Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bernini vs Borromini
No two people did more to fashion the face of Rome than the two great figures of the Ro-
man baroque - Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) and Francesco Borromini
(1599-1667). Two starkly different characters - Bernini was suave, self-confident and
politically adept, while Borromini, from Lombardy, was a solitary and peculiar man -
they led the transition from Counter-Reformation rigour to baroque exuberance.
Bernini is perhaps best known for his work in the Vatican. He designed St Peter's
Square, styling the colonnade as 'the motherly arms of the Church', and was chief archi-
tect at St Peter's Basilica from 1629. While working on the basilica, he created the bal-
dachin (altar canopy) over the main altar, using bronze stripped from the Pantheon.
Under the patronage of the Barberini pope Urban VIII, Bernini was given free rein to
transform the city, and his churches,
palazzi,
piazzas and fountains remain landmarks to
this day. However, his fortunes nose-dived when the pope died in 1644. Urban's suc-
cessor, Innocent X, wanted as little contact as possible with the favourites of his hated
predecessor, and instead turned to Borromini, Alessandro Algardi (1595−1654) and Giro-
lamo and Carlo Rainaldi (1570−1655 and 1611−91, respectively). Bernini later came back
into favour with his magnificent design for the 1651 Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in the
centre of Piazza Navona, opposite Borromini's Chiesa di Sant'Agnese in Agone.
Borromini, the son of an architect and well versed in stonemasonry and construction
techniques, created buildings involving complex shapes and exotic geometry. A recurring
feature of his designs is the skilful manipulation of light, often obtained by the clever
placement of small oval-shaped windows. His most memorable works are the Chiesa di
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, which has an oval-shaped interior, and the Chiesa di
Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, which combines a complex arrangement of convex and concave
surfaces with an innovative spiral tower.
Via dei Fori Imperiali, the road that divides the Roman Forums from the Imperial Forums, was one of
Mussolini's most controversial projects. Inaugurated in 1932, it was conceived to link the Colosseum (an-
cient power) with Piazza Venezia (fascist power) but in the process tarmacked over much of the ancient
forums.
Throughout their careers, the two geniuses were often at each other's throats. Borromini
was deeply envious of Bernini's early success and Bernini, in turn, was scathing of Bor-
romini's complex geometrical style.
