Thursday 6 October 2011

ROME - SAN CARLO ALLE QUATTRO FONTANE

A very unusual Roman Catholic church in Rome, Quirinal Hill - dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo at the Four Fountains.



The church was designed in 17th century by great roman architect of the time - Francesco Boromini .



He had to employ his best skills to accomodate a baroque church on the corner, narrow site, but the effect is trully amazing.



The fasade of the building had to be very narrow to locate it on the site and normally wouldn't be fully seen from the corner.Thanks to Boromini's idea to make it serpentine fasade, with curved and waving cornices and friezes supported by four corintian columns it is possible to see the entire elevation in its full beauty and ideal proportions.



The design of interiour was very innovative, extraordinary and very complex with its oval nave and the oval dome with a little lantern at top.



The external elevation was astonishing, incorporating one of the four existing fountains at the corners/intersections of two roads.




The little but very charming temple is an iconic masterpiece of baroque architecture.








2 comments:

  1. what a beautiful church! i love it!

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  2. The interior of this church is even more awe-inspiring. Surely the architecture itself was at least partially responsible for uncounted religious conversions! It is a wonderful example of how a building can evoke an emotional or spiritual response.
    __ The Devoted Classicist

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