SANT'IVO DELLA SAPIENZA

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Title	SANT'IVO DELLA SAPIENZA
Alternate Title	St. Ivo of the Knowledge
View	Front elevation, close frontal view, looking up, depicting concave facade
Notes	religious
Work Type	church
Style/Period	Baroque
Creator Name	Borromini, Francesco
Creator Nationality	Italian
Date.Creator Birth	1599
Date.Creator Death	1667
Major Design Aspects	geometric centralized church fusion of forms hexagonal-shaped plan
Elements & Spatial Types	dome lantern cherub molding forecourt spire papal motif
Climate Type	Mediterranean
Country	Italy
City	Rome
State/Province	Lazio
Alternate Place Names	University of Rome
Location.Notes	via degli Staderari
Architectural Material	stone, stucco
Structural System	bearing masonry
Dates	1643-1660
Century	17C
Designation/Awards/Inscriptions	landmark
Photographer	Scott Gilchrist, Archivision
Date Photographed	8/31/1990
Subject Information	The foundation stone for Sant'Ivo was laid in January 1643, the structure was completed in 1648, and decoration begun in 1659 and the floor was finally laid in 1660. In the church of Sant'Ivo Borromini evolved a structure of the most startling originality within a space restricted by the earlier designs of Della Porta. The plan is based on two equilateral triangles which interpenetrate to form a six-pointed star (the star of David) on the outer periphery and a regular hexagon as the central space surrounded by 6 alternating angular and semicircular bays. These contain 12 niches, which were to contain statues of the 12 apostles. The decoration was not carried out until the pontificate of Alexander VII Chigi and thus contains many references to the Chigi arms, such as crowned monti and stars. Sant'Ivo is the Church of the University of Rome. / 'Sant'Ivo has a central ground plan, in the form of a hexagon of 6 triangles, contained, as it were, within a circle, with concave and convex walls. This variety of line was unified by giant pilasters and by a high cornice, given great emphasis. The pilasters continue upwards in the moulding of the dome: thus in the lower part of the cupola the plan of the church is echoed, while at the top, below the lantern, the form is circular, making the vertical thrust almost awesome. In this reduction from multiplicity to unity, from variety to the simplicity of the circle, lies much of the fascination of this church: geometrical succintness and inexhaustible imagination, technical skill and religious symbolism, have rarely found such a reconciliation.' Rudolf Wittkower, Art & Architecture in Italy, 1600-1750. See also 'Borromini' by Anthony Blunt.
Credit Line	Archivision Inc. (all images copyright Scott Gilchrist / Archivision.com)
Collection Title	Archivision (architecture, urban design, gardens, landscapes and public art)
Collection information	Collection administered by the Visual Resources manager, Architecture Library, (402) 472-1193

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