Tempio Malatestiano

Welcome to the Tem-pi-o Mal-a-tes-ti-an-o, the cathedral of Rimini and one of the most significant architectural achievements of the early Italian Renaissance. This building is a paradox in stone: it is a Christian church that…

Stand back for a moment and look at the magnificent white marble façade. This was designed by Leon Battista Alberti, a man who believed that beauty was a matter of mathematical harmony and proportion. …

As you enter the church, look to the right of the entrance to find the tomb of the man who started it all: Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. The tomb is a study in Renaissance self-fashioning. …

Further down the right side of the nave is one of the most extraordinary spaces in the church: the Chapel of the Planets. This is where the Tem-pi-o truly earns its reputation for being 'pagan.' The walls are covered in exquisite…

In the Chapel of the Relics, you will find one of the most important paintings of the fifteenth century: a fresco by Piero della Francesca. It depicts Sigismondo Malatesta kneeling in prayer before Saint Sigismund, the king of…

While much of the church is dedicated to the Renaissance, there is one major treasure that connects the Tem-pi-o to an earlier era: the Crucifix by Giotto. Painted in the early fourteenth century, long before Sigismondo began his…

Step outside for a moment and walk along the side of the building. Here you will see a series of deep, rhythmic arches that Alberti designed to house the tombs of the illustrious men of Sigismondo’s court. …

As we conclude our tour of the Tem-pi-o Mal-a-tes-ti-an-o, we are left with the image of a building that is both a masterpiece and a monument to human ego. It is a place where the most brilliant minds of the Renaissance—Alberti,…