Bartolommeo Berrecci

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Bartolommeo Berrecci (1480 Florence, Italy - 1537 Kraków, Poland) was a Florentine renaissance architect, who spent most of his career in Poland.

He learned architecture in Florence, probably taught by Andrea Ferrucci. He moved to Poland in 1516 at the invitation of the bishop Jan Łaski to take over the work of rebuilding the Wawel Royal Castle in Kraków after the death of Francesco Florentino, working with with Benedykt from Sandomierz. The castle had burnt down in 1499, and the rebuilding was commissioned by Sigismund I of Poland. He also took over Florentino's workship, with the artists Bernardino di Gianotis, Giovanni Cini from Siena, Mikołaj Castiglione, and five members of the Soli family.

He worked in Kraków, Niepołomice, Poznań and Tarnów. He became very rich in Poland, owning a number of houses in Kraków and a brickyard. He was murdered by another jealous Italian artist in Kraków and was buried in the Bożego Ciała Church in Kazimierz by Kraków.

The most important work of Berrecci is the chapel of the last Jagiellonians, the Sigismund Chapel for Zygmunt I Stary at the Wawel (1517-1533) in Kraków; It is considered to be the most beautiful piece of Italian Renaissance architecture outside of Italy. Some years later Santi Gucci built the tombs of Zygmunt II August and Anna Jagiellonka (the son and daughter of Zygmunt I Stary) inside the chapel.

Berrecci's other works include:

rebuilding the Wawel royal castle
extension of the Niepołomice Castle
baldachin for the tomb of Władysław II Jagiełło
tomb for the bishops Jan Konarski (died 1525) and Piotr Tomicki (died 1535) in the Wawel Cathedral
tomb of Barbary z Tęczyńskich Tarnowskiej and the tombs of the three Jans in the Cathedral in Tarnów.