S. Ivo della Sapienza, Rome
The city of Rome is famous for its 17th-century Baroque architecture, and no Roman Baroque architect was more imaginative and original than Francesco Borromini. Moody and cantankerous as a person—he ultimately committed suicide—Borromini was one of the great loners of architectural history. But he was a loner of the highest genius.
Building on the architectural legacy of his revered predecessor Michelangelo, he employed the classical vocabulary of the High Renaissance to create a new Baroque architectural language that was uniquely inventive, deeply personal, instantly recognizable, and in its special way incomparably beautiful.
In a richly illustrated program, independent scholar and Rome expert George Sullivan examines Borromini’s architecture in detail, discussing all five of his major commissions in the city. He gives special focus to two of Borromini’s greatest works, the tiny gem-like churches of S. Ivo della Sapienza and S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, which jointly receive an in-depth visual analysis that describes and explains exactly what makes his buildings so exceptional.
Sullivan is the author of Not Built in a Day: Exploring the Architecture of Rome.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit
