BAROQUE

ARCHITECTUR
E
WHAT IS BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE?
- --- The building style of the Baroque era, begun in late 16thcentury Italy,
that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a
new theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church
and the absolutist state. - It was characterized by
new explorations of form, light and shadow, and dramatic intensity.
 HISTORY OF BAROQUE
• InSpain the term 'Baroque' originally denoted an irregular, oddly-shaped
pearl, whereas in Italy it meant a pedantic, contorted argument of little
dialectic value.
• Instead of straight lines of classicism, curved and broken line appeared.
• Decoration became more important and elaborate, and shapes became more
complex.

HISTORY OR BAROQUE (1550-1790)

 • As the 16th century unfolded, the religious-political and philosophical
certainties which had prevailed during the early (c. 1400-85) and High
(1486-1520) Renaissance periods, began to unravel.
• In 1517, Martin Luther sparked the Protestant Reformation casting
European-wide doubt on the integrity and theology of the Noman
Church. This was the catalyst for several wars involving France, Italy,
Spain and England, and led directly to the Counter-Reformation
movement* launched by Rome, to attract the masses away from
Protestantism.
• For the rest of the century this more dynamic style Was known as
Mannerism (style-ishnessi, and thereafter, Baroque - a term derived from the
Portugese word arocco, meaning 'an irregular pear".
• Baroque architecture and its embellishments were on the one
hand more accessible to the emotions and on the other hand, a visible
statement of the wealth and power of the Church.
• The new style manifested itself in particular in the context of the new religious
orders, like the Theatines and the Jesuits who aimed to improve popular
piety.
• A synthesis of Bernini, Borromini and Cortona's architecture can be seen in
the late Baroque architecture of northern Europe which paved the way for
the more decorative Rococo style.
• In general, Baroque architecture constituted part of the struggle for religious
superiority and for the hearts and minds of worshippers across Europe.
• Michelangelo's late Roman buildings, particularly St. Peter's Basilica, may
be considered precursors to Baroque architecture.
• His pupil Giacomo della Porta continued this work in Rome, particularly in
the faqade of the Jesuit church Il Gesü, which leads directly to the most
important church faqade of the early Baroque, Santa Susanna (1603), by
Carlo Maderno.
• Its facade is "the first truly baroque facade", introducing the baroque style
into architecture.

CHARACTERISTICS OF BAROQUE
ARCHITECTURE:
 • Improving the spiritual impacts of paintings and adornments exhibited
on interior facades by dramatical using of light
• Dramatical drawings adorning walls and ceilings, handling religious
subjects and orienting perception with optical illusions
• Blending of sculptures and paintings
• Ceilings and walls with gold leafs
• Convex and concave facades
• Architectural elements that are unfinished or not completed wittingly
are Baroque period arcchitecture characteristics.

ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS OF BAROQUE

ARCHITECTURE

Baroque architecture often used visual and theatrical effects, designed to

surprise and awe the viewer
 domes were a common feature. Their interiors were often painted
with a sky filled with angels and sculpted sunbeams, suggesting
glory or a vision of heaven.
 Illusionistic Ceiling
Paintings which
includes the techniques
of perspective di sotto
in sù and quadratura,
Baroque and Rococo ar
t in which trompe-l'œil
(French phrase for
'deceive the
eye)', perspective tools
such as foreshortening,
and other spatial effects are
used to create the illusion
of three-dimensional
space on an otherwise two-
dimensional or mostly flat
ceiling surface above the
viewer.
Di sotto in sù (or sotto in
su), which means "seen
 from below" or "from below, upward" in Italian, developed in
late quattrocento Italian Renaissance painting, notably in Andrea
Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi in Mantua and in frescoes by Melozzo
da Forlì.
(Example: Andrea Mantegna, di sotto in sù ceiling fresco in
the Camera degli Sposi of the Ducal palace, Mantua)

- Quadratura refer to the "opening up" of walls through architectural

illusion, the term is most commonly associated with Italian ceiling
painting.

Example: Ceiling of the Jesuit Church, Vienna by Andrea Pozzo (1703)

  grand stairways. Stairways often
occupied a central place and were
used for dramatic effect. winding
upwards in stages, giving changing
views from different levels, serving as a setting for ceremonies.
 cartouche in elaborate forms and sculpted frames break up the
surfaces and add three-dimensional effects to the walls.
 mirrors to give the impression of depth and greater space,
particularly when combined with windows, as in the Hall of
Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.
 chiaroscuro. Use of strong contrasts of darkness and light for
dramatic effect.
 overhead sculpture. Putti or figures on or just below the ceiling,
made of wood (often gilded), plaster or stucco, marble or faux
finishing, giving the impression of floating in the air.
 Solomonic columns, twisted columns which gave an illusion of
motion.
 elliptical or oval spaces, eliminating right angles. Sometimes an
oval nave was surrounded by radiating circular chapels. This was a
distinctive feature of the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy
Helpers of Balthasar Neumann.
TIME PERIODS OF BAROQUE

EARLY BAROQUE (1584-1625)

HIGH BAROQUE (1625-1675)
LATE BAROQUE (1675-1750)

EARLY BAROQUE
• The foremost pioneer of Baroque architecture was Carlo
Maderno, whose masterpiece is the facade of Saint Peter's
Basilica, Vatican City. (Constructed under various
architects throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, Saint Peter's features a mixture of Renaissance
and Baroque components, the facade being one of the
latter.)
• Prior to Maderno, Saint Peter's had featured a central plan
design, upon which various architects had worked
(especially Michelangelo). Maderno converted the
building into a Latin cross basilica by extending the nave,
thus pushing the main entrance of the church forward.
Saint Peter's can therefore be roughly divided into two
• parts: the core (designed largely by Michelangelo) and
the front extension (designed by Maderno). The great
dome of Saint Peter's is also chiefly Michelangelo's work,
though Maderno did adjust its proportions (by stretching
it vertically).
HIGH BAROQUE
• The two foremost names in Baroque architecture are Bernini
and Borromini, both of whom worked primarily in Rome.

• Two masterpieces of Gian Lorenzo Bernini are found at St

Peter's. One is the four-story baldachin that stands over the
high altar.(A baldachin is an indoor canopy over a respected
object, such as an altar or throne.) The other is the curving
colonnades that frame St Peter's Square.
• Bernini's most famous building is likely the small church of
Sant'Andrea al Quirinale ("Saint Andrew's on Quirinal
Hill"). Quirinal hill is one of the "seven hills of Rome".
VIA DI QUIRINALE
• Francesco Borromini was the master of curved-wall
architecture. Though he designed many large buildings,
Borromini's most famous and influential work may be the
small church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane ("Saint
Charles at the Four Fountains"). This building is also found
on Quirinal Hill.
LATE BAROQUE
• The Late Baroque marks the ascent of France as the heart of
Western culture. Baroque art of France (and northern Europe
generally) tends to be restrained, such that it can be
described as a classical-Baroque compromise. The most
distinctive element of French Baroque architecture is the
double-sloped mansard roof (a French innovation).
• The most famous Baroque structures of France are
magnificent chateaux (grand country residences), greatest of
which is the Palace of Versailles. One of the largest
residences on earth, Versailles was built mainly under Louis
XIV, whose patronage of the arts helped propel France to the
crest of Western culture.
• The palace facade admirably illustrates the classical-Baroque
compromise of northern Europe. The walls are characterized
largely by simple planar classicism, although they do contain
such Baroque elements as sculpted busts, a triple
stringcourse, double pilasters, and colossal pilasters.
• Additionally, the mansard roof features a sinuous metal
railing and rich moulding around the dormer windows.
Versailles became Europe's model of palace architecture,
inspiring similarly grand residences throughout the
continent.
 GERMAN
BAROQUE
ARCHITECTURE
WETENBERG ABBEY CHURCH
it is situated on a peninsula in the Danube, on the so-called
"Wetenberg Narrows" or the "Danube Gorge". The monastery,
founded by Irish or Scottish monks in about 620, is held to be the
oldest monastery in Bavaria.
 WEINGARTEN ABBEY CHURCH

Is a Benedictine monastery
on the Martinsberg (St.
Martin's Mount) in
Weingarten near Ravensburg
in Baden
Württemberg (Germany).
 • This church have rich decoration and interior.
• Coffered dome is use in abbey church.
• Coffered roof make dome high.

Buildinq
The current church was built between 1715 and
1724 in the Italian-German Baroque style
according to plans by Franz Beer. The church is
the second largest church in Germany, and is
the largest Baroque church in Germany. The
102 meter long church is known as the
"Swabian St. Peter's" since this church is
almost exactly onehalf the size of St. Peter's
Basilica in Rome.
INFLUENCIAL ARCHITECTS OF IN BAROQUE
ARCHITECTURE

Carlo Maderno (Maderna) (1556 – 30 January 1629)

- an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino
- one of the fathers of Baroque architecture.
- His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica and Sant'Andrea della Valle were of key importance in
the evolution of the Italian Baroque

Giacomo della Porta (1532–1602) - an Italian architect and sculptor, - He was born at Porlezza,
Lombardy and died in Rome. - who worked on many important buildings in Rome, including St. Peter's
Basilica.
Pietro da Cortona (1 November 1597 – 16 May 1669)
- an Italian Baroque painter and architect.
- he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture.
- He was also an important designer of interior decorations

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680)

- an Italian sculptor and architect.
- was a child prodigy, was named as the chief Papal architect for Pope Urban VIII who later became the
most significant figure of Baroque style.
- Bernini created not only Baroque buildings, but also Baroque interiors, squares and fountains,
transforming the center of Rome into an enormous theater
- He was trusted with many mega-projects by Urban, including St. Peter’s Square, Fontana dei Quattro
Fiumi, and Fontana della Barcaccia

Francesco Borromini ( 25 September 1599 – 2 August 1667),

- an Italian architect born in the modern Swiss canton of Ticino
- was a leading figure in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture
Jacques Lemercier (c. 1585 in Pontoise – 13 January 1654 in Paris)
- a French architect and engineer, one of the influential trio that included Louis Le Vau and François
Mansart who formed the classicizing French Baroque manner,
- He draws from French traditions of the previous century and current Roman practice the fresh,
essentially French synthesis associated with Cardinal Richelieu and Louis XIII

François Mansart (23 January 1598 – 23 September 1666)

- was a French architect credited with introducing classicism into Baroque architecture of France
Louis Le Vau (1612 – 11 October 1670)
- a French Baroque architect, who worked for Louis XIV of France.
- He was an architect that helped develop the French Classical style in the 17th Century.