Amedeo Cognengo di Castellamonte (1618 – 17 September 1683) was an Italian architect, civil and military engineer.

Biography

He was born in

Castellamonte Castellamonte is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. It is located in the Canavese, at the feet of a hill surmounted by a 14th-century castle, hence the nam ...

(in what is now the

province of Turin The former Province of Turin ( it, Provincia di Torino; pms, Provinsa ëd Turin; french: Province de Turin) was a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Turin. The province existed until 31 December 2014, when it wa ...

, then in the

Duchy of Savoy The Duchy of Savoy ( it, Ducato di Savoia; french: Duché de Savoie) was a country in Western Europe that existed from 1416. It was created when Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, raised the County of Savoy into a duchy for Amadeus VIII. The duc ...

). His father Carlo became chief architect of Duke

Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy Charles Emmanuel I ( it, Carlo Emanuele di Savoia; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630. He was nicknamed (, in context "the Hot-Headed") for his rashness and military aggression. Bein ...

in 1615. After graduating in law in the

University of Turin The University of Turin (Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Torino'', UNITO) is a public research university in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is one of the oldest universities in Europe and continues to play an impo ...

and continuing his studies in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Amedeo begun to work alongside his father, whose works later he continued thanks to his significant talent in

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

and architecture. In 1646 he continued works at the Ducal (now Royal) Palace in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, finishing (1658) the facade and the central body flanked by two raised ones, and the relative connection with the castle square. Later Amedeo was commissioned to create a new plan of for the city's expansions, after the one led by his father in 1620. As in the latter's, he kept the original Roman's

centuriation Centuriation (in Latin ''centuriatio'' or, more usually, ''limitatio''), also known as Roman grid, was a method of land measurement used by the Romans. In many cases land divisions based on the survey formed a field system, often referred to in mode ...

, but also kept the oblique course of the "Borgo Po" (modern Via Po) leading to the then only existing bridge on the

Po River The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...

Chieri Chieri (; pms, Cher) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont (Italy), located about southeast of Turin, by rail and by road. It borders the following municipalities: Baldissero Torinese, Pavarolo, Montaldo Torine ...

. In the same streets, he added porticoes and terraces forming an uninterrupted, 1,250 m-long path from the Royal Palace to the Po. The new street was opened in 1674. He also designed the Piazza Carlo Emanuele II, connected to Via Po by a new street, what is now Via Accademia Albertina. However, as works dragged on most of Castellamonte's designs were not followed exactly, like in the Piazza Carlo Emanuele II which did not receive an octagonal plan as in his design. Castellamonte was also entrusted the works of the

Reggia di Venaria The Palace of Venaria (Italian: Reggia di Venaria Reale) is a former royal residence and gardens located in Venaria Reale, near Turin in the Piedmont region in northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, included in t ...

(Charles Emmanuel's II new large hunting residence, begun in 1658) and the ''Cavallerizza Reale'' (Royal Stables), built from the late 17th century and continued, among the others, by

Filippo Juvarra Filippo is an Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English name Philip, from the Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "amante dei cavalli".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Philip" Retrieved on 23 January 2016. The female variant is Filip ...

and

Benedetto Alfieri 180px, Benedetto Alfieri from the treatise of "Leben des Vittorio Alfieri" Benedetto Innocenzo Alfieri (8 June 1699 - 9 December 1767) was an Italian architect, a representative of the late-Baroque or Rococo style. Biography and works Born in R ...

. He also continued and completed his father's works at the

Castello del Valentino The Valentino Castle ( it, Castello del Valentino) is a historic building in the northwestern Italian city of Turin. It is located in Parco del Valentino, and is the seat of the Architecture Faculty of the Polytechnic University of Turin. It is on ...

and intervened in the churches of San Salvario and San Francesco di Paola, the

Castle of Rivoli The Castle of Rivoli is a former Residence of the Royal House of Savoy in Rivoli ( Metropolitan City of Turin, Italy). It is currently home to the Castello di Rivoli – Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, the museum of contemporary art of Turin. In 19 ...

and (according to some sources) the

Villa della Regina The Villa della Regina is a palace in the city of Turin, Piedmont, Italy. It was originally built by the House of Savoy in the 17th century. In 1997, it was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list along with 13 other residences of the Hou ...

. In 1646 he designed the church of Sant'Elena at

Villafranca d'Asti Villafranca d'Asti is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about west of Asti. The town was founded by the commune of Asti in 1275. It is home to the church of S ...

followed in 1654 by the church of Santi Bernardino e Brigida at Lucenta and, finally, the Chapel of the

Shroud Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to '' burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous S ...

in Turin, which later was totally modified by Guarino Guarini. He also built numerous fortifications and stage-settings for court celebrations, and worked in private noble palaces such as Palazzo Lascaris. He did various works for

Princess Luisa Cristina of Savoy Princess Luisa Cristina of Savoy (27 July 1629 – 12 May 1692) was a Princess of Savoy by birth and the eldest daughter of Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy. She married her uncle Prince Maurice of Savoy but had no children. She was the owner ...

, sister of

Charles Emmanuel II Charles Emmanuel II ( it, Carlo Emanuele II di Savoia); 20 June 1634 – 12 June 1675) was Duke of Savoy from 1638 to 1675 and under regency of his mother Christine of France until 1648. He was also Marquis of Saluzzo, Count of Aosta, Geneva, M ...

References

External links

Biography at Venaria Palace website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castellamonte, Amedeo 1610 births 1683 deaths People from Castellamonte 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Architects from Turin Italian military engineers 17th-century Italian architects