Giacomo Della Porta

Porta, Giacomo Della 

Born circa 1540 in Rome; died there in 1602. Italian architect.

Delia Porta was a student of Michelangelo and was influenced by Vignola. He worked mainly in Rome. Delia Porta departed from the principles of Renaissance architecture, preferring more tense spatial solutions and stressing dynamic volumes. He superintended the construction of St. Peter’s Church from 1573, erecting the major dome (1586–93) in the form of an ellipse, modifying Michelangelo’s design. On the basis of Vignola’s plan, della Porta completed the church of II Gesù and in 1575 created its baroque facade, which became the model for numerous Catholic churches in the 17th and 18th centuries. From 1563 to 1590, della Porta took part in the construction of the group of buildings on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. His original works include the university in Rome, or the Sapienza (begun c. 1575), and the Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati (1598–1600), which was completed by C. Fontana.