I have arrived in Rome! I am here on a Fulbright Fellowship and will be conducting research for my dissertation in art history, "The Sala Bologna in the Vatican Palace: Art and Astronomy in Counter-Reformation Rome."
I have been to Rome several times before, first on a study-abroad trip as an undergrad with the University of Washington in 2003, and later as a grad student on various research trips. One of the first things I wanted to do upon my arrival this time was visit one of my favorite churches, Sant'Agnese. The exterior of this church has been under restoration during several of my previous visits, so I was thrilled to see it finally reopened.
In 1652 Pope Innocent X commissioned this church as a private chapel for his family. Adjacent to the Pamphilj palace (now the Brazilian embassy), it sits on the perimeter of Piazza Navona directly behind Bernini's fountain of the Four Rivers. Although the interior is rather small, the exterior is imposing and grand, and serves as a propagandistic statement of the papal family's power. It was therefore as much a public and civic monument as a private place of worship.
Typical of Borromini's style, the front of the façade is curved and emphasizes the central door. It is said that the exterior accomplishes what the façade of St. Peter's ultimately did not, with its bell towers on either end and a dome visible from any vantage point.
The small interior is typical of the late-Baroque, with multi-colored marble and gilding as far as the eye can see, but what makes the inside unique are the five marble altarpieces carved in relief. I have never really been a fan of these sculptures before, as they are always photographed straight on, and therefore their three-dimensionality is lost in reproduction. When seen in person, however, the sculpted figures seemingly invade the viewer's space and reach out with an invitation to participate in the miraculous events.
Exterior in the late afternoon sun
Detail of the façade showing its three-dimensionality
High altar
Detail of one of the five sculpted altars
Detail of one of the five sculpted altars
Detail of the central dome
I have been to Rome several times before, first on a study-abroad trip as an undergrad with the University of Washington in 2003, and later as a grad student on various research trips. One of the first things I wanted to do upon my arrival this time was visit one of my favorite churches, Sant'Agnese. The exterior of this church has been under restoration during several of my previous visits, so I was thrilled to see it finally reopened.
In 1652 Pope Innocent X commissioned this church as a private chapel for his family. Adjacent to the Pamphilj palace (now the Brazilian embassy), it sits on the perimeter of Piazza Navona directly behind Bernini's fountain of the Four Rivers. Although the interior is rather small, the exterior is imposing and grand, and serves as a propagandistic statement of the papal family's power. It was therefore as much a public and civic monument as a private place of worship.
Typical of Borromini's style, the front of the façade is curved and emphasizes the central door. It is said that the exterior accomplishes what the façade of St. Peter's ultimately did not, with its bell towers on either end and a dome visible from any vantage point.
The small interior is typical of the late-Baroque, with multi-colored marble and gilding as far as the eye can see, but what makes the inside unique are the five marble altarpieces carved in relief. I have never really been a fan of these sculptures before, as they are always photographed straight on, and therefore their three-dimensionality is lost in reproduction. When seen in person, however, the sculpted figures seemingly invade the viewer's space and reach out with an invitation to participate in the miraculous events.
Exterior in the late afternoon sun
Detail of the façade showing its three-dimensionality
High altar
Detail of one of the five sculpted altars
Detail of one of the five sculpted altars
Detail of the central dome
3 comments:
Keep the pics coming. This is fabulous help for exam study. :)
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