Chiostro del Bramante, Renaissance art museum at Santa Maria della Pace, Rome, Italy
The Chiostro del Bramante is a two-story cloister in the historic center of Rome, designed by the architect Donato Bramante. The ground floor is lined with rounded arches resting on Ionic columns, the upper floor with Corinthian pilasters, and both levels look onto a small central garden.
A cardinal commissioned Donato Bramante around 1500 to build the cloister as part of an expansion of the church of Santa Maria della Pace. It became one of the first examples of the High Renaissance in Rome, influencing later buildings across the city.
The cloister sits next to the church of Santa Maria della Pace, tucked into a narrow street in the old city center. Today it hosts rotating contemporary art exhibitions, so visitors can see modern works displayed within a Renaissance courtyard.
The entrance is through the church of Santa Maria della Pace, which sits in a quiet alley near Piazza Navona. Visiting on a weekday or in the morning makes it easier to move through the upper gallery without crowds.
Stone seats are built into the pillars of the upper gallery, where monks once sat each day to pray. These small details are easy to miss but show how the space was used before it became an exhibition venue.
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