Portrait of Fra Carlo Lodoli at The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

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Carlo Lodoli was a pioneering Italian architect, Franciscan priest, mathematician, and educator whose groundbreaking ideas foreshadowed modernist concepts of functionalism and material honesty. He firmly believed that architectural forms and proportions should be derived from the inherent qualities of the materials being used. Due to the loss of his own writings, Lodoli's theories are known primarily through the works of others, earning him a reputation as the Socrates of architecture. Alongside notable figures such as Claude Perrault, Abbé Jean-Louis de Cordemoy, and Abbé Marc-Antoine Laugier, Lodoli championed a rational approach to architecture that challenged the prevailing Baroque and Rococo styles. Girolamo Zanetti documented that after two decades of writing, Lodoli completed his treatise on architecture but deliberately chose not to publish it. Instead, Francesco Algarotti attempted to disseminate Lodoli's ideas in his own work, Saggio sopra l'architettura (1757), albeit with a diluted form that emphasized imitation rather than Lodoli's bold anti-Baroque rationalism. It was Andrea Memmo who made a genuine effort to do justice to Lodoli's theories in his work, Elementi d'architettura lodoliana (1786), published just one year before the first edition of Lodoli's sole book, Apologhi immaginati (1787). This collection features remarks and tales, often paradoxical in nature, that Lodoli shared with his friends and pupils. Lodoli spent the years 1739 to 1751 in the office of Padre Generale Commissario di Terra Santa in Venice, where he devoted himself to restoring the pilgrim's hospice attached to the monastery from 1739 to 1743. This was his sole built architectural work. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative launched by MyMiniFactory, which aims to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from across the globe for public access at no cost. Scan the World is an open-source community effort; if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how you can help. Scanned: Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)