Bramante was probably the best known of the High Renaissance architects, and was definitely in favor with the Church hierarchy in Rome. To the left, we see Bramante's most famous work, The Tempietto (c. 1502-11), which translates to "little temple." True to Renaissance architectural style, the Tempietto relies less on ornamental detail and more on defined space. In other words, the placement and design of the structure was more important the all the "fluff" that got stuck to the exterior. The Doric style colonnade gives a vertical thrust that is carried on by the bannisters , the pilasters and finally the ridges of the dome. It is a balanced structure, that, by the way was supposedly built on the same site that St. Peter was crucified.

Bramante was also placed in charge of designing the new St. Peter's Basilica. The original plan (below and left) shows a circle plan inside of a square, with a facade on each of the four corners. The coin, pictured below, shows what the facade was intended to look like. It was a massive plan in which Bramante claimed that he would, "place the Pantheon on top of the Basilica of Constantine." However, the project was a slow one, and Bramante died soon after the ground breaking. Michelangelo was then called upon to finish the design, which looks much like it does today.