San Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane
San Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane, also known as San Carlino due to its small size', was designed by Francesco Borromini in 1634 and built by 1646. It was commissioned by the Trinitarian Order for the purpose of ransoming Christians taken in war by Muslims and pirates. Borromini took the opportunity to work on the monastery free of charge in order to launch his solo career. Borromini worked on this commission from 1638-1646. Later on, the tall façade was added in 1677.
What makes this church fascinating is that it literally breaks the typical classical architectural elements. As we take a look at the facade, we see that the pediment and cornice moves in-out-in before us. The undulating walls create a wave motion that pulls us in and out visually, representing movement and rhythm through the architecture. And we see that the columns follow the same undulation approach. The columns are also split in half horizontally; visually separating the church into two levels instead of having continuous colossal columns. And we have seen examples of this in classical architecture as well, where columns are stacked on top of eachother to create an illusion of multiple levels, this creates a scale that is comfortable to the average human on the street. The reason for Borromini’s design was to create movement throughout the entire church while focusing on precision and geometries within geometries. These architectural choices act as a motif to reference God as the ultimate geometer. We know that God is all powerful and all knowing, but what seems to be highlighted and showcased through the architecture is God as the divine Creator and Architect. The precision and perfect geometries highlight God’s ability and character as the ultimate designer, He is a God of order. It reflects how humans were made in the image of God and our ability to create beautiful things to point back to Him. But the main highlight and focus in this monastery is the Holy Spirit. The way we are able to see this is the primary use of white materials such as plaster or stucco. The high ceilings that allow light in through the dome provide a transcendent experience that is sacred. The touches of gold represent the majesty and sovereignty of God as King. Which also reminds me of Isaiah 66:1 that describes God as omnipresent.
As we take a step inside we are greeted by this beautiful oval sanctuary, it is the main space of the church. This is where the Trinitarian monks would worship. Due to the size of the plot being very small compared to other churches, Borromini had to work with thoughtfully arranging the structure as two triangles as the main starting geometries. Inside each triangle is a circle, those two circles touch to make an oval; making it the primary shape of the plan within a diamond geometry. On this end of the diamond is the entrance, where we’re currently standing.
Across us, passing the sanctuary and below the entablature is the altar where a fresco by artist Pierre Mignard is displayed. Above the entablature is a semi circular apse that has coffers with rosettes as the ornamentation of this architectural element. This apse acts as a precursor to the dome because it draws attention to the oval dome representing the trinitarian’s beliefs. We can make this conclusion because the trinitarians believe in the Triune God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The dome is made from stucco, a cheaper material that can be easily carved. The materials in this church are important because it tells part of the story of this masterpiece. It is important to mention that trinitarians used this material because they did not have much money. So this entire church was considered low cost; materials such as brick, stucco, and limestone were most used. This is an interesting fact when comparing Bernini’s Sant'andrea al Quirinale that is down the street. We can see how two great architects were able to create beautiful churches with different budgets.
As we move forward and see what surrounds the sanctuary we see these colossal corinthian columns that are engaged and part of the walls, which helps support the structure. This really elongates the spaces and has a vertical emphasis. The openness and lightness of this space also draws our eyes up to the oval dome where light radiates. Within the dome there are hexagon, octagon, and cross geometries alternating that lead to the oval in the center. On the center of the oval dome there is another oval that contains a triangle inside, within that triangle is a dove, a representation of The Holy Spirit. What's incredibly beautiful about this is that the oval is raised and has windows on the lateral sides. This detail illuminates the dove and entire lantern creating a supernatural experience in this church that brings warmth.
As we head back to the exterior I would like to point your attention to the details of this facade. The facade is very theatrical as it was designed during the baroque period. It almost appears to be very playful because of the interaction it has with the street. The sculptures on the niches create engagement that tells a story to its visitors.
With all these thoughts in mind, we can see that one of the reasons for this church being well known is because of the amount of detail taken into the design. It was a low budgeted church because the trinitarians did not have the money to build a luxurious church, but it still ended up becoming one of the most beautiful churches in Rome due to the rich history and craftsmanship. Ultimately this church shows movement in architecture by breaking architectural rules during that time. The organic curves reflect human form as well as nature, thus creating a more approachable building.
