San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane--page 3 (of four pages)

Borromini
1665-76





An oval plan

This site was quite small so Borromini could not design a normal Greek cross with four equal arms. Instead the plan is a combination oval and Greek cross with walls undulating and niches suggesting deeper space. (The coffering above the niches is optically varied to fool the eye into thinking the niches are deeper. See below.)


View toward the entrance

 

The main altar with perspectively altered coffering

 

Architectural/Sculptural details adjacent to the main altar

 


Continue to page 4--additional interior details and the shallow oval dome.

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© 2006 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.