Francesco Borromini
Italian Baroque architect known for inventive, idiosyncratic designs.
Francesco Borromini, born Francesco Castelli on 25 September 1599 in Bissone, in what is now the Swiss canton of Ticino, was an Italian architect who, together with Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pietro da Cortona, helped define Roman Baroque architecture. The son of a stonemason, he began his career in that trade before studying architecture in Milan. He moved to Rome in 1619, working for his distant relative Carlo Maderno at St. Peter’s and the Palazzo Barberini. After Maderno’s death in 1629, Borromini and Cortona continued on the palace under Bernini’s direction. Once established, he changed his surname from Castelli to Borromini, a name derived from his mother’s family and possibly in honor of Saint Charles Borromeo. A keen student of Michelangelo and ancient ruins, Borromini developed an inventive, idiosyncratic style that manipulated Classical forms, employed geometrical rationales in his plans, and embedded symbolic meanings. His soft lead drawings are particularly distinctive, and he appears to have possessed a sound understanding of structures that Bernini and Cortona, trained primarily in other visual arts, may have lacked. A self-taught scholar, he amassed a large library. His career was constrained by a melancholic and quick-tempered personality, which led him to withdraw from some commissions and ultimately to suicide in 1667. His idiosyncratic work had limited direct influence, though it appears in the Piedmontese architecture of Guarino Guarini and, fused with the styles of Bernini and Cortona, in Northern European late Baroque. Critics like Francesco Milizia and Sir John Soane were particularly harsh, but from the late nineteenth century onward, appreciation for his inventiveness revived.
- born
- 25 September 1599
- died
- 2 August 1667
- field
- Architecture
- nationality
- Italian
- known_for
- Roman Baroque architecture, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Francesco Castelli
- Birth Date
- 1599-09-25
- Birth Place
- Bissone, Condominiums of the Twelve Cantons (Italian possessions of the Old Swiss Confederacy)
- Death Date
- 1667-08-02
- Death Place
- Rome, Papal States
- Significant Buildings
- San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane / Sant'Agnese in Agone / Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza / Oratorio dei Filippini
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Borromini began his career as a stonemason, the son of a stonemason, and studied architecture in Milan before moving to Rome in 1619. He worked for his distant relative Carlo Maderno at St. Peter's and the Palazzo Barberini. After Maderno's death in 1629, he continued on the palace under Bernini's direction. He changed his name from Castelli to Borromini, derived from his mother's family and possibly out of regard for St Charles Borromeo.
His first major independent commission came in 1634: the church, cloister, and monastic buildings of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (San Carlino) on the Quirinal Hill, designed for the Spanish Trinitarians. The church, completed between 1638 and 1641 and dedicated in 1646, is considered an exemplary masterpiece of Roman Baroque architecture, despite its remarkably small size. Borromini devised the complex ground plan from interlocking geometrical configurations, with interior walls that appear to weave in and out.
He also designed the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri (Oratorio dei Filippini) from 1637, though his relations with the Oratorians were often fraught, leading to his replacement in 1652. From 1640 to 1650 he worked on Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, with its distinctive dome and cochlear steeple. He was involved in Sant'Agnese in Agone, where his design intentions were changed by succeeding architects, resulting in a mix of approaches.
Reader's Guide
Borromini's career was constrained by his personality: melancholic and quick-tempered, he withdrew from certain jobs and died by suicide in 1667. Unlike Bernini, he did not easily adopt the role of courtier. His work was idiosyncratic, and his subsequent influence was not widespread, though it appears in the Piedmontese works of Guarino Guarini and, fused with Bernini and Cortona's modes, in late Baroque Northern European architecture. Later critics such as Francesco Milizia and Sir John Soane were particularly critical of his work. From the late nineteenth century onward, interest revived and his architecture became appreciated for its inventiveness. He seems to have had a sound understanding of structures, perhaps surpassing Bernini and Cortona, who were principally trained in other visual arts. He was a self-taught scholar who amassed a large library by the end of his life.
Did You Know?
- Borromini changed his name from Castelli to Borromini, derived from his mother's family and possibly out of regard for St Charles Borromeo.
- San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane is so small that the whole building would fit into one of the dome piers of Saint Peter's.
- Borromini's soft lead drawings are particularly distinctive.
- He died by suicide in 1667.
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