Michelangelo’s dome in Rome: catastrophe avoided

Skirting danger in Renaissance Italy A conversation with Wayne Kalayjian, the author of “Saving Michelangelo’s Dome: How Three Mathematicians and a Pope Sparked an Architectural Revolution” by Bondo Wyszpolski Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome is so spacious inside that the Statue of Liberty, pedestal and all, could stand upright and not scrape the top of the dome. This “architectural jewel of the Roman Catholic Church” took more than 80 years to build. Afterwards, cracks began to appear. A century and a half later the situation was dire and, although many people who should have known better chose to ignore or downplay the possibility, the dome was on the verge of collapse. Had that happened, it would have been one of the greatest catastrophic failures in architectural history. And so the day arrived when a crucial decision became urgent, one that would not only repair the visible damage but ensure the stability of the structure. This would require the close collaboration of key individuals who had to step up and step in before it was too late. The clock was ticking, although no one really knew when time would run out. The story of what conspired to “saving Michelangelo’s dome” was…

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