07_30_09_Sant’Andrea al Quirinale

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Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale is a Jesuit church that was built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini from 1658-1661. It was commissioned by Cardinal Camillo Pamphilii and is one of the greatest examples of the Baroque era throughout Rome. Bernini himself considered this structure as his only perfect work of art. The church has an elliptical floor plan and an oval dome. A porch leads up to the entrance way of the church and is supported by two columns. On the inside there are four chapels and five niches, one containing the high altar. The altarpiece, made by Borgnone, depicts the Crucifixion of St. Andrew. The interior is made from polychrome marbles and bleach stuccoes. The oval dome that sets on top of the church is decorated with stucco designed by Bernini and completed by Antonio Raggi. The paintings throughout the church also feature the Baroque style. They use darker colors and light while depicting religious experiences. The light in the church comes from the windows above and shines through the oculus of the dome. Bernini himself marveled at the play of light throughout the interior of his church. I chose Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale for my journal entry because it is a perfect example of Baroque art and was one of Bernini’s most excellent masterpieces. Everything in the church, from its architecture to artwork, is Baroque art at its finest. I am very glad I got to experience the architecture that Bernini considered to be his only perfect piece of work.
Shaine Nudel, Survey of Art and Architecture, University of Florida

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Sant’Andrea al Quirinale is the church of the Jesuit seminary on the Quirinal Hill in Rome. It was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Giovanni de’ Rossi over two decades (1658-1678). The site previously hosted a 16th century church, San Andrea a Montecavallo. The new building was commissioned, by Pope Alexander VII and, Cardinal Camillo Pamphilj. It is considered one of the finest examples of Roman Baroque architecture, embedding art into the structure in an often-seamless combination. Bernini considered it his only perfect work. In his late years, his son recalled, he spent hours sitting in the church and looking at the polychrome marbles, the gilded and bleached stuccoes, and the play of light in the interior. Elliptical in shape, with the entrance and high altar on the short axis of the ellipse, Sant’Andrea has a semicircular porch decorated with the arms of its Pamphilj patron. The stucco decoration was designed by Bernini and executed by Antonio Raggi and others between 1661 and 1666, with putti and cherubim beneath the windows. A Martyrdom of Saint Andrew (1668) by Borgognone stands on the high altar. I saw Sant’Andrea al Quirinale without the class. It is actually the first church I went to visit here in Rome. The reason is because my father went to medical school n Rome and he told me all about this church. It was his favorite church and he visited it a lot. So coming here I got strict orders to go visit this church first, only because he loved it so much. So my experience in the church was very special. I really did think the church was beautiful but not my favorite. My favorite part of the church was the amazing altar. That I found very beautiful just like my dad told me.
Maria Falcone, Survey of Art and Architecture, Berkley College