New Advent
 Home   Encyclopedia   Summa   Fathers   Bible   Library 
 A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z 
New Advent
Home > Catholic Encyclopedia > B > Francesco Borromini

Francesco Borromini

Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — all for only $19.99...

Architect and sculptor; born 25 September, 1599, at Bissone; died (by his own hand) 1 August, 1667, at Rome. He studied architecture under Carlo Maderna, a relative. On the death of Maderna, he was nominated as architect of St. Peter's, under the direction of Bernini. His most extravagant effort was the church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (1640-67), a good example of the fully developed baroque style in Rome. In the church and part of the College of Propaganda, Borromini's fancies are wildest; the cupola and campanile of Sant' Andrea delle Fratte are in better taste. The great nave of Saint John Lateran was modernized, as it now stands, by Borromini. His best work is the façade of Santa Agnese in the Piazza Navona. Borromini is generally considered the father of all modern abuses in architecture. He inverted the whole system of Greek and Roman architecture, without offering a substitute.

About this page

APA citation. Poole, T. (1907). Francesco Borromini. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02688d.htm

MLA citation. Poole, Thomas. "Francesco Borromini." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02688d.htm>.

Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.

Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org. Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.

Copyright © 2023 by New Advent LLC. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

CONTACT US | ADVERTISE WITH NEW ADVENT