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Adriana Snchez
Prof. Jeffrey Bain-Conkin
Writing and Rhetoric Multimedia
18 November 2014
Borrominis Architectural Innovations of San Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane
Architecture is the most basic and needed form of art out there in the world.
It is defined as, the art or practice of designing and constructing buildings. Greek,
Roman, Egyptian, and others from the ancient world came up with the foundations
of architecture, and they gave us the principles of how buildings structure and
aesthetics work in harmony. In the Baroque Period, Francesco Borromini, Berninis
competitor and opposite persona, became a powerful force in the architecture world
by introducing new aspects to a building. Borromini is described as a secretive and
emotionally unstable genius whose fate ended with suicide after much emotional
turmoil. He represents the climax of Baroque architecture in Rome, and he earned
this fact with his creation of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, or San Carlino. Basically,
every aspect of this church, commissioned by the Trinitarians, gave rise to
Borrominis fame. After 1898, the only alterations made by others on this church
were the floor and marble pavement in addition to some closing of windows.
However, the church retains the same elements Borromini constructed in 1634.
Borrominis architectural innovations of San Carlo ale Quattro Fontane are a balance
of art and intellect. This is seen through his exterior faade, interior space, and
complex floor plan. San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane captures the mathematical

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nature of the classical world while encapsulating the rigorous and emotional spirit
of Baroque drama.
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane was Borrominis first commission as a fully
established architect, and it showed his skills to take a project and work around its
limitations. One such limitation was the limited space offered due to the narrow
street corner and the position adjacent to other buildings. Borrominis execution of
his new innovations as a way to work around obstacles has been imitated
unsuccessfully. So vast in the scope of its innovations, that its effective presence is
felt, a century after its rise, in a thousand buildings of Northern Italy, of Germany
and Austria, of Roe itself; so bold in its defiance of approved architectural norms,
that it has earned, and still incurs, the most exalted praise and the angriest
denunciation. (Steinberg 15) Not only did Borromini intellectually figure out a way
to build this church strategically through its innovations, but also it is the epitome of
Baroque architecture. Baroque art is full of waving emotions, with deep cuts and
grand pieces that evoke passion and vigor. It usually deals with organic shapes
working in motion to create drama and heightened emotion.
Many people regard Borrominis faade as a distortion of classic elements.
However, Borromini incorporated classical elements in a new and inventive way by
composing them on a concave and convex surface. The faade of San Carlo alle
Quattro Fontane was begun in 1665, and two years later Borromini committed
suicide and was unable to finally finish it. The faade was the last component added
to San Carlino finished almost thirty years later following the strict plans of
Borromini. The faade is recalled as merge of architecture and sculpture. In 1680,

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the statues of St. Charles of Borromeo was placed in the main niche of the building;
in 1682, the statues of the founders of the Trinitarian order were inserted because
of their commission. The faade shows major influence of Cortonas Ss. Luca e
Martina, but in San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane the pressures and counter pressures
reach maximum intensity due to the concavity Borromini added. This resulted in a
wave-like faade that undulates inwards and outwards; it mimics natures organic
forms while retaining the structure of classical order. The ceaseless play of concave
and convex surfaces makes the entire structure seem elastic, as if pulled out of
shape by pressures that no previous building could have withstood. (Janson 574)
Even though the faade evokes the mastery of the materials and elements of
the building, the interior space conveys a much better sense of Borrominis careful
planning and detail. The church interior is bathed in light that comes from many
different sources throughout different points. Light coming from the lantern, though
the faades fenestrone, the cardinal points of the dome, and through the octagonal
coffers unifies the space entirely. Borromini strategically made the every
architectural element in the interior white in order for the light to bounce off and
make the space seem larger than the real proportions of the church. The
Trinitarians, the commissioners of San Carlino, believe in the Holy Trinity which
inspired Borromini to carry out a mathematical pattern with the number three
which is present throughout various elements of the church. In this case, the interior
has features that include the mathematical pattern like the three-in-one plan, triple
overlap of columns rhythm, three-tier rendering of the walls, use of illusionism,
elements of decoration, and patterning of the dome. The lateral chapels also were

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rendered with the mathematical pattern to create an illusion of depth in a sly area
by using the concave and convex tendency of the faade. I began by noting that the
central arcs of the lateral chapels are segments of a biangolo, a form that also
established the churchs proportional structure of 1:3. Borromini often used the
ratio when laying out plans. Yet at San Carlino the device was more than a
convenience, for the image of the church evokes the epiphanic vision of the biangolo
as mandorla, a vision embedded in the emblematic structure of the Trinity.
According to the altarpiece painters, Borromeo had this vision of the Trinity, and it
was in honor of these two sacred names that Borromini dedicated his design.
Practical and symbolic geometry interconnect in the staging of devotion to the
Trinity. (Hill 1)
Referring to Borrominis floor plan for San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, many
speculations have arisen as a way to seek the true geometry and planning behind it.
This is mainly due to the fact that Borromini never revealed the explanation and
reasoning behind the floor plan. The head of the Trinitarians of San Carlo wrote,
Nothing similar can be found anywhere in the world. This is attested by the
foreigners who try to produce copies of the plan. We have been asked by the
Germans, Flemings, Frenchmen, Italians, Spaniards and even Indians. (Janson 574)
Twelve different scholars analyzed his floor plan as a means to understand the
complexity and try to interpret it. Cornelius Gurlitt wrote in 1887 that Borrominis
church is an interior oval with axial and lateral niches; in contrast, Josef
Weingartner defined it as an oval contracted in the diagonals. Still based on the oval,
Muoz and Guidi believed in a stretched oval with swelling flanks. Fasolo

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interpreted the design as being three interlocking circle; Brickmann said it is a
lozenge with axial and lateral niches. Nikolaus Pevsner indicated the plan is a
domed greek cross or four tangent ovals. In opposition to Brickmann and Pevsner,
Sedlamyr believed in simplicity in a canted rectangle with four niches. Hempel
introduced the interpenetrating oval and cross, while Wittkower interpreted it as a
lozenge with an undulating perimeter. Portoghesi described the church as an
ovalized domed quatrefoil. All of these theories or explanations have one thing in
common which is that the master plan derived from a primary form. In actuality, the
floor plan is characterized by the interweaving of a three-part counterpoint with
many modifications that Borromini kept secret. Given that the plan expands around
a scaffold of 1:3, while also being composed of regular geometric segments, all of
which must have staging points, it seems reasonable to insist on an initial sequence
of graphic constructionas Borromini himself made clear, however idealized, in his
drawings from the 1660s. (Hill 1)
Many discard Borrominis dome to be an essential part of how intellect and
art prevail in the church, but the dome is the epitome of how Borromini created a
mathematical sequence within the structure and also carving out beauty. The dome
in itself is an ellipsis with a lantern right in the center that is used as the main light
source. Pendentives and arches support this elliptical dome while stucco
ornamentation gives it a prevailing sense of detail in its mold. It is a semi-ellipsoid
shell, overlaid with a stucco coffering of interlocking octagons, crosses, and
hexagons. (Steinberg 219) Some say that Borromini was greatly influenced by a
mosaic design in Santa Costanza in order for him to figure out the three-figure

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pattern. However, this mosaic design is a recurring image in many churches and
architectural renderings at the time. In addition, Borromini witnessed Madernos
coffering work at St. Peters which would have highly influenced Borrominis first
grand scale project, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. Borromini projects it upon an
ellipsoidal surface, so that two opposite principles are reconciled: a honeycomb
pattern, designed to spread in a center less field ruled by coordinates, combines
with a radical system of copular decoration which normally relies on defining ribs to
determine the gradation of coffers. (Steinberg 225) The pattern is basically about
how the figures intertwine and communicate while light from the lantern plays with
the heights and depths of each high relief coffer. High relief means that the coffers or
relief was carved very deep into the surface so the shadows and light give high
contrast. The coffering of San Carlos dome is unlike any other because there are
inscribed, coffered circles within the octagons. In the dome of San Carlo the effect of
the projection is to engage all the tightly meshed cells of the pattern in motion.
(Steinberg 226) As the pattern is set in motion from the dome, the octagons, crosses,
and hexagons can be seen in many aspects of Borrominis plan. In all, the dome of
San Carlo reflects the unity of the structure.
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane is a diminutive church located in a limited
corner in the bustling and historic city of Rome. The primary and only architect
Borromoni had full artistic ingenuity when designing this building due to the fact
that he was working for free. This freedom of choices and design led him to create
architectural innovations that remain unparalleled and unmatched. Although an
emotionally and mentally unstable person, Borromini managed to create a luminous

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space with all the aesthetically pleasing details and elements classical architecture
perpetuates. Borrominis decisions for San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane are a
harmonious balance between art and intellect. This is seen through his creation of a
unique faade, spacious interior, and mathematical floor plan that all pertain to San
Carlino. The church, although small in dimensions, stands for a much larger force of
strength, intellect, artistry, and perseverance.

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Works Cited
Gross Brothers Media. Frank Dabell, Dr. Beth Harris, and Dr. Steven Zucker
"Francesco Borromini, San Carlo, 1638 - 1646." Online video clip. Smart
History, Art History at Khan Academy. YouTube. YouTube, 25 May 2010. Web.
27 Oct. 2014.
This source is a summary of the main points of the architectural elements of
the church though an art history perspective. This helps me have a general and
overall understanding of the building and its plan.
Hill, Michael. Practical and Symbolic Geometry in Borrominis San Carlo alle
Quattro Fontane. Rev. of Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians,
2013, Vol.72(4), pp.555-583. University of California Press. Web.
This source is a deeper analysis of the churchs plan and geometry that
Borromini constructed.
Janson, H.W. History of Art, 6th Edition. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2001. Print.
This source is a general AP Art Hisotry textbook in which it includes
architectural information about the Baroque Period as well as San Carlo Alle Quattro
Fontane.
Mazzotti, Angelo. "What Borromini Might Have Known About Ovals. Ruler and
Compass Constructions - Springer." What Borromini Might Have Known About
Ovals. Ruler and Compass Constructions - Springer. N.p., 01 Aug. 2014. Web. 27
Oct. 2014.
This source deals with the mathematical and analytical study of Borrominis
church.

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Steinberg, Leo. Borrominis San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane: a study in multiple form
and architectural symbolism. New York: Garland Pub. , 1977. Print.