The National Residence of the Invalids 

This amazing church was built in the XVII century (1671-1676).

·Because of its location and significance, the 
Invalides served as the scene for 
several key events in French history.

Napoleon was buried in the dome of the Invalides with a great ceremony in 1840. 
Since 1940,the imperial mausoleum contains too the rests of his son, Napoleon ll.


·Louis XlV of France ordered its construction and it was used like residence for french soldiers and militaries who were ill, retired or without home.

·In October of 1674, some soldiers were installed there for first time.

·The architect was Libéral Bruant and the builder was Jules Hardouin-Mansart. 

-It was stormed by Parisian, who later used their cannons against the Bastille.

·Architecture:
 Stands out its golden dome.

· Nowadays , we can see there some churchs such us `Saint-Louis-des-Invalides´ or the `Église du Domo´.
And some museums too like : `Musée de l´Armée´, `Musée de L´Ordre de la Libération´, etc.

-Would you like to visit this amazing place? Why?

Atlanta e Hipomenes

Author: Guido Reni

Date: 1625

Museum: Prado´s museum.

The painting is an example of the Baroque period.

Myth:

- Atlanta, whose parents quit her because she was a girl, was found in the hill by a bear, who treated her like one of her soons. She grew as un animal.

She was too clever and agile, so she had lots of suitors but she was consecrated to Artemisa, so she had to stay being virgin.

She said: I will married with the person who can defeat me in a race. If you don´t, I´ll kill you.

She always was faster than her suitors, but Hipomenes was more intelligent than her , so he threw some apples in the way and when Atlanta stopped to catch them, he overtook her.

Finally, they got married.

-What do you think about the myth?

Church of the Gesù and Sant'Andrea al Quirinale

Church of the Gesù

 

 Historical and artistical context:

Date of construction: 1568-1584

Style: High Renaissance-Baroque

Artist: Jacopo Vignola and Giacomo della Porta

 Material and technique: Made with polychrome marbel, is a type of church stablished my the Franciscans and Dominicans since the twelve century and its façade is known as "the first truly baroque façade".

Iconographic analysis: 

 

Title: "Chiesa del Gesù" 

Type of builging and function: This church was built according to the new requirments of the Council of Trent. It was the home of the Superior General of the Society of Jesus until the supression of the order in 1773.

Formal analysis: 

Composition, space and decoration: It's composed by a simple nave without aisles, so that the congregation is together and focused on the main altar. With five chapels at one side.

The sacristy is on the right. In the presbytery there is a bust of Cardinal Bellarmine by Bernini. The chapel of St. Ignatius is the masterpiece of the church, designed by Andrea Pozzo and houses the tomb of the saint. 

 

The altar made by Pozzo, shows the Trinity, while four columns made of lapislazuli enclose the colosal statue of the Saint made by Pierre Legros.

 

Meaning: This church represents the counter-reform who was made by the Council of Trento after Lutero's Reform. 

Sant'Andrea al Quirinale

  

Historical and artistical context:

Date of construction: 1658-1670

Style: Baroque

Artist:  Designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

  

Material and technique: The main façade has an oval cylindrer who encases the dome and a semicircular porch with two columns which mark the entrance.

Iconographic analysis:

Title: "Sant'Andrea al Quirinale" 

Type of builging and function: Roman catholic titular church built by the Jesuit seminary on the Quirinal Hill.

 Formal analysis:

Composition, space and decoration: Made of four chapels and the main altar this church had many statues and paintings like The Glory of St Francis Xavier by Filippo Bracci.

 Between the Chapel St Stanislaus Kostka and the main altar is a side chapel with a large crucifix. It houses the tomb of King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia.

 

 

Meaning: This church is one of the masterpiece of Bernini, who was an Italian artist and architect. Not the "Ecstasy of St. Theresa" but an important piece of his work. 

It's over! Hope you enjoy with these two masterpieces of Baroque architecture!

Meraviglie di Roma durante il Barocco

Buon giorno! Today, I’m going to show you two of the most wonderful Baroque examples of architecture in Rome. From my point of view, you will like learning more things about this two Italian masterpieces. Enjoy it!

SAN CARLO ALLE QUATTRO FONTANE:

Historical and artistic context:

Date of construction: 1634-1641

Consecrated as Catholic Church: 1646

Style: 17th century Italian Baroque Art.

Artist: Francesco Castelli (known as Francesco Borromini)

Material and technique: The façade of the church is made of bricks covered by a surface of white stucco. It's also got an urban design and a small size which is perfectly combined with the buildings which are next to it. Borromini makes the building dynamic and the walls seem they are in constant movement.

Location: Via del Quirinale, 30. Rome, Italy.

Iconographic analysis:

Name: San Carlo alle Quattre Fontane (also called San Carlino due to its tiny size)

Translation: Saint Charles at the Four Fountains.

Type of building and function: San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane is a Roman Catholic church designed by the Swiss-Italian architect Borromini. Its construction was commissioned by the Spanish Trinitarian Order in Rome, who wanted to have their monastery next to the church. It became a challenge to Borromini create these two structures because of the small amount of space he had to make the church and the monastery together. Nowadays, the monastery has disappeared and the structure is one of the most visited places in Rome.

Baroque characteristics: The façade has got a lot of movement and an inscription in Latin because of its religious part. It express elegance and lots of feelings are revealed when you see the interior part of the church. It's composed by curve shapes, avoiding straight lines. It's also got Corinthian columns that make a small structure a colossal one.

Why it is famous: It is world-known because people get surprised when see its façade and  due to its location and tiny size.

Formal analysis: 

Composition, space and decoration: It's composed by a church and the former monastery. Borromini designed an outstanding dome integrated in a complicated floor plan. There are two altars with an axis position and the author created many secret passages to protect the monks from a fire and to go across the three floors of the structures easily. The building is decorated with images of Catholic Saints and flower and geometrical decorative elements. 

Size of the church: The floor plan is about 720 square meters (The Basilica of St Peter is over 15,200 square meters). The dome is 25.80 meters high and, although it's not very tall, this masterpiece can be observed from three blocks of buildings far.

Meaning: Although it was Borromini's last construction it became his most known creation. It represents Roman Baroque Art perfectly and it was the most famous building of the Spanish Trinitarians. 

From my point of view, the author wanted to express their dark feelings in an everlasting piece of art and it is an example of how an untidy place of emotions can be as beautiful as it is nowadays.

FONTANA DEI QUATTRO FIUMI 
A PIAZZA NAVONA

Historical and artistic context:

Date of construction: 1648-1651
Style: 17th century Italian Baroque Art.
Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Material and technique: The base in which plants and animals are shown is made by Roman Travertine and the sculptures are made of marble. Human figures were sculptured in workshops and later they were combined with the other parts of the fountain. It was designed as an outstanding work of art which had to become the central focus of Navona Square.

Location: Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy.
During Roman Time the Stadium of Domitian was located there.



Iconographic analysis: 

Name: Fontana dei Quattro Fuimi.
Translation: Fountain of the Four Rivers. It receives its name because it represents 4 rivers, one river for each of the four continens Europeans knew in that period of time:

Nile: Africa.
Danube: Europe.
Ganges: Asia.
River Plate: America.

Type of building and function: Fontana dei Quattro Fuimi is a fountain located in central Rome built to rise up the importance of Navona Square because their near squares already had fountains and other kinds of structures in its interior. In the centre of the fountain there's an Egyptian obelisk built during Roman Time. Its construction was commissioned by the inhabitants of the square and the Pope Innocenzo X. The first offer as architect of the structure was given to Borromini but finally, Bernini became the actual architect.

                       

Baroque characteristics: The sculptures show a lot of feelings, they loved nature and used animals and plants figures as a decoration. They expressed the colossal and international part of the fountain involving the four continents they knew, the entire world. There are not straight lines and the curve ones produce dynamism and make the statues as they were real.

Why it is famous: It is so important because this creation was sculpted during Bernini's best professional period of time and due to the fact that before its construction and the transportation  of the obelisk, the Square hadn't got the importance it currently has.
It is also world-known because during Roman Time, a Roman circus was located there.



Formal analysis:

Size of the Square: The Square is huge because, as I have already said, during Ancient Time there was a Roman Circus. A main street of Rome crosses it and connect the squares that are next to Piazza Navona. 

Composition, space and decoration: The whole work of art is composed by four main parts (as I mentioned before, 4 rivers for each continent) representing four Gods. Around the main parts, you can find the place in where the water falls and lots of small structures of plants and animals. In the middle of the structure, there's an obelisk that can be seen from their neighbour squares.

Meaning: People living around the square know the importance of the fountain because this touristic attraction make the whole place of one the most visited and photographed streets in Rome. It gave to Bernini his world fame because, although he has better works of art, they didn't become as famous as it so early. It's a good example of Baroque architecture because emotions are shown and from my point of view, four realities are mixed; the whole world is combined

So, this is all. I hope you have enjoyed my post because I have worked hardly in the process of investigating the information and writing the text. There are some links in which I have used the red color to highlight it and you will find easy to find them because they are underlined too. If you have any doubts, you find any mistake or you can write more information about the two structures, post a comment and I will answer you as quickly as I read them. 

Thanks for reading my post!!