Borromini, Francesco (fränchā`skō bōr-rōmē`nē), 1599–1677, major Italian baroque architect. His first independent commission (begun 1634) was San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Rome, one of the masterpieces of the Roman baroque. The church is noted for its undulating rhythm of architectural elements within a basically geometric plan. In 1642 he began the designs for Sant' Ivo della Sapienza, Rome, a dynamic hexagonal structure. He was also entrusted with the reconstruction of St. John the Lateran, as well as the completion of Sant' Agnese in the Piazza Navona and Sant' Andrea della Fratte. Borromini's innovations in palace as well as church design had a tremendous influence in Italy and northern Europe.

Bibliography

See studies by A. Blunt (1979) and Connors (1980).

Borromini, Francesco

orig. Francesco Castelli

Interior of the dome of the church of S. Ivo della Sapienza, Rome, by Francesco Borromini, …

(credit: GEKS)

(born Sept. 25, 1599, Bissone, Duchy of Lombardy—died Aug. 2, 1667, Rome) Italian Baroque architect. Though he worked with Gian Lorenzo Bernini on the design of the famous baldachin in St. Peter's Basilica, the two later became bitter rivals. Borromini's first independent commission was the Roman church and monastery of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (1638–41), the dome of which appears to float because its spring points (see arch) and light sources are concealed below. His works, composed of flowing concave and convex forms, contain spaces that are irregular ovals and polygons, as at Sant'Ivo della Sapienza (1642–60). His fortunes declined in later years, and in 1667 he committed suicide. His influence was felt in northern Italy and central Europe in the next century.