All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it.
Notes:
Page revised in October 2020.
All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it.
Notes:
Page revised in October 2020.
The skyline of Rome is characterized by a large number of domes. The Ancient Romans made use of vaults especially for covering the halls of their baths. The vault of the calidarium (hot room) of Terme di Caracalla was supported by four gigantic pillars: it was studied in depth in the XVth century by Early Renaissance architects as it provided a model for vaults (of churches) to be built at the crossing of the nave with the transept. Terme di Diocleziano had several round buildings covered by vaults, one of which still exists (S. Bernardo alle Terme). Tempio di Ercole Callaico was another ancient vault which was studied in the XVth century.
(left) Pantheon; (right) S. Teodoro
The most celebrated Roman dome was however the Pantheon, the design of which was echoed in many Renaissance buildings, in particular by Antonio Palladio. The study and the actual building of various forms of domes became quite intense in the first half of the XVth century in northern Italy and in Tuscany, but not in Rome, where the authority of the Pope was challenged by the local factions. San Teodoro, the first dome built in Rome after many centuries, was designed in 1453 by Bernardo Rossellino.
Sixtus IV was the first pope who embarked on a large
program of public works. Santa Maria del Popolo was built during his pontificate by the
association of the Lombards in Rome and its dome, most likely designed by Andrea Bregno, takes after models of Lombardy (the picture shows
also the dome of Cappella Cybo built by Carlo Fontana in 1687).
Santa Maria della Pace was initiated under Sixtus IV, but the dome
was built in the XVIth century between 1520 and 1525 and it shows the three main elements of a dome: the drum, the vault and the lantern.
At this time Rome already had one of the finest domes, a model for all the architects, a round chapel built by Donato Bramante in 1502 in San Pietro in Montorio.
(left) S. Maria di Loreto; (right) SS. Nome di Maria
The building of S. Maria di Loreto took place over a 60 year span. It was originally designed by Donato Bramante in 1507, but very little was built for many years. In 1534
Antonio da Sangallo the Younger completed the lower, cube-shaped part, which was covered by a temporary roof. The dome was designed in
1573 by Jacopo del Duca, a scholar of Michelangelo, who designed also the little bell tower. The elaborated lantern inspired many Baroque architects including Francesco Borromini.
In the XVIIIth century a church, SS. Nome di Maria, was built next to S. Maria di Loreto and its architect, Antoine Dérizet,
designed a dome very similar to that of S. Maria di Loreto, thus creating another couple of domes. Other couples existing at the time were: Santa Maria dei Miracoli and
Santa Maria in Montesanto (which are shown in the image used as background for this page); the two chapels added to
Santa Maria Maggiore; Sant'Andrea della Valle and San Carlo ai Catinari.
(left) Madonna dei Monti; (right) il Gesù
The greatest achievement of Giacomo della Porta is with no doubt the completion of the dome of S. Pietro in 1590. Prior to that he designed the domes of Madonna dei Monti and of Chiesa del Gesù. Both churches have a Latin cross shape and the domes can only be seen by moving to the side of the church or from higher ground (many pictures in this page were taken from the top terrace of Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II).
(left to right) S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini, S. Andrea della Valle and S. Carlo ai Catinari
In the early XVIIth century the vertical development of the domes was increased in an attempt to improve their visibility. The dome of S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini, by Carlo Maderno (1614) ended up by being called Confetto succhiato (sucked comfit) because of its shape. Carlo Maderno also designed the second largest dome of modern Rome, that of S. Andrea della Valle (1622). The size and the shape of this dome are very similar to that of S. Carlo ai Catinari designed in 1620 by the monk Rosato Rosati. Because the two domes are not so far away, they form a couple (and add to the feminine side of the Roman skyline).
(left) SS. Luca e Martina; (right) S. Carlo al Corso
The only dome designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Rome was the elliptical dome of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale. The domes designed by Francesco Borromini in San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza and Sant'Andrea delle Fratte all departed from the generally accepted dome structure. Pietro da Cortona who was both a painter and an architect designed two more traditional domes: SS. Luca e Martina in 1644 and S. Carlo al Corso in 1668. The two lanterns in particular are very similar.
Francesco Borromini designed the dome of S. Agnese in Agone, but Carlo Rainaldi who took over from him in 1657 reduced by one fifth the height of the vault. Notwithstanding this the vertical drive of the dome is such that S. Agnese with its two high bell towers can be considered the final stage of the Baroque model of church.
Name | Location - (Rione) | Notes | |
Chiesa del | Bambin Gesù | I-Monti | Hardly visible from the street |
Chiesa del | Gesù | IX-Pigna | Shown above |
Chiesa della | Maddalena | III-Colonna | Not visible from the street |
Chiesa della | Madonna dei Monti | I-Monti | Shown above |
Chiesa del | Nome di Maria | I-Monti | Shown above |
Chiesa | Nuova (S. Maria di Vallicella) | VI-Parione | - |
Chiesa di | San Bernardo alle Terme | I-Monti | - |
Chiesa di | San Carlo ai Catinari | VIII-S. Eustachio | Shown above |
Chiesa di | San Carlo al Corso | IV-C. Marzio | Shown above |
Chiesa di | San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane | I-Monti | - |
Chiesa di | San Giacomo in Augusta | IV-C. Marzio | Hardly visible from the street |
Chiesa di | San Giovanni dei Fiorentini | V-Ponte | Shown above |
Chiesa di | San Giovanni della Malva | XIII-Trastevere | An 1846 addition |
Chiesa di | San Giovanni in Fonte | I-Monti | - |
Chiesa di | San Giovanni in Oleo | X-Campitelli | - |
Chiesa di | San Nicola da Tolentino | II-Trevi | Hardly visible from the street |
Chiesa di | San Nicola dei Lorenesi | VI-Parione | Not visible from the street |
Chiesa di | San Paolo alla Regola | VII-Regola | Hardly visible from the street |
Chiesa di | San Patrizio (e Isidoro) | III-Colonna | Hardly visible from the street |
Tempietto di | San Pietro in Montorio | XIII-Trastevere | - |
Chiesa di | San Pietro in Vaticano | XIV-Borgo | - |
Chiesa di | San Rocco | IV-C. Marzio | - |
Chiesa di | San Salvatore in Lauro | V-Ponte | Visible from Castel Sant'Angelo |
Chiesa di | San Silvestro al Quirinale | II-Trevi | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Costanza | N.A. | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Dorotea | XIII-Trastevere | The dome is visible in the View |
Chiesa di | Sant'Agnese in Agone | VI-Parione | Shown above |
Chiesa di | Sant'Agostino | VI-Parione | Covered by an ordinary roof |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria della Rotonda | VIII-S. Eustachio | The Pantheon (shown above) |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria dei Miracoli | IV-C. Marzio | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria della Conc.ne | IV-C. Marzio | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria della Pace | V-Ponte | Shown above |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria della Quercia | VII-Regola | Not visible from the street |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria della Scala | XIII-Trastevere | Covered by an ordinary roof |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria della Vittoria | II-Trevi | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte | VII-Regola | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria del Pianto | VII-Regola | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria del Popolo | IV-C. Marzio | Shown above |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria del Rosario | N.A. | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria di Loreto | I-Monti | Shown above |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria in Aquiro | III-Colonna | Not visible from the street |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria in Campitelli | X-Campitelli | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria in Montesanto | IV-C. Marzio | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria in Traspontina | XIV-Borgo | Hardly visible from the street |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria in Vallicella | VI-Parione | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria Maggiore | I-Monti | - |
Chiesa di | Santa Maria Scala Coeli | N.A. | - |
Chiesa di | Sant'Ambrogio della Massima | XI-Sant'Angelo | Not visible from the street |
Chiesa di | Sant'Andrea dei Gesuiti al Quirinale | I-Monti | - |
Chiesa di | Sant'Andrea della Valle | VIII-S. Eustachio | Shown above |
Chiesa di | Sant'Andrea delle Fratte | III-Colonna | - |
Tempio di | Sant'Andrea sulla Via Flaminia | N.A. | - |
Chiesa di | Sant'Anna dei Palafrenieri | XIV-Borgo | - |
Chiesa di | Sant'Antonio de' Portoghesi | IV-C. Marzio | Shown below |
Chiesa di | Sant'Apollinare | VI-Parione | Not visible from the street |
Chiesa di | Santa Pudenziana | I-Monti | Shown below |
Chiesa di | Sant'Eligio degli Orefici | VII-Regola | - |
Chiesa di | San Teodoro | X-Campitelli | Shown above |
Chiesa dei | Santi Celso e Giuliano | V-Ponte | Covered by an ordinary roof |
Chiesa dei | Santi Claudio e Andrea | II-Trevi | - |
Chiesa dei | Santi Giovanni e Paolo | X-Campitelli | The dome covers a chapel |
Chiesa di | Sant'Ignazio di Loyola | IX-Pigna | Painted dome in the interior |
Chiesa dei | Santi Luca e Martina | X-Campitelli | Shown above |
Chiesa di | Sant'Isidoro (e Patrizio) | III-Colonna | Hardly visible from the street |
Chiesa dei | Santi Pietro e Marcellino | I-Monti | - |
Chiesa di | Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza | VIII-S. Eustachio | - |
Chiesa di | Sant'Omobono | X-Campitelli | Shown below |
Chiesa di | Santo Stefano Rotondo | I-Monti | - |
Chiesa della | Trinità degli Spagnoli | IV-C. Marzio | Not visible from the street |
Chiesa della | Trinità dei Pellegrini | VII-Regola | - |
- | Tempio Maggiore (Sinagoga) | XII-Ripa | - |
a) S. Antonio dei Portoghesi; b) S. Omobono; c) S. Pudenziana