Sangallo

Family of Italian artists and architects (whose original name was Giamberti). The most prominent members were Giuliano Giamberti (1445–1516), his brother Antonio Sangallo (1455–1534), and their nephew, Antonio Giamberti da Sangallo, all born in Florence.

Giuliano Giamberti's first work was the cloister of the church of Santa Maddalena de Pazzi at Florence (1490–95). He was afterwards commissioned by Lorenzo de Medici to erect a large convent (destroyed during the siege in 1530) near the gate of San Gallo, whence he obtained the name ‘da San Gallo’. Among his numerous other works were a palace at Savona for the Cardinal della Rovere (now converted into the convent of Santa Chiara) and the Gondi and Strozzi palaces at Florence. His masterpiece is Santa Maria delle Carceri, Prato (1485–91), the first Renaissance church on a Greek cross plan.

His brother Antonio Sangallo visited Rome where he ingratiated himself with Alexander VI. One of his schemes was the conversion of Hadrian's mausoleum into a fortress, and he altered it into its existing form, since which time it has been called the castle of St Angelo. The Duke of Valentino employed him to erect the fortress of Civita Castellana, and afterwards that of Montefiascone. He erected several churches, among them that of S Biagio at Montepulciano.

The younger Antonio Giamberti da Sangallo became a pupil of his uncles in Rome, and he also found an instructor and protector in Bramante. His masterpiece is the Farnese Palace (1534–46). Among other works he was responsible for a project for completing St Peter's, of which, on the death of Baldassare Peruzzi in 1536, he became chief architect.