Alfonso Torreggiani (1682–1764) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

of the

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

period, principally associated with

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

Life

Torregiani was born in Budrio. An apprentice of

Giuseppe Antonio Torri Giuseppe Antonio Torri (1655 – c. 1713) was an Italian architect of the early 18th century. He was born and died in Bologna, where he was active in a late-Baroque style. His surname is also spelled Tórri. He initially trained with his fat ...

, he became intensely active in the city of

working on the design of churches and private buildings and as a consultant on the organisation and reconstruction of existing buildings: for example, the Church of

Sant'Ignazio la, Ecclesia Sancti Ignatii a Loyola in Campo Martio , image = Sant'Ignazio Church, Rome.jpg , imagesize = 300px , caption = Façade of Sant'Ignazio , mapframe =yes , mapframe-caption ...

, 1726; the interior of the Church of La Maddalena, 1735; the Palazzo Torfanini (then property of the Princes of Este) in the Via Galliera, 1735; continued the construction of the Palazzo Aldrovandi in 1741, the west front of the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

, 1744–52, and the high altar in the Basilica of San Domenico. Torreggiani was named ''prince'' of the Accademia Clementina, and had the patronage of Cardinale Pompeo Aldrovandi and Pope Benedict XIV (Lambertini). For the former he completed a Chapel in the

Basilica of San Petronio The Basilica of San Petronio is a minor basilica and church of the Archdiocese of Bologna located in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy. It dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Petronius of Bol ...

. Among his main collaborators in Bologna were the painter

Vittorio Bigari Vittorio Bigari (1692 – 1776) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque period. Biography He was born in Bologna in 1692. His main biographer was Zanotti. He was initially trained in the art of stucco and sculpture, a pupil of Antonio D ...

(1692-1776) and the sculptor Angelo Piò (1690-1770).Itinerary in Bologna of Torreggiani works
by Licia Giannelli, for the Beni Culturali of Reggio Emilia. His principal clients, besides the nobility and the rising bourgeoisie, were the Bolognese Curia and the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, for whom he built the Novitiate of Sant'Ignazio, now the Pinacoteca Nazionale, of which the Church of Sant' Ignazio (above) was originally part. In addition, the Jesuits of

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

entrusted to Torreggiani the project of the Palazzo degli Studi (1763). Also in Mantua, from 1756, he planned the new Palazzo Cavriani which was built after the collapse of the earlier residence of the ancient Mantuan family. He also designed the Jesuit College in

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

, now the City Museum.

Sources

Website of the Direzione Regionale per i Beni Culturali e Paesagistici della Emilia-Romagna: Alfonso Torreggiani architetto. Edifici civili a Bologna

Website of the Direzione Regionale per i Beni Culturali e Paesagistici della Emilia-Romagna: Alfonso Torreggiani architetto. Edifici religiosi a Bologna

Bibliography

* Foratti, A., 1935: ''Alfonso Torreggiani (1682-1764)'', in "Bologna" n. 5, XIII, Bologna 1935 * Matteucci, A.M., 1969: ''Carlo Francesco Dotti e l'architettura bolognese del Settecento''. Bologna * Matteucci, A.M., 1988: ''Alfonso Torreggiani architetto dei Gesuiti'', in G.P. Brizzi (ed. A.M. Matteucci): ''Dall'isola Alla Città. I Gesuiti a Bologna''. Bologna * Matteucci, A.M., 1988: ''L'architettura del Settecento'', in "Storia dell'Arte Italiana". Turin {{DEFAULTSORT:Torreggiani, Alfonso 1682 births 1764 deaths 18th-century Italian architects People from the Province of Bologna Italian ecclesiastical architects Architects from Bologna