Filippo Brunelleschi

Filippo Brunelleschi was born in Florence, the son of a notary, and trained as a goldsmith. In 1401 he competed to design bronze doors for the Florence Baptistery and lost to Lorenzo Ghiberti. He then went to Rome, probably with the sculptor Donatello, and studied the ruins of ancient buildings. Around 1415 he demonstrated the rules of linear perspective with painted panels of the Baptistery, showing artists how to make flat pictures appear deep. Florence Cathedral had a huge octagonal opening that no one knew how to cover. In 1418 Brunelleschi won the competition with a plan to build a dome without the usual wooden scaffolding underneath. He designed an inner and outer shell, bricks laid in a herringbone pattern, and new hoisting machines driven by oxen. Work began in 1420, and the dome, still the largest masonry dome in the world, was finished in 1436. He also designed the Foundling Hospital, the church of San Lorenzo and the Pazzi Chapel, using clear proportions and classical columns that defined Renaissance architecture. He died in 1446 and was buried in the cathedral.

Faith: Faith not well documented. Source: Wikipedia