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| Colonnades |
The colonnades at St. Peters Square was designed by the
architect Bernini. The colonnades define and enclose St. Peters Square in
Vatican City, Italy. After spending years on the inside of the basilica,
Bernini was offered to design the square.
The colonnades are constructed in the baroque school of
architecture. Baroque architecture in Italy is the equivalent to gothic
architecture in France. Baroque allowed Italian architects to distance
themselves from the strict rules of the Renaissance. Often refereed as
“Architecture for the senses”, Baroque offered a visual complexity not found in
architecture prior to 1600. Baroque architecture blends the of architecture
with art, blurring where architecture ends and decoration begins. [1]
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| St. Peters Square |
Baroque architecture is characterized by fragmented or
discontinued architectural elements, dramatic use of light; an overly artistic,
decorative facade, and the use of trompe l’oeil (optical illusions). The
Baroque style gave architects the opportunity to express themselves creatively.
When designing the colonnades at St. Peters, Bernini wanted
to create a space that allowed as many spectators as possible to view the pope.
The colonnades extend from St. Peters basilica, tapering as they reach the
square before expanding into an ellipse. The colonnades appear arm like, this
represents the maternal arms of the church.
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| Classic Orders |
The colonnades were constructed using Tuscan columns. Four
rows deep. Tuscan order columns are a simplified version of the Doric order.
They were un-fluted columns with a simplified entablature. Not originally in
the Classical Order. The Tuscan order was developed during the Italian
Renaissance as a standardized, formal order.
[1] Roth Leland M. and Amanda C. Roth Clark, Understanding
Architecutre Its Elements, History, and Meaning, Third Edition Westview
Press 2014. P.365
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