic quarters on the east range of the cloister, with an entrance from the upper level of the cloisters. Originally, Michelangelo had planned for a skylight, but Clement VII believed that it would cause the roof to leak, so clerestory windows were incorporated into the west wall. The Library is often instanced as a prototype of Mannerism in architecture.
For further information, check out: http://www.unife.it/centri/diaprem/archivio-progetti/biblioteca-laurenziana/pagina_biblioteca_laurenziana_firenze Credits: http://www.unife.it/centri/diaprem/archivio-progetti/credits-michelangelo
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