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Raphael or Raffaello, a painter and architect of
the Florence|Florentine school in the
Italy|Italian High Renaissance, was born on April
6 1483 and died on his 37th birthday, April 6 1520
(see the note below about earlier confusion about
these dates).  He was also called Raffaello
Sanzio, Raffaello Santi, Raffaello de Urbino or
Rafael Sanzio de Urbino.

His life was described in Giorgio Vasari's Vite.
Born in Urbino, he studied in Perugia under Pietro
Perugino; but after moving to Florence,
Italy|Florence he soon adopted the styles of
Leonardo da Vinci|Leonardo and Michelangelo. 

== Major works ==

Raphael is best known for his Madonna
(art)|Madonnas and Holy families and for his large
frescoes in the Vatican City|Vatican Palace.
Indeed, in 1509 he was called to Rome to decorate
the Vatican Palace|Vatican Stanze (rooms), for
Pope Julius II. The best known of these works are
Raphael Rooms|The School of Athens and the
Disputation on the Blessed Sacrament, two large,
arch-shaped frescoes, the first depicting the
philosophers of Antiquity grouped around Plato and
Aristotle and the second depicting Christian
theology|theologians grouped under Jesus.

Under Pope Leo X he was chief architect of Saint
Peter's Basilica in 1514 and he was named as a
sort of supervisor for Roman archaeology research.

He died on his 37th birthday in Rome (reportedly
just weeks before Leo was to invest him as a
Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal), deeply lamented
by all who knew his value. His body lay for a
while in state in one of the rooms in which he had
demonstrated his genius, and he was honoured with
a public funeral.  His last work, the
Transfiguration, was carried before him in the
funeral procession. The unrelenting hand of death
(says his biographer) set a period to his labours,
and deprived the world of further benefit from his
talents, when he had only attained an age at which
most other men are but beginning to be useful. "We
see him in his cradle (said Fuseli); we hear him
stammer; but propriety rocked the cradle, and
character formed his
lips."http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/1/3/8/11387/
11387-h/11387-h.htm

He was interred in the Pantheon, Rome|Pantheon,
the country's most honored place.

== Dates of birth and death ==

There is often confusion about Raphael's dates. 
Sources variously say: (a) Raphael died on his
37th birthday; (b) he died on the eve of his 37th
birthday; (c) both his dates of birth and death
were Good Friday; and (d) there have been mistakes
in converting from the Julian Calendar to the
Gregorian Calendar.  Clearly, these statements
cannot all be true.  

The truth seems to be as follows:
* The Gregorian Calendar has no relevance to
Raphael.  It was not introduced until 62 years
after his death, and it was not retrospective. 
The Julian Calendar applies to him exclusively.
* Raphael was born on Sunday April 6 1483.  
* He died on his 37th birthday, Good Friday April
6 1520. 


== See also ==	 
* Raphael Cartoons

== External links and references ==

*
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/bio/r/raphael/biograph.h
tml Raffaello Sanzio Biography
* http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/raphael/
Webmuseum, Paris: Raphael
*
http://www.artsworld.com/art-architecture/biograph
ies/p-r/raffaello-sanzio-raphael.html Artsworld:
Biography: Raffaello Sanzio Raphael
*
http://www.abcgallery.com/R/raphael/raphaelbio.htm
l Olga's Gallery: Raphael
*
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/raphael.html
Artcyclopedia: Raphael
*
http://www.unesco.org/phiweb/uk/raphael/raphael.ht
ml Exhibition: Raphael: Art and Philosophy