Fioravanti, Aristotele

(also Fieraventi, Fioravante). Born circa 1420 in Bologna; died circa 1486 in Moscow (?). Italian engineer and architect.

Fioravanti became famous as an engineer in Italy for fortifying and moving a number of large structures. He presumably reconstructed the Palazzo del Podestà in Bologna. In 1475 he was invited to Moscow by Ivan III. He served as a military engineer and artillery commander in campaigns against Novgorod (1477–78), Kazan (1482), and Tver’ (1485).

Between 1475 and 1479, Fioravanti built the majestic Uspenskii Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. This structure combines the traditional Vladimir-Suzdal’ style with rationalist features of Renaissance architecture, creating a harmonious whole. Fioravanti acquainted Russian architects with a new construction technique using iron braces and winches.