Bernini's Colonnade: A Masterpiece in St. Peter's Square

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Bernini's Colonnade in St. Peter's Square

The Facade

Before discussing Bernini's colonnade, we should note the facade previously designed by Maderno. It features a colossal order of pilasters and semicolumns that embrace the two floors comprising it. They have an entablature and a superimposed attic on a low-rise structure. It is a low but elongated facade, designed so that the dome raised by Michelangelo would remain in sight.

The Colonnade

The colonnade supports an entablature surmounted by a balustrade and a grand decoration of statues. Each of the approximately 140 statues, all depicting saints, was made by Bernini himself and encircles the square.

A Masterpiece of Design

This square is a masterpiece not only for its artistic value but also because Bernini's draft managed to solve many problems:

  • The square needed to host a large number of pilgrims.
  • It was imperative to allow a perfect view of the Pope by the faithful during the Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony of the facade.
  • The project had to take into account the terrain's relief.
  • Easy access to the already built papal palaces was essential.
  • The type of construction chosen had to define the layout of the plaza and close the gap, being high enough to create a separate area yet low enough not to affect the view of the basilica and the windows of the palaces.
  • Another problem was to place the Egyptian obelisk, which Sixtus V had placed in front of the basilica, at the center of the square.

The Elliptical Design

The square is open, with its arms seemingly receiving all the faithful. Two arms open slightly and then form an ellipse, the center of which is the obelisk, assisted by two excellent fountains. In fact, there are two semicircles whose centers are separated by 50 meters.

The Columns

Around the circle, Bernini placed 296 colossal columns of 15 feet, spread over four rows (all Tuscan style with Ionic entablature). They form a forest that seems endless from any point and effectively divide the square from the outside without a break. Bernini intelligently played with the situation to create an optical effect that makes the diameter of the shafts of the columns seem broader.

The Role of the Square

The role of restructuring the Vatican square was to demonstrate the great economic and religious power of Catholicism and to highlight Rome as the center of religion and art. Bernini made this colonnade highly symbolic, and it is no coincidence that the place had so much importance since Baroque art was also present in urban planning. With these reforms, the Vatican basilica became the best place it could have been and performs its functions as a residence of the divine.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598 - 1680) was the genius of the seventeenth century. He practiced all the arts (although almost no paintings have been preserved), even scenography. However, like Michelangelo, he considered himself a sculptor. There is a clear parallel between the two men, two geniuses of two phases. As an architect, he sought greatness, the distribution of masses, and rich interior decoration. His major work as an architect is probably the final reorganization of St. Peter's Basilica. He placed a canopy over the crossing of the church for Urban VII, made of bronze plates and very beautiful, but he is known mainly for the construction of the colonnade of St. Peter's Square.

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