THE BAROQUE

CARLO MADERNO(1556-1629)
SANTA SUSANNA CHURCH
The principle governing the structure is simple to follow,it is based on a
mathematical progressive concentration of bays, orders and decoration
towards the center. The triple projection of the wall is co oriented with
the numbers of bays, which are firmly framed by orders, the width of
the bays increases towards the center and the wall surface is gradually
eliminated in a process reversing the thickening of the wall, from the
manneristic cartouches to the niches with figures and the entrance
door which fills the entire central bay.
The upper tier under the simple triangular pediment is conceived as a
lighter realization of the lower tier, with oillasters corresponding to the
half and tree quarter columns below. In this façade north Italian and
roman traditions are blended. Maderno imparted a clearly directed ,
dynamic movement to the structure horizontally as well as vertically, in
pite the fact that is built up of individual units.
The biggest changes that baroch has compared to the staticality and
rigid precision of the renaissance is that they always try to create
movement , and the facadde of santa susanna is a good example for
this. He implicates the contrast between dark and light, he create a lot
of niches and uses a high amount of decoration.he increases the
nucleos by increasing the value of the orders,he starts with pilasters at
the side , than he uses one half column and at the entrance two half
columns.
frieze
ST. PETER BASILICA
A long period of his working life were spent in this project where he was
faced with the task that he should interfere with michelangelos
intentions .the design of the nave, proves that he planned with
circumspection and tact. Maderno improved the dimensions of the
nave, creating a latin cross plan, by adding an atrium and above that a
blessing loggia.
For the design of the façade he used the same method as he did for
santa susanna , the decoration and the elements direct us to the
entrance, the nucleos of the façade. As composition, tha facades
proportion is not correct,he designed two bell towers for the corners of
the building but sadly they didn’t finish them. He used Corinthian order
and a frieze with enscription. On the lower part he left many empty
areas. At the doors he used minor columns but for the façade he
followed michelangelos giant order with two story high columns and
pilasters. For underlining the composition he used the triangular
pediment, tumpanon with the crest, symbol of the papal state.
One of the most beautiful baroch motives of the façade are the clocks
at the corner , a highly decorated element what brings even moore
movement to the upper part of the building closed by the balustrade
and the 13 figure.
PALAZZO MATTEI(1598-1618)
As a palace designer he is best represented by the palazzo mattei. the
brick façade show us the strong local tradition that he followed , in the
courtyard he made subtle use of ancient busts, statues and reliefs, and
the connection with such mannerist fronts as those of the villa medici.
But the four flight staircase decorated with refined stuccoes is an
innovation in rome. The whole palace is toward the courtyard, tha
façade above the entrance is composed by 3 round arches with
overlapping orders that have in front of them statues. As we go higher
the order changes from doric to ionic and on the last story he uses
Corinthian. The façade is richly decorated with little niches containing
busts.
THE HIGH BAROQUE
BERNINI(1598-
S.BIBIANA
Berninis career in architecture starts with the façade of the little church
of S. BIBIANA.the façade is not divorced from traditions, but instead of
developing further the type of roman church façade , Bernini placed a
palace like storey over an open loggia also the church shows some new
features, the central bay of the ground floor arcades projects slightly,
and above it, framing a deep niche , is an impressive aedivule motive
which breaks through the skyline of the adjoining bays. In this way the
center of the façade has been given forcefull emphasis . it should be
notice that the cornice of the side bays seems to run on under the
pilasters of the aedicule and than to turn into a depth of the niche.
Therefore the aedicule is superimposed over a smaller system, the
continuity appears to be unbroken .
The interpretation of small and large orders was a mannerist device
familiar to Bernini from michelangelos capitolium hill palaces and
palladios church facades.
S. MARIA DELL ASSUNTA
Despite the size ,the church have a great importance in intrinsic
qualities and had a great influence, having a revolutionary aspect .
Its basic form consists of a cylinder crowned by a hemispherical dome
with a broad lantern.the arches portico of pure classical design is placed
in front of the rotunda, counterbalanced at the far end by the sacristy
which juts out from the circle but is not perceived by the approaching
visitor . here also are the two bell towers of which only the tops are
visible from the square. In order to understand berninis guide idea,
reference must be made to an other project.
From 1657 bernini was engaged on plans for ridding the pantheon , so
according by the remained sketches he intended to systematize the
square in front of the ancient building. He interpreted the exterior of
the original pantheon as the union of the two basic forms of vaulted
cylinder and portico and it’s a combination of two simple geometric
shapes.
The interior shows unexpected relations to the pantheon. There are 3
chapels of equal size n each side, while the entrance and the altar niche
are larger . but the impression prevails of eight consecutive niches
separated by large Corinthian pilasters, which carry the unbroken circle
of entablature. Compared to palladio he gave an unitrerupted
sequence of openings .
In the dome, which shows the combination of coffers and ribs, we find
realistic decoration, stucco putti and angels n scrolls, holding free
hanging garlands which swing rib to rib.
S. ANDREA AL QUIRINALE(1658-1670)
One os the most important churches that present us the baroque .the
particular character of the site on which most of the convent was
standing induced Bernini to choose an oval ground plan with the
transverse axis longer than the main axis between the entrance and the
altar.
Pilasters stands at both ends of the traverse axis, which results that the
oval is closed at the most critical points, where otherwise, from a
viewpoint near the entrance, the eye would wander off from the main
room into undefined spaces.berninis solution compels the spectator to
sweep around of the entablature, until it meets the columned aedicule
in front of the altar. All the lines of the architecture culminate in, and
converges upon this piece of sculpture. The beholders attention is
absorbed by the dramatic event, which owns its suggestive power to
the way in which it dominates the serve lines .
Coloure and light assist in the splendid atmosphere ,, below in the
human sphere, the church glows with precious dark marble. Above, in
the heavenly sphere of the dome, the colours are white and gold. The
oval space is evenly lit by windows between the ribs which cut deep
into the cofferend parts of the dome.bright light streams from the
lantern, in which sculpted cherubs and the dove of the holy ghost seem
to await .
All the chapels are darker than the main room, in addition is a
difference in the lightning of the chapels, the large ones flanking the
traverse axis have difused light, while the 4 other ones in the diagonal
axis are cast in deep shadow.
The church has two spiritual centers , the oval space, where the
congregation participates in the miracle of the saint salvations, and the
separated altar recess, where the mystery is consumed .
The church is subjected with a coherent literary theme which informs
every part of it , the ring figures above the windows which consists of
putti carrying garlands and palms , and nude fisherman who handle a
nets, shells which are symbolic representation of st. Andrew.
Through his connection with sculpture , the architecture itself serves to
make a dramatic point for the viewer.
On the façade the cornice seems to run under the giant Corinthian
pilasters and sweeps forward into a semicircular portico where it is
supported by 2 ionic columns. The portico, surrended between the
scrolls by the free standing pamphili coat of arms exuberant decorative
design. Yet the airy porch must not simply be regarded as a feature that
invites the passer by to enter, it’s a dynamic element of high importance
in the complex organization of the building. The aedicule motive
framing the portico is taken upside by the aedicule framing the
altarrecess.
But there is a reversal in the direction of the movement, while in the
exterior the cornice over the oval body seems to move towards the
approaching of the visitor, in the interior the movement is in the
opposite direction, so the isolated altar room answers reversely to the
portico. The out and inside appear like the positive and negative
realization of the same theme
The 2 quadrant walls forming the piazza focus attention on the façade,
but more than this, since they frimly grip in to the joints where the oval
body of the church and the aedicule meet, they concave sweep reverses
the convex ring and reinforce the dynamic quality of the structure

We can say that the façade reminds us to an early baroque faced

PIAZZA OF ST. PETER
The creating of the piazza had to solve serious issues like the blessing of
the people of rome on easter and few other occasions done from the
benediction loggia. So the piazza had to be hold as much people as he
could while the loggia is visible , but also the form of the square had to
suggest the all embaracing character of function. Also the basilica
needed an worthy approach in scale compared to the church itself.
Bernini begun designing a trapezoid piazza enclosed by traditional type
of round headed arcades connevting with the palace, but this approach
was soon abandoned by various reasons. After this attempt Bernini
replaced the arcades with colonnades of free standing columns with
straight high entablature above the columns and the trapezoid form
changed to an oval one and he also tried to correct the problems of
proportion made by Maderno. To avoid broking up the uniform wall of
the façade , he used optical devices rather than structural changes as a
mean to rectify the appearance of the building. He envoked the
impression of greater hight in the façade by joining to his long and low
corridors which continue the order and skyline of the colonnades. The
heavily massive doric columns and the high by comparison slender
Corinthian columns of the façade form a deliberate contrast. And
Bernini choose the unorthodox combination of doric columns with ionic
entablature not only in order to unifiy the piazza horizontally but also to
accentuate the vertical tendencies in the façade.
For topographical and other reasons Bernini was forced to design the so
called piazza retta in front of the church. The length and slant of the
northen corridor were determined by the position of the old palace.
Continuing the corridor, the new ceremonial staircase, scala regia
begins at the level of the portico of the church. By plancing the
columnal order within the tunnel of the main flight and by manipulating
it, he counteracted the convergence of the walls towards the upper
landing and created the impressin of an ample and festive staircase.
The choice for the oval form has many advanteges. Above all
thenwidely embracing arms of the colonnades were for Bernini
impressive of the digity here required . Bernini himself compared the
colonnade to the arms of the church which hugs and invites the belivers
and empowers them with faith.
However the most revolutionary and influential feature of berninis
colonnade are the free standing columns. Arcades with orders ,
colosseum like always needed pierced walls and consequently flatness.
Berninis isolated columns with straight entablature, by contrast, are
imenssely scultural elements which in the same time demand respect
and show mass and power.
BORROMINI(1599-1667)
S. CARLO ALLE QUATTRO FONTANE
It’s a monastery located near palazzo barberini.from preliminary
designs we know the growing of borrominis conception. He began with
a simple hall like nave and tree chapels on each side.next he turned to
an oval form, the ring of almost free standing dubble columns with
niches between . the axes of the 4 chapels are determined by the
perpendiculars erected over the sides of the trianglesand the rounds of
the oval form follows circles which have their senter in the point
intersection of two perpendiculars. On further analysis it appears that
all the basic measurements of the project such as the depth of the apse
and the depth and width of the chapels are derived from units of this
geometric pathern. We can see that Borromini concevid the idea of
breaking up the traditional oval form by introducing triads of concave
bays. The geometric basis of the final design is a diamond pattern of
two joind equilateral triangles and the undulating perimeter of the
building follows the rhomboid geometry even more precisely than
before.
He gave a big importance for the sculptural elements of the
columns.they grouped in fours with larger intervals on the longitudinal
and transvers axes. While the triads of undulating bays in the diagonal
are unified by the wall treatement, niches, the dark glit framed pictures
in the main axis seem to create effective caesuras.
Starting from the entrance bay, a rhythm of the following order exists
A/BCB/A/BCB/A but there is an other rhythm created by the high arches
and the segmental pediment above the pictures. These elements seem
to tie up each group of three bais in the main axi, the reading now will
be BAB/C/BAB.C.
In the overlapping triads of the bays there is certainly a suggestion of
mannerist complexity , but instead of enfocusing the inherent situation
of conflict, Borromini countered it by two devices, first a powerfull
entablature in spite of its movements as a firm horizontal berrier which
the eye follows easily, and secondly the columns themselves, which by
their nature have no directions, may be seen as a contiuous
accentuation of the undulating walls, helps to unify the shape.the
overlapping triads may be regarded as the backround rhythm .
For this highly playfull and dynamic shape , Borromini inserted a
transmitional area with pendentives which allowed him to design and
oval dome of unbroken curvilinear shape. The foure bays under the
pendentives fulfill the function of pierc in the crossing Greek cross plan.
The zone of the pendentives Borromini incorporated have an
interesting referenc to the cross arms. The transverse niches as well es
th entrance and the altar are decorated with coffers which diminish
rapidly in size, suggesting, theoretically not only a depth greater than
the actual one, but also containing illusion hit at the arms of the Greek
cross.
Above the pediments is the firm ring on which the oval dome rests. The
dome itself is decorated with coffers of octagonal and hexagonal and
cross shapes. These coffers decrease in size towards the lantern,so they
are used not just as decorative elements, also they are the devices of
producing an illusionistic viewpoint for the spectator. The light streams
in from the lantern and also through the windows in the filling of the
coffers, partly hidden behind the ornamental ring of stylized leaves
which crown the cornice.
Borromini reconciled in this church 3 different structural types,
undulating the lower zone, the intermediet zone generated by the
pendentives deriving from the Greek cross plan,and the oval dome.
The façade is a system of combination between small and giant orders,
but he used the michelangelonesque way differently, by repeating it in
two tiers of almost equal importance , he acted against the spirit in
which was invented. The façade consists in 3 bays, below , the two
concave and the convex center bay are tied togheter by the entablature,
above, the 3 bays are concave and the entablature is deployed in 3
different segments, in addition the oval medallion carried by angels and
capped by the onion shaped crowning element nullifies the effect of
the entablature as a horizontal barrier.
Below the small columns of the outside bays frame a wall with small
oval windows and serves as support for the niches and statues.
the principle underlining the design is that of diversity and even polarity
inside the unifying theme, and the same principle ties the façade to the
interior. Brorromini also included a visionary element, characteristic of
his late style, above the entrance there are herms ending in very large
cherub heads, whose wings from a protecting arch for the figure of st.
Charles in the niche.
In other parts, realistic sculptures support architectural forms.
PIETRO DA CORTONA(1596-1669)
S. MARIA DELLA PACE
The new façade, placed infront of the quattrocento church, together
with the systemization of the small piazza are far more important than
the changes on the interior.
For the piazza, cortonas design is like a theater , the church is the stage,
the piazza, like the auditorium, and the flanking house like boxes. The
convex upper tier represents a middle field between the boldly
projecting semicircular portico and the large concave wings which grip
like arms round the front, in a zone removed from the spectator. The
interplay of the convex and concave forms in the same building is
tippicaly roman high baroque .
The church contains many influential ideas. The portico is one of the
most fetile inventions. Y projecting far into the small piazza and
absorbin much space, a plastic and chronomatically effective motive is
created that meditates between the inside and outside.
The crowning feature of the church is a large triangular pediment
encashing a segmental one.
GUARINI
S. LORENZO
The building was standing, but it was not finished, the basic form of the
plan is an octagon with th eight side curving into the main space, each
of thease consists of palladios motif with a wide open arch. For this
reason it is difficult to perceive the octagon as the consistent shape of
the congregational room. The eye is led past the arches to the real
boundary of the church. Behind the screen of 16 red marble columns
are niches with statues, white before a black backround and framed by
white pilasters. Thus there exists some certain continuity of motives
along the boundary, but they complicate rather than simplify an
understanding of a structure . for so many different units and so many
similar motifs are found side by side and at odd angles that no coherent
vision is possible.
The strong , uniterupted entablature above the arches emphasizes and
clarifies the octagonal shape. But in the next zone there is an
unexpected change of meaning. Pendentives are placed in diagonal
axes, at this level the ctagon is transformed is a Greek cross plan with
very short arms. The pendentives and arches of the cross are
functionally divorced entirely from their supports.
Above the pendentives there is a gallery with oval windows and
between them there are eight piers from which the ribs of the vaulting
springs. These ribs are arranged that and 8 pointed star and a regular
octagon is formed.