Saving Michelangelo's Dome: How Three Mathematicians and a Pope Sparked an Architectural Revolution

(Hardback)

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In 1742, when the legendary dome atop St. Peters Basilicadesigned by Michelangelocracks and threatens to collapse, Pope Benedict XIV summons three mathematicians whose groundbreaking ideas spark a revolution in the world of architecture.

1742: the famous dome atop Saint Peters Basilica, designed by Michelangelo, is fractured and threatened with collapse. The dome is the pride of Italy and the largest of its kind anywhere in the world. And no one knows how to fix it.

This engaging and colorful narrative tells the overlooked story of how Michelangelos Dome was saved from disaster by three mathematicians and Pope Benedict XIV, who had asked them for help. It is a gripping story of decisive leadership, crisis management, and scientific innovation, and the resistance that was faced when sailing into the headwinds of conventional thought.

In Saving Michelangelo's Dome, Stanford-trained engineer Wayne Kalayjian illustrates how new ideas in science and mathematics established an entirely new way of looking at the worldas well as solving its complex problems. In the end, readers will appreciate that in saving Michelangelos Dome from collapse, these three mathematicians and one determined pope unknowingly invented the profession of engineering as we practice it today. With it, they transformed the architectural world and ushered in generations of future buildings and structures that, otherwise, would never have been built.

Reviews

"An intriguing look at how an iconic structure came to be, and the challenges that arose in the years that followed. Kalayjian weaves an intricate story at the intersection of engineering, mathematics, politics, and religion. -- Rome Agrawal, structural engineer and author ofNuts and Boltsand Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures
"Telling the story of how Enlightenment-thinking solved a Renaissance problem, Wayne Kalayjian illuminates the beginning of modern engineering in clear, readable proseand reminds us that progress requires open-minded commitment from those in power." -- Paul Wobert Walker, author of The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance: How Brunelleschi and Ghiberti Changed the Art World
A diverting look at how the challenges of dome-building laid the groundwork for the emergence of engineering as a scientific discipline. -- Sarah Hart, author ofOnce Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections between Mathematics and Literature
"Ever-enlarging cracks in the dome of St. Peters threaten its collapse. This is the compelling tale of those who confronted the danger and the fascinating story of the brilliant mathematicians who rescued it. In the best sense, this is history told as story, as important today as when those dangerous cracks first appeared in the sixteenth century. -- William E. Wallace, author ofMichelangelo, God's Architect
"WayneKalayjian turns a little-known story of architecture, mathematics, and engineering into an engaging and suspenseful tale of scientific pioneers working on the boundaries ofknowledge. Told with clarity and insight, the story features a compelling cast of popes, architects, mathematiciansall working to save oneof the worlds greatest buildings. -- Ross King, author of Leonardo and the Last Supperand Brunelleschi's Dome

Author Bio

Wayne Kalayjianis a civil and structural engineer who has designed bridges, buildings, tunnels, airports, pipelines,railroads,data centers, and power stations around the world. Kalayjian lectures at the University of Southern California andis anengineeringexpert for the California Department of Consumer Affairs. He holds a bachelors degree in civil engineeringandart history from Tufts University, a masters degree in structural engineering from Stanford University, and a mastersdegreein management fromthe Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This is his first book.