Saint Charles at the Four Fountains, Baroque church in Monti, Rome, Italy
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, known as San Carlino, is a Baroque church on the Quirinal Hill in Rome. Its facade combines a convex lower order with a concave upper level, and the interior is built on a mixed plan of an elongated Greek cross and an ellipse. The oval dome is coffered with crosses, hexagons and octagons, and the church measures only 66 by 39 feet.
The Trinitarians commissioned Francesco Borromini in 1634; the church rose from 1638 and was dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo in 1646. The undulating facade was begun only in 1664, and at Borromini's death in 1667 it still had no ornament. His nephew Bernardo continued the work from 1670 until 1682, and the statue of Saint Charles was set in its niche in 1680.
Romans call the church San Carlino because its whole area equals one of the four pillars supporting Saint Peter's dome. Inside, elements recur in threes — angels in the pendentives, niches, coffers — a reference to the Trinity the Trinitarian friars served. The church keeps the urn with the body of Blessed Elisabetta Canori Mora.
The church stands at the intersection of Via del Quirinale and Via delle Quattro Fontane, on the corner where the four fountains are set into the walls. The interior measures only about 20 by 12 metres, so a visit takes little time but can feel cramped when a group is present. The entrance is on the convex lower facade; the cloister next door is not normally open to visitors.
The entire church fits within a space the size of one of the four pillars supporting the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica. This remarkable proportion shows how Borromini achieved maximum impact within minimal space.
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