Romeo Da Vignola Research Paper

Giacomo da Vignola & Giacomo della Porta were both Italian architects who helped create the II Gesù mother church. Giacomo da Vignola, also known as Giacomo Barozzi, was born on October 1,1507 in Vignola Italy. He became a major influencer to the Baroque architecture style. From 1541-1543 he worked at the court of Francis I at Fontainebleau in Paris, France. He returned to Italy and built the Palazzo Bocchi at Bologna. In 1551-1555 he built the Villa Giulia for Pope Julius III with Vasari and Ammannati; in 1555 he also did a great amount of work for the Farneses family. In 1572 he built the church of Sta. Anna dei Palafrenieri with an oval dome and ground plan. His development largely influenced 17th-century baroque architecture, in that it
The church was funded and oversaw by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese who chose Vignola as the designer. The Vignola's design utilizes a Latin-Crossed plan with a single aisle. Above, there is a broad nave with a shallow transept, below are coupled corinthian columns with lowered arcades. The arcades are shallow to not distract from the line of entablature and attic decorations toward the altar.4 On either side of the nave there are three interconnected chapels, with two additional chapels on the sides of the apes. The structure is capped off with a dome which sits over the crossing of the nave and the transepts. Above the chapel are windows which allow the light to flood in, especially on the nave. The Corinthian pilasters are placed systematically to control the flow of light to create a dramatic build up to the highly lighted altar. The bay before the dome is slightly smaller and darker then the others. On the nave, Giovanni Battista painted, The Triumph of the Name of Jesus, with fresco.3 Including the mural, all the paintings and sculptures within the church were created in unison for the benefit of
The design which emulated Vignola's existing design, was favored over a more renaissance inspired plan by Galeazzo Alessi. The winning design brought forth a new aedicular composition for facades by making the two stories unequal in width; supposedly representing the elevation of the church. On either side of the entrance were two large orders with a triangular pediment on top of them. To link the high nave with the lower aisle, large volutes which were invented by Alberti, was incorporated into the design. These elements go along with Vignola’s design.While the architectural elements of II Gesù proved to be very innovative, it was carefully planned to be functionally useful specifically for the Jesuit Order.5 The longitudinal design allows for the congregation to feel more communal, while providing appropriate acoustics for preachings. The chapels set to the side were meant for daily masses and individual