Francesco Borromini

Francesco Borromini (Bissone near Lugano, Switzerland, September 25 1599 – August 3 1667 in Rome) was a Baroque architect, and active in Rome alongside the more prolific papal architect, Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Related Topics:
Bissone - Lugano - Switzerland - September 25 - 1599 - August 3 - 1667 - Rome - Baroque - Architect - Gian Lorenzo Bernini

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Son of stone mason Giovanni Domenico Castelli, Borromini began his career as a stone mason himself, and soon moved to Milan to study and practice this activity. When in Rome (1619) he changed his name (from Castelli to Borromini) and started working for Carlo Maderno, his distant relative, at St. Peter's. When Maderno died in 1629, he joined the group of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, with whom he completed Maderno's Palazzo Barberini.

Related Topics:
Milan - Rome - 1619 - Carlo Maderno - St. Peter's - Gian Lorenzo Bernini

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In 1634, his first individual commission was the reconstruction of the church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (some authors say it is here that he changed his name). The small church is master conceit of Roman baroque, with undulating elements in the façade, and similar complex geometric rhythms that disrupt the box-like quality of the nave. It is far more bold in geometric intricacy, and yet less decorative than Bernini's Sant'Andrea al Quirinale which lies just down the street.

Related Topics:
1634 - Church - San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane - Bernini - Sant'Andrea al Quirinale

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Borromini's works include:

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• San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
• Saint Agnes in Agone
• Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza
• Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
• Cappella Spada, San Girolamo della Carità (however, it is uncertain if Borromini really is the architect of the chapel)
• Sant'Andrea delle Fratte
• Oratorio dei Filippini
• Collegio de Propaganda Fide
• Santa Maria dei Sette Dolori
• San Giovanni in Oleo (restoration)
• Palazzo Giustiniani (with Carlo Fontana)
• Palazzo Falconieri
• Santa Lucia in Selci (restoration)

For Sant'Agnese in Agone, he reverted the original plan of Girolamo Rainaldi (and his son Carlo Rainaldi), which previously had its main entrance on Via di Santa Maria dell'Anima. The façade was expanded to include parts of the bordering Pamphilii palace, gaining space for the two bell towers (each of which has a clock, as in St. Peter's, one for Roman time, the other for tempo ultramontano, European time).

Related Topics:
Girolamo Rainaldi - Carlo Rainaldi

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Borromini lost this commission before completion due to the death of the Pope Innocent X in 1655. The new Pope, Alexander VII, and Prince Camillo Pamphili called back Rainaldi, but this one didn't change very much and the church is mainly considered a notable expression of Borromini's concepts.

Related Topics:
Pope Innocent X - Alexander VII

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From 1640-1650, he worked on the design of a the church of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza and its courtyard, near University of Rome La Sapienza (see figure). The site, like many in cramped Rome, is challenged for external perspectives. The dome and cochlear steeple are peculiar, and reflect the idiosyncratic architectural motifs that distinguish Borromini from contemporaries. Inside, the nave has an unusual centralized plan circled by alternating concave and convex cornices, leading to a dome decorated with linear arrays of stars and putti. The fusion of feverish baroque excesses with a rationalistic geometry is a excellent match for a church in a papal institution of higher learning. He is purported to be a strong influence on the Turin architect, Camillo-Guarino Guarini.

Related Topics:
University of Rome La Sapienza - Camillo-Guarino Guarini

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He was also called "Bissone", by the place in which he was born.

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In the summer of 1667, Borromini, suffering from nervous disorders and depression, committed suicide after the completion of the Falconieri chapel (the main chapel) in San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, where he was buried.

Related Topics:
1667 - San Giovanni dei Fiorentini

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Francesco Borromini was featured on the 100 Swiss Franc banknote current in the 1980s.

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The primary inscription on Borromini's tomb, in San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, reads:

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FRANCISCVS BORROMINI TICINENSIS

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EQVES CHRISTI

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QVI

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IMPERITVRAE MEMORIAE ARCHITECTVS

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DIVINAM ARTIS SVAE VIM

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AD ROMAM MAGNIFICIS AEDIFICIIS EXORNANDAM VERTIT

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IN QVIBUS

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ORATORIVM PHILLIPINVM S. IVO S. AGNES IN AGONE

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INSTAVRATA LATERANENSIS ARCHIBASILICA

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S. ANDREAS DELLE FRATTE NVNCVPATUM

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S. CAROLVS IN QVIRINALI

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AEDES DE PROPADANDA FIDE

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HOC AVTEM IPSVM TEMPLVM

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ARA MAXIMA DECORAVIT

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NON LONGE AB HOC LAPIDE

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PROPE MORTALES CAROLI MADERNI EXUVVIAS

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PROPINQVI MVNICIPIS ET AEMVLI SVI

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IN PACE DOMINI QVIESCIT

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