Oratorio dei Filippini

Last updated
Oratorio dei Filippini
Oratorio di San Filippo Neri, Roma.jpg
The facade of the oratory
Oratorio dei Filippini
Click on the map for a fullscreen view
41°53′54″N12°28′07″E / 41.898228°N 12.468710°E / 41.898228; 12.468710
Location Rome
Country Italy
Denomination Roman Catholic
Architecture
Architect(s) Francesco Borromini
Architectural type Church
Groundbreaking 1637
Completed1650
The facade of the oratory (1720 engraving) Borromini Drawing 01.jpg
The facade of the oratory (1720 engraving)
The turret with a clock, by Borromini. Oratorio dei Filippini clock tower.jpg
The turret with a clock, by Borromini.

The Oratorio dei Filippini (Oratory of Saint Philip Neri) is a building located in Rome and erected between 1637 and 1650 under the supervision of architect Francesco Borromini - in his distinctive style. The oratory is adjacent to the Chiesa Nuova Santa Maria in Vallicella, the mother church of the congregation. In front of the two sides was a small closed square, now integrated in the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

Contents

History

The congregation of the Filippini already had one of the most well-decorated Baroque churches in Rome, and the order had planned to build an oratory, as well as residential quarters, adjacent to the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella (Chiesa Nuova) located in crowded central Rome. Originally, Ortario dei Filippini was also meant to be a place for the Filippini to practice their own, unique, inventive style of prayer. [1] Borromini won a competition for designing the structure against many including Paolo Maruscelli [ citation needed ]. He was employed in the task for 13 years, often a testy process. By 1640, the oratory was in use, and by 1643, the library, called the Biblioteca Vallicelliana , was complete. Borromini later became occupied by the construction of many components of the building such as the façade, two courtyards, the refectory, recreational rooms, the Biblioteca Vallicelliana, and the clock tower. Camillo Artucci became the designer after Borromini left the job in 1650 due to conflicts with the Fillipini Congregation. [2]

Description

Exterior

Though the facade is large compared the structures behind it, it was meant to be second best to the adjacent church in terms of materials and size. [2]

The facade provides a summary of Borromini's characteristics of innovations style, both austere and technically rigorous. The main body is divided into five parts by pilasters following a concave curve. In the central part, a dynamic appears between the lower level, whose curve moves outward, and the upper level which curves inward. This panel-clad façade of the Oratorio dei Filippini was designed to mimic the human body with open arms for those wanting to worship there. [2] The façade is decorated with upper and lower pilasters with Corinthian capitals. [2]

At the corner of the oratory, on the Piazza dell'Orologio, Borromini raised a turret with a clock (1647–1649).

Interior

Inside the oratory is articulated by half columns and a complex rhythm of pilasters.

Today, a room in the Oratorio dei Filippini, known as the Sala Borromini, functions similarly to a town hall as meetings and debates are held there. [2]

The Ortario dei Filippini features a library called Biblioteca Vallicelliana which is distinguished by a staircase with a depiction of a Bellonian priest. [3] In the staircase leading up to the library one can admire the full scale plaster models of Alessandro Algardi's reliefs of The Encounter of Attila and Pope Leo (the finished marble is in St. Peter's Basilica) and The Miracle of Saint Agnes (executed by Algardi's assistants Ercole Ferrata and Domenico Guidi; the marble version, destined to become the main altarpiece in Sant'Agnese in Agone was never made).

The shape of the music hall inside Oratorio dei Filippini lends itself to acoustics and the distribution of sound. The long, rectangular design allows sound to bounce off of the walls and fill the room effectively. The high, curved ceiling pushes sound down to the audience below. [4] This is important because the Filippini used music as an integral part of their prayer and worship. [5]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alessandro Algardi</span> Italian sculptor (1598–1654)

Alessandro Algardi was an Italian high-Baroque sculptor active almost exclusively in Rome. In the latter decades of his life, he was, along with Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona, one of the major rivals of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, in Rome. He is now most admired for his portrait busts that have great vivacity and dignity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Borromini</span> Italian architect (1599–1667)

Francesco Borromini, byname of Francesco Castelli, was an Italian architect born in the modern Swiss canton of Ticino who, with his contemporaries Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pietro da Cortona, was a leading figure in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pietro da Cortona</span> Italian painter and architect of the High Baroque (1596–1669)

Pietro da Cortona was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture. He was also an important designer of interior decorations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sant'Andrea della Valle</span> Roman Catholic basilica, a landmark of Rome, Italy

Sant'Andrea della Valle is a minor basilica in the rione of Sant'Eustachio of the city of Rome, Italy. The basilica is the general seat for the religious order of the Theatines. It is located at Piazza Vidoni, at the intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Corso Rinascimento.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parione</span> Rione of Rome in Lazio, Italy

Parione is the 6th rione of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. VI, and belongs to the Municipio I. Its name comes from the fact that in the area there was a huge ancient wall, maybe belonging to the stadium of Domitianus; the nickname people gave to this wall was Parietone, from which the name Parione.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sant'Agnese in Agone</span> Church in Rome, Italy

Sant'Agnese in Agone is a 17th-century Baroque church in Rome, Italy. It faces onto the Piazza Navona, one of the main urban spaces in the historic centre of the city and the site where the Early Christian Saint Agnes was martyred in the ancient Stadium of Domitian. Construction began in 1652 under the architects Girolamo Rainaldi and his son Carlo Rainaldi. After numerous quarrels, the other main architect involved was Francesco Borromini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Maria in Vallicella</span> Church in Rome, Italy

Santa Maria in Vallicella, also called Chiesa Nuova, is a church in Rome, Italy, which today faces onto the main thoroughfare of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the corner of Via della Chiesa Nuova. It is the principal church of the Oratorians, a religious congregation of secular priests, founded by St Philip Neri in 1561 at a time in the 16th century when the Counter Reformation saw the emergence of a number of new religious organisations such as the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the Theatines and the Barnabites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Giovanni dei Fiorentini</span> Church in Rome, Italy

The Basilica of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini is a minor basilica and a titular church in the Ponte rione of Rome, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santi Luca e Martina</span> Church in Rome, Italy

Santi Luca e Martina is a church in Rome, Italy, situated between the Roman Forum and the Forum of Caesar and close to the Arch of Septimus Severus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Girolamo della Carità</span> Church in Rome, Italy

San Girolamo della Carità is a church in Rome, Italy, located near the Palazzo Farnese and Campo de' Fiori.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biblioteca Vallicelliana</span>

The Biblioteca Vallicelliana is a library in Rome, Italy. The library is located in the Oratorio dei Filippini complex built by Francesco Borromini in Piazza della Chiesa Nuova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palazzo di Propaganda Fide</span> Building in Rome, Italy

The Palazzo di Propaganda Fide is a palace located in Rome, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, then Francesco Borromini. Since 1626, it has housed the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and since 1929 is an extraterritorial property of the Holy See. The complex includes a dormitory and chapel as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Mancini (1679–1758)</span> Italian painter (1679–1758)

Francesco Mancini was an Italian painter whose works are known between 1719 and 1756. He was the pupil of Carlo Cignani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pietro Paolo Bencini</span> Italian Baroque composer (c1670–1755)

Pietro Paolo Bencini was an Italian Baroque composer and Kapellmeister. He was the father of Antonio Bencini, who was also known as a composer of sacred works.

Quirino Colombani was an Italian composer, and cellist. He was active in both 17th and 18th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oratory of San Filippo Neri, Bologna</span>

The Oratory of San Filippo Neri in Bologna is a restored late-Baroque religious structure in central Bologna. It is located on Via Manzoni. The Oratory was constructed from the sacristy of the adjacent church of the Madonna di Galliera. This church is now called Chiesa dei Filippini Madonna di Galliera e Filippo Neri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madonna di Galliera, Bologna</span> Church in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

The Madonna di Galliera is a church with a Renaissance facade and Baroque interiors, located on Via Manzoni, in central Bologna, Italy. It stands in front of the Palazzo Ghisilardi Fava. The present name over the portal is the Chiesa di Filippini Madonna di Galliera e Filippo Neri.

<i>Madonna della Vallicella</i> Painting by Peter Paul Rubens

The Madonna della Vallicella is an oil-on-slate painting produced between 1606 and 1608 by Peter Paul Rubens. It is his second confirmed commission in Rome, after his now-lost painting cycle for Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Churches in Palermo</span>

Palermo, main city of Sicily, has a big heritage of churches which ranges from the Arab-Norman-Byzantine style to the Gothic and the Baroque styles. In particular, the list includes the most important churches of the historic centre divided by the four areas of Kalsa, Albergaria, Seralcadi and Loggia.

Alessandro Vittrici was a Roman art collector and Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Alatri (1632–1648) and as governor of Rome from 1647.

References

  1. ↑ Lyons, John D. (2019). Oxford Handbook of the Baroque. Oxford University Press.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Simone, Andrea. Palazzo San Filippo. pp. 13–16.
  3. ↑ Strong, Arthur (August 9, 2013). Sepulchral Relief of a Priest of Bellona.
  4. ↑ Bassuet, Alban (Nov 3, 2011). "New Acoustical Parameters and Visualization Techniques to Analyze the Spatial Distribution of Sound in Music Spaces". Building Acoustics. 18 (3–4): 329–347. doi:10.1260/1351-010X.18.3-4.329. S2CID   55943290.
  5. ↑ Roma City Council. Borromini in Rome. Cosmofilm s.p.a.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.