Palazzo Massimi Alle Colonne

PALAZZO MASSIMI ALLE COLONNE

Image by www.metmuseum.edu

Palazzo Massimi alle Colonne represents one of the best build palaces in Rome. The building has had a transition of renovations from the initial building built in 1536. The primary architect employed for the design of the building was Baldassarre Peruzzi. The building makes a representation of the royal Massimo family that dated back in the 999, but the great transformation of the family took place in the 15th century led by the then leader Petrus de Maximis (Putnam & O'Malley 2013). Initially, the building stood at Via di S.Pantaleo, but after the 1527 fire demolition Peruzzi had to redesign it a fresh new layering.

The façade of the building combines stern rustication and great elegance demonstrating one of the best-built palaces during its time. Peruzzi used great expertise in making the façade by embracing curved method, to illustrate the Odeon, which is an ancient Roman theater. The entrance of the palace comprises of a with a six Doric columns central portico. Moreover, the size of the windows varies as per the various levels of the building. For instance, the third floor consists of unique windows with decorated frames. The building interior further comprises of ornamented vestibules and ceiling with coffered and rosettes roofs (Putnam & O'Malley 2013).

Image by www.dartmo.com

 The Interior Design of the building plays a huge part in the buildings significance as well as structural impact. The ground floor consists of two courtyards one being the alle Colonne that gave rise to the name of the building. The alle Colonne is characterized with a portico erected with Doric columns. On the other hand, the entrance hall, which is the first floor comprises of the splendid ceiling with a painting done by the artist D.da Volterra. D.da Volterra is an ancient Italian painter who represented the life of the founder of Massimo family (Putnam & O'Malley 2013).

Image by www.archvision.edu

Moreover, to the left of the old building exists the Palazzo di Pirro, which was elected in 1530 by A.da Sangallo.  The other building adjacent to this includes the Palazzo Istoriato or Palazzetto Massimi. Designed by Peruzzi and Via Della Posta Vecchia

The building further comprises of Sala del Trono, which served for the purposes visiting pope. On the second floor of the building, it houses the life of Paolo Massimo; who was the son of Fabrizio Massimo and Paolo was brought back to life in March 1583, by St Philip Neri. Other tragic events occurred in the palace, which are documented to provide a historical perspective on the building Putnam & O'Malley 2013). For instance, the fifth son of the Lela Massimo killed his second wife. These historical happenings all represent and manifest the structures originality behind its purpose. A lot of its conspiracy and high profile presents of the structure have been questioned for further explanation.

References

Putnam, M. C., & O'Malley, J. (2013). Helen F. North. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 157(2), 255.

"History of Architecture (3,000 BCE - Present) Evolution of Building Design." Architecture, History: Evolution of Building Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.

Colosseum, Rome.

Located just East of the Roman Forum- the iconic symbol of Rome, the Colosseum can be spotted. The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheatre is a massive arena measuring about 620 by 513 feet (190 by 155 meters).

The Colosseum was built in the first century CE under the emperors of the Flavian dynasty: Vaspasian (69-79 CE), Titus (79-81 CE) and construction was then finished under Domitian (81-96 AD). (1) The arena was used to host public entertainment such as gladiator fights, wild animal hunts and public executions from 80 CE to 404 CE. (1)After four centuries of active use, the magnificent arena fell into neglect, and up until the 18th century it was used as a source of building materials for the surrounding buildings. (2)

The construction begun in 72 CE on the location that was once the lake and gardens of the Emperor Nero. For precaution against earthquake damage, the lake was drained and filled with a concrete foundation 6 meters deep. The exterior envelope consists of 80 arched entrances stacked creating 3 stories and organized by order of the columns style- Doric on the bottom, then iconic and on the top Corinthian columns allowing for easy access to 55,000 spectators who would then be seated inside by ranking. Just outside the Coliseum is the Arch of Constantine (Arco di Costantino), a 25m high monument built in AD315 to mark the victory of Constantine over Maxentius at Pons Milvius. (2)

The top floor had Corinthian pilasters and small rectangular windows. There were no less than eighty entrances, seventy-six of these were numbered and tickets were sold for each. Encircling the arena was a wide marble terrace (podium) protected by a wall within which were the prestigious ring-side seats or boxes from where the Emperor and other dignitaries would watch the events. Beyond this area, marble seats were divided into zones: those for richer private citizens, middle class citizens, slaves and foreigners and finally wooden seats and standing room in the flat roofed colonnade on the top tier reserved for women and the poor. On top of this roof platform sailors were employed to manage the large awning (velarium) which protected the spectators from rain or provided shade on hot days. The different levels of seats were accessed by broad staircases with each landing and seat being numbered. The total capacity for the Colosseum was approximately 45,000 seated and 5,000 standing spectators.

One of the oldest depictions of the Colosseum appeared on the coins of Titus and shows three tiers, statues in the upper external arches and the large column fountain which stood nearby. Under the arena floor which is now visable is a maze of small compartment rooms, corridors and animal pens. Damaged by earthquake in 422 CE it was repaired by the emperors Theodosius II and Valentinian III.

Repairs were also made in 467, 472 and 508 CE.  The venue continued to be used for wrestling matches and animal hunts up to the 6th century CE but the building began to show signs of neglect and grass was left to grow in the arena. In the 12th century CE it became a fortress of the Frangipani and Annibaldi families. The great earthquake of 1231 CE caused the collapse of the southwest facade and the Colosseum became a vast source of building material - stones and columns were removed, iron clamps holding blocks together were stolen and statues were melted for lime.

Works Cited: http://www.ancient.eu/Colosseum/

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/colosseum/videos/deconstructing-history-colosseum?cmpid=mrss_int_taboola_video_his

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/flav/hd_flav.htm

http://www.rome.info/colosseum/

The Palazzo Caprini

The Palazzo Caprini was the home of the artist Raphael. Raphael was a famed artist of the time and was very well known for his works. The designer of this building was Donato Bramante. Donato Bramante was an incredibly well known architect of his time. He was able to bring the ancient Roman style of architecture to the High Renaissance. This building became a model for many more palaces of the 16th century. According to Vasari, Bramante had designed the architectural background seen in Raphael’s School of Athens; and so Raphael painted him in as Euclid.

He lived in this building until his death even though he was planning a bigger palazzo for himself to live in. The building underwent a total renovation and became part of a much larger palazzo. Unfortunately, the building does not stand in its original form today. It is destroyed and is no longer possible to see.

"Donato Bramante." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Patrick, James. Renaissance and Reformation. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2007. Print.

S. Maria Maggiore

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore; 'Basilica of Saint Mary Major, or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Papal major basilica and the largest Catholic church in Rome, Italy, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, from which size it receives the appellation "major". The Basilica is located at 34 Piazza del Esquilino, some five blocks southwest of Stazione Termini. The original structure was constructed in the 12th century then later renovated in 1743.

S. Maria Maggiore Basilica has undergone many renovations throughout its long history of use, and is still in use today as it frequently hosts catholic mass. Its original design, by Ferdinando Fuga was classical and traditionally Roman. Margret R. Miles states in her work, “Santa Maria Maggiore's Fifth-Century Mosaics: Triumphal Christianity and the Jews:” ‘Santa Maria Maggiore so closely resembles a second-century imperial basilica that it has sometimes been thought to have been adapted from a basilica for use as a Christian church. Its plan was based on Hellenistic principles stated by Vitruvius at the time of Augustus.
The design of the basilica was a typical one during this time in Rome: a tall and wide nave; an aisle on either side; and a semicircular apse at the end of the nave. What could be noted as slightly out of the norm, but certainly not unusual, is the basilica’s immense area. The original site was home to a previous Basilica. It is uncertain which aspects of the foundation were reused in the design and construction of S. Maria Maggiore.
The interior Athenian marble columns supporting the nave likely come from the first basilica, or from various other Roman building. Fun-fact: when materials of older buildings are salvaged and reused in new buildings(of this time) the salvaged materials can be referred to as spolia.  Of the forty columns, thirty-six are marble and four granite. Many of the columns were pared shortened to make them all identical, and although the interior has undergone many renovations, each appeasing the new styles of each century, the columns along with the entire structural system remains true to the original design. The haphazardly placed campanile is the highest in Rome, at 240 feet, and constructed in the fourteenth century. The campanile’s design is typical example of a Roman Bell tower, and it has not seen any reconstruction in its lifetime. 

At the time of construction, S. Maria Maggiore was nearly at the edge of the populated area of Rome. Yet, today the basilica has surfaced the consequence of a modern city functioning and keeping up with the advances of human progress while living on top of thousand of years of history; the construction of Stazione Termini only a few blocks away has turned the area into a heavily trafficked area and the base of the basilica has become a host to an enormous roundabout

On a final note, Bernini lived very near S. Maria Maggiore, during a portion of his life, and he desired to be buried there. Visitors are told that a staircase inside the bell tower was designed by him, however most art historians do not include it among Bernini's works.

Miles, Margaret Ruth. Rereading Historical Theology Before, During, and after Augustine. Eugene, Or.: Cascade, 2008. Print.Romeartlover. "Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller." S. Maria Maggiore. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Church of the Gesu

The Church of the Gesu is located in the Piazza de Gesu in Rome. This church was actually conceived by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits Society of Jesus. Saint Ignatius was said to have been born of noble origins and become a soldier. During a battle he was hit in the knee with a cannonball and was left crippled. He then devoted his entire life and being to serving Jesus Christ; thus the order of the Jesuits was formed. The Church of Gesu is said to have the first truly baroque facade and helped bring the baroque style into architecture. It has a Latin cross plan with a single aisle, side chapels, and a dome over the crossing of the naive and the transepts.

Michelangelo was actually willing to design the building for free, but was rejected. Instead Cardinal Alessandro farnese funded it and the architects who ended up working on the church were Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Giacomo della Porta. The building was built according to Vignola’s design, and as later taken over by the Jesuit architect Giovanni de Rosis after his death. The revision of Vignola's façade design by della Porta has offered architectural historians opportunities for a close comparison between Vignola's balanced composition in three superimposed planes and Della Porta's dynamically fused tension bound by its strong vertical elements, contrasts that have sharpened architectural historians' perceptions for the last century (Whitman 1970:108)

This church set the precedent for future Jesuit churches leading all the way up to the twentieth century. The ideas for the new design of the church came mostly from the Council of Trent, where it was established a new set of “rules” for architecture in Italy to follow. It called for the simplification of all of the architecture in general.

The interior of the church is even more grand than the outside. The detailing is much more elaborate. On the inside there are many focal points with equally interesting stories. The object that is most prevalent is the largest fresco painting on the ceiling of the naive of the church. The Triumph of the Name of Jesus was completed by Giovanni Battista Gaulli. The first chapel is the Cappella di Sant'Andrea, named after the church that previously occupied the site. In it there were paintings dedicated to Saint Andrew. The paintings were all done by Agostino Ciampelli. The second is the Cappella della Passione with paintings depicting the Passion and six canvases on pilasters. The third chapel, Cappella degli Angeli, has paintings on its ceiling depicting The Coronation of the Virgin.The Saint Francis Xavier Chapel is larger and depicts Francis Xavier being welcome into heaven by angels on a stucco mural.

The Church of the Gesu is one of the most important pieces of history and heritage for the Jesuit order. This church is the foundation to what the Society of Jesus is all about.

"Gesu." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Whitman, Nathan T. Roman Tradition and the Aedicular Façade. N.p.: Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 1970. Print.

Roman Forum

Walking through Rome as a visitor, one would walk beside ruins which may appear to be an area in need of a clean up but the people of Rome and scholars have a great understanding of these ruins and their value which is worth keeping.  The Forum, rich in mythology, history, and architecture, was archaeologically unearthed in the early 20th century and stands today as ancient ruins; some towering to 100 feet tall, others a mere paving surface used by Caesar and Augustus.

The ruins of temples, judicial

buildings, and honorary columns allow for an imaginative understanding of the power and wealth held by the Roman Empire.The Roman Forum Romanum is the central area of Rome where the majority of the Roman civilization developed. The Roman Forum was altered and reconstructed many times over the 1,200 years that it was the epicenter of the Roman civilization. [2]

Challenge

Addressing the problems of seasonal rains and flooding proved more challenging—the valley required a landfill project as well as the construction of a drainage canal to manage standing water. Since the Tiber river tended to leave its banks regularly, the valley was prone to significant flooding, as a low saddle of land known as the Velabrum connects the forum valley to the riverine zone.

As coring studies conducted by Albert J. Ammerman have shown, a deliberate landfill project deposited fill in the forum valley in order to create usable, dry levels during the sixth century B.C.E. Twentieth century excavators, including Giacomo Boni and Einar Gjerstad, revealed important remains of Iron Age burials that pre-dated the establishment of the forum valley as a civic space; in particular the necropolis in the area known as theSepulcretum along the Sacra Via ("Sacred Way," the main sacred processional road of the city) has been extensively studied and published. The investigations of the burials themselves, and the patterns they followed, have allowed archaeologists to understand not only funeral customs but also social dynamics during Rome’s proto-urban phases.This major investment in the creation of civic space and the organization of labor also provides important information about the socio-economic structure of early Rome. [2]

The Roman Mythology

The Roman Forum's birth as the center of the Roman Empire is a complicated story embedded in Roman mythology involving gods and goddesses, death and deceit, and ravaging flood waters. The story starts with the exile of two brothers who were the offspring of the god Mars. The children were ordered to be drowned in the Tiber River by King Amulius for fear that the children would eventually kill him. However, by the will of a powerful god, the river flooded the ancient city and making it impossible for the brother's assassins to carry out the drowning at the main channel of the river. The assassins placed the boys, Romulus and Remus, in a wooden trough along the banks of a flooded marshland near a fig tree, certain that they would be carried down the Tiber River to their death. As the flood waters receded, the trough ran aground and the

boys, now stranded, were nourished by animals. A woodpecker brought bits of food and a she-wolf was found nursing the boys by a local shepherd. The shepherd adopted the two brothers and brought them to his home on the Palatine Hill. Later, Romulus killed his brother and founded the City of Rome at the Roman Forum around 750 BC.[1]

In its early development, The forum was used as an open space for giving speeches and holding gatherings. Later on it was divided into two parts- the Forum proper which became the marketplace and the Comitium which was the area for political holdings. Major development within the Roman Forum continued with construction of four Basilicas during the second century BC. The beginning of the first century BC marked the construction of the Tabularium at the west end of the Forum in the Comitium. The Tabularium provided a monumental western terminus of the Forum with the Basilica Sempronia to the north (future of Basilica Iula) and Basilica Fulvia- Aemilia on the south, created the initial enclosure of the Forum. The monumental building style of the Tabularium marked the beginning of re-thinking the use and organization of the Roman Forum as documented in the building projects by Julius Caesar and Augustus.[1]

Works Cited: http://people.umass.edu/latour/Italy/RomanForum/

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/roman/beginners-guide-rome/a/forum-romanum-the-roman-forum

Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, Rome, 1600s

Image: GoogleMaps

Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza  (University of Rome) is a Roman Catholic church in Rome, built between  1642-1660 by Francesco Borromini. It was built in the Roman Baroque style and is well known to be a masterpiece of its time. It stands and the end of a courtyard at 40 Corso del Rinascimento and is now used by the Archives of the City of Rome.

During the fourteenth century, there was a chapel dedicated to Saint Ivo for the palace of the University of Rome in the cite. When Borromini’s design was commissioned in the seventeenth century, he choose a six-pointed star plan, resembling the Star of David (at the time, it was recognized as the Star of Solomon, symbolizing wisdom). He merged a curved facade of the church with the courtyard of the palace. The corkscrew lantern of the dome was unique and the complex rhythms of the interior have a dazzling geometry to them. The main artwork of the interior is the altarpiece by Pietro da Cortona portraying St. Yves.

The church rises at the end of the Giacomo della Porta courtyard, The façade is concave, molding the church into the courtyard as if completing it. The façade itself looks like a continuation of the courtyard arches besides for minor openings where doors and windows have been placed. Above the façade is a large parapet structure allowing only the higher portions of the church to been seen past the façade.  A key exterior aspect is the top of the church, where the lantern of Sant'Ivo stands  with a spiral shape, topped by a Cross.

The interior of Sant'Ivo is more interesting than the exterior. Borromini was well known for combining  geometrical shapes as well as his pairing of columns in order to facilitate curves. However, in this project, Borromini did not blend the shapes- the church is made up of distinctly different geometries. As seen in the image above, the floor scheme is a triangle with its corners cut off and semi-circles in between the triangle’s three lines. Borromini utilized curves and edges in equal amounts to define the shape of the rotunda. The windows associated with the round sections of the dome are larger than those associated with the edges. Sunlight illuminates the dome through an oculi in the lantern. Borromini had a talisman with the shape of a bee installed in the roof of the lantern as the symbol of the family of Urban VIII Barberini who commissioned the construction of this church.

The aisles of arches surrounding the right and left wings of Sant'Ivo are not halted by the church. The space between the arches and the walls in the aisles still continue past the church’s sides. Each aisle has a single lateral entrance to the church. These side entrances lead to hexagonal rooms; these rooms are connected to the rotunda. Behind the Altar is two more hexagonal rooms with windows aligned on the back.

The inside walls and dome of the rotunda were covered by Borromini with sculptures and motifs. On each section there are columns of stars leading up to an angel’s face with wings. 

Sources: 

1-  Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture: Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

2- http://www.bluffton.edu/homepages/facstaff/sullivanm/italy/rome/stivo/stivo.html

Four Rivers Fountain, Rome, Italy, 1651

Rome’s love affair with fountains goes back to antiquity, meanwhile the city today can boast a collection of public fountains incomparable to any other city in the world. The purpose of the fountains has changed over time, from reflecting the generosity associated with papal families in Baroque Rome to providing a secure source of potable water to the locals before the days of indoor plumbing; now, an aesthetically pleasing public work of art that depicts a historical Roman artifact. Amongst these fountains exists the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, also known as the Four Rivers Fountain located in the Piazza Navona in Rome.

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

In 1648, evidently with the help of his close friend Niccolo Ludovisi, Gian Lorenzo Bernini was commissioned by Pope Innocent X to create a fountain that would surround a gift from the Emperor Caracalla – a slender Egyptian obelisk surmounted by a dove – which was previously erected as a central ornament for the piazza.3 However, it was not planned for Pope Innocent X to designate Bernini as the designer of this project; in fact, it was a competition called on by the Pope requiring the leading architects and artists of the time to showcase their design for the fountain.1 However, per Bernini’s biographer Filippo Baldinucci, Bernini’s close friend Ludovisi fooled the pope into giving Bernini the commission;

"So strong was the sinister influence of the rivals of Bernini on the mind of Innocent X that when he planned to set up in Piazza Navona the great obelisk brought to Rome by the Emperor Caracalla which had been buried for a long time at Capo di Bove for the adornment of a magnificent fountain, the Pope had designs made by the leading architects of Rome without an order for one to Bernini. Prince Niccolò Ludovisi, whose wife was niece to the pope, persuaded Bernini to prepare a model, and arrange for it to be secretly installed in a room in the Palazzo Pamphilj which the Pope had to pass. When the meal was finished, seeing such a noble creation, he stopped almost in ecstasy. Being prince of the keenest judgment and the loftiest ideas, after admiring it, said: "This is a trick ... It will be necessary to employ Bernini in spite of those who do not wish it, for he who desires not to use Bernini's designs, must take care not to see them."2

In Bernini’s design, the four Rivers for the fountain are depicted using four gods representing the four great rivers of the four continents as then recognized by the Renaissance geographers.1 The first was the Ganges River in Asia depicting a nonchalant god looking away from the light of the church symbolizing the spiritual ignorance of the self-indulgent land. He holds an oar to represent the navigability of the river which is quite broad and deep.

God representing the Ganges River in Asia in Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain. 

The second river was the Rio de la Plata (translated from Spanish as River of Silver) in America represented by a god throwing his hands back in surprise symbolizing the newly converted lands beginning to see the light. He rests on a pile of coins to show the riches he possesses and intends on bringing to Europe.

God representing the River of Silver in America in Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain.

The next and third figurine was that of the Nile of Africa depicted by a god with a cloth covering his head as a result of the unknown origin of the river at the time. Symbolically, it also refers to what the Catholic world saw as the dark ignorance of the “pagan” world therefore representing this god never seeing the light of Christianity.

God representing the Nile River in Africa in Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain.

Finally, the Danube River in Europe, depicted to be the most “civilized” and cultured of the figures, is illustrated by a god reaching back and touching a papal crest (which holds the keys of St. Peter)4, since the Danube is the closest of the great rivers to Rome. It symbolizes Europe looking toward and embracing the light of the Lord.

God representing the Danube River in Europe in Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain.

The crest holding the keys to St. Peters being touched
by the god representing the Danube River in Europe.

Throughout Bernini’s previous work, it is known that baroque sculpture emphasizes the idea of pushing the figure to its most dynamic position. By capturing what seems like a snapshot of a figure frozen in a moment of passionate action movement, Bernini was able to accomplish this style of art and architecture. Although Bernini gets all of the credit, the majority of the actual construction was carried out by his assistant. The bodies in the sculpture are built out of marble and surrounded by various types of animals including a sea monster, a horse, a lion, and a combination of other realistic and mystical creatures.3

It is believed that much of the locals disapproved of the sculpture at the time of its construction for various reasons. The main reason being that the fountain was being built and paid for by the public of Rome during the famine of 1646-48. Street vendors from the markets in the piazza also protested the fountain claiming it took away from the beauty of the piazza itself. Eventually, all protesters were either chased from the square or simply arrested.

However, in the present day, the sculpture is looked at, as yet another Bernini masterpiece. The theatrical, evocative, and individuality within the sculpture is the epitome of Baroque; and the work in its entirety influenced and shaped many Italian fountains for the century to come. 

                           

1 "Fountain of Four Rivers (Bernini)." Rome.info: Your Travel Guide to Rome. Rome.info, n.d. Web.

2 Bacchi, Andrea, Catherine Hess, Jennifer Montagu, and Anne-Lise Desmas. "5.10." Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2008. 234. Print.

3 "Fountain of the Four Rivers." Artble. Artble, 07 May 2015. Web.

4 "BERNINI- “Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi” or “Fountain of 4 Rivers”." MaItaly. MaItaly, 24 Feb. 2011. Web.