Sagrestia Vecchia

[1] Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and paid for by the Medici family,[2] who also used it for their tombs, it set the tone for the development of a new style of architecture that was built around proportion, the unity of elements, and the use of the classical orders.

[2] When finished, it was, however, quite isolated, the reason being that construction for the new building for San Lorenzo, the design for which Brunelleschi was also responsible, was not far along.

[4] It was not an uncommon design and Brunelleschi may have learned the technique from a visit to Milan or other places where such domes existed.

Gertrud Bing later rejected this in favor of a calculation by Arthur Beer for July 6, 1439, the date of the closing session of the Council of Florence, in which the Articles of Union between Eastern and Western Christendom were signed by Latin and Greek delegates.

More recent recalculation by Professor John L. Heilbron has independently confirmed this date and even estimated the time of day at about noon.