Saving Michelangelo's Dome

January 15, 2024
In 1742, Pope Benedict XIV was notified by the Vatican’s architect that St. Peter’s Basilica was cracking and that no one knew how to fix it, notes structural engineer Kalayjian in his meticulous and illuminating debut account. Designed by Michelangelo in 1549, the Basilica, standing at over 25 stories and weighing 33,000 tons, was composed of three main pieces: a drum upon which the dome sat, the dome itself, and a capped lantern. Michelangelo died with only the drum completed, and over the next 120 years a variety of builders completed the project, all implementing different techniques to raise the troublesome dome. Determined to save the structure, Benedict XIV, whose respect for modern science was unprecedented among previous popes, called for three of Italy’s most notable mathematicians—Roger Joseph Boscovich, Francois Jacquier, and Thomas Le Seur—to inspect the dome and publish a report utilizing new theories in calculus, statics, equilibrium, mechanics, and material science. Disparaged by the era’s architects, their findings were not part of the official plan for repairs but were ultimately implemented by the builders to save the dome from collapse. Kalayjian’s narrative propulsively blends a chronicle of one of the world’s most famous architectural achievements with the story of the birth of modern engineering. Readers interested in the history of science should take note.

February 1, 2024

In his first book, civil and structural engineer Kalayjian narrates the design, construction, and eventual repair of the dome atop St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. In 1546, when Michelangelo was 71, he was commissioned to design the dome, but he died before it could be completed; his student carried out his mentor's vision for the project. When it was finished in 1590, it stood as the tallest dome in the world, at 452 feet high. The dome's base started cracking in the early 18th century, so Pope Benedict XIV summoned three mathematicians to determine how to keep it from collapsing. That collaboration yielded scientific innovations and, unwittingly, invented the modern profession of engineering, Kalayjian argues. His book includes a lot of papal history, which may seem superfluous to readers strictly looking for the technical aspects of the dome. But he doesn't skimp on those details either; alongside the narration of political and personality conflicts, there's significant information about the engineering behind the construction and restoration of the dome. The book includes endnotes and a lengthy bibliography. VERDICT An accessible book about the history of the dome that sparked an architectural revolution; recommended for general audiences.--John Napp

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