Baroque Art and Architecture Italian

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

  • Galileo was compelled to renounce his belief that the Sun is the center of the universe and that the Earth revolves around it.

  • Biblical texts such as Psalm 93:1, Psalm 96:10, 1 Chronicles 16:30, Psalm 104:5, and Ecclesiastes 1:5 were cited against his views, as they suggest the Earth is stationary.

  • His view that the sun is stationary was condemned as "formally heretical."

  • Galileo was initially sentenced to imprisonment, which was later changed to house arrest.

  • His book "Dialogue" was banned, and he was prohibited from publishing any future works.

  • The formal condemnation stated that the idea of the Sun being the immovable center of the universe was "absurd, philosophically false, and formally heretical" because it contradicted Holy Scriptures.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini

  • Italian artist of the Baroque period.

  • Known for his sculptures and architecture.

David

  • Bernini's "David" (Marble, 1624) contrasted with Donatello's "David" (Bronze, 1430-1440s).

Bernini, Costanza Bonarelli

  • Sculpture created in 1636.

Bernini, Rape of Persephone

  • Marble sculpture created in 1622.

St. Peter’s Basilica and Piazza San Pietro

  • Located in the Vatican, Rome, Italy.

  • St. Peter’s Basilica was constructed from 1506-1663.

  • Piazza San Pietro features a colonnade with 284 Doric columns, arranged four deep and standing 29 feet high.

  • The colonnade is topped with 96 statues of saints, each 15 feet tall.

  • The piazza can accommodate over 250,000 people.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Baldacchino

  • Located at the crossing of Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican, Rome.

  • Created from 1624–1633.

  • Approximately 100 feet in height.

Pantheon

  • Located in Rome, Italy.

  • Built between 118-125 AD.

  • Features the inscription "MAGRIPPALFCOSTERTIVM FECIT".

Vatican Dome Inscription

  • Around the base of the Vatican’s dome are words from Matthew 16:18, in Latin: "Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam mean et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum"

  • In English: "You are 'Rock' and on this rock I will build my Church; to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven."

  • The letters are each two meters tall.

Santa Maria della Vittoria

  • Façade dates from 1605-1620 and is located in Rome, Italy.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

  • Marble sculpture created from 1645-1652.

  • Located in the Cornaro Chapel of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.

Cornaro Chapel Spectators

  • The