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 The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

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, ...

style.

Biography and works

Born 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 ...

, he was the

godson In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelon ...

Pope Innocent XII Pope Innocent XII ( la, Innocentius XII; it, Innocenzo XII; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700. He ...

, and a member of the notable Alfieri family of

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

ese origin (the well-known

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

Vittorio Alfieri Count Vittorio Alfieri (, also , ; 16 January 17498 October 1803) was an Italian dramatist and poet, considered the "founder of Italian tragedy." He wrote nineteen tragedies, sonnets, satires, and a notable autobiography. Early life Alfieri was b ...

was his nephew). In Rome, Benedetto was educated in mathematics and design by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

; he then moved to Piedmont (living 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 ...

and

Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed t ...

) to practice both as a lawyer and as an architect. He was frequently patronized by

Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia Charles Emmanuel III (27 April 1701 – 20 February 1773) was Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia from 1730 until his death. Biography He was born in Turin to Victor Amadeus II of Savoy and his first wife the French Anne Marie d'Orléans. Hi ...

, who commissioned him with the design of the Royal Theater of Turin; the theatre (which was probably his masterwork) burned down in 1936 and reopened in 1973. He also completed the

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

of the Church of Santa Anna in Asti; designed the Palazzo Ghilini in

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...

; helped complete the façade of the

Vercelli Cathedral Vercelli Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Vercelli, ''Cattedrale di Sant'Eusebio'') is the principal church of the city of Vercelli in Piedmont, Italy, and the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Vercelli. It is dedicated to Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, the fir ...

(1757-1763); aided in the decoration of the interior of the

Basilica of Corpus Domini The Basilica of Corpus Domini () is a Roman Catholic church in Turin, Italy, built to celebrate the "Miracle of the Eucharist" which, according to various sources, occurred in 1453 during the war between the Duchy of Savoy and France. History The e ...

in Turin and the decoration of

Palazzo Chiablese The Palazzo Chiablese is a wing of the Royal Palace of Turin, in Northwest Italy. It was the residence of the Duke of Chablais first and then of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia, and Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa. Today it is home to a cultural collec ...

, adjacent to the Royal Palace in Turin. He also contributed additions and extensive decoration of the

Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi The Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi (Italian: "The hunting residence of Stupinigi") is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in northern Italy, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Built as a royal hunting lodge in the earl ...

. He designed the bell tower of the

Basilica of San Gaudenzio The Basilica of San Gaudenzio is a church in Novara, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is the highest point in the city. It is dedicated to Gaudentius of Novara, first Christian bishop of the city. It was built between 1577 and 1690 following the des ...

Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is ...

. He also completed the neoclassical façade of

Saint Pierre Cathedral Saint Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland is a former Roman Catholic cathedral that was later converted into a Reformed Protestant Church of Geneva church during the Reformation. It is known as the adopted home church of John Calvin, o ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. The King made him ''Count of Sostegno''. He collaborated during his long career with artists such as

Luigi Acquisti Luigi Acquisti (1745–1823) was an Italian sculptor mainly known for his works in the neoclassical style. He was born in Forlì the 29 March 1747 and died in Bologna in 1823. His works are distributed throughout Italy. Among them are reliefs ...

Giovanni Battista Borra Giovanni Battista Borra (27 December 1713 - November 1770) was an Italian architect, engineer and architectural draughtsman. Life Borra was born in Dogliani. Studying under Bernardo Antonio Vittone from 1733 to 1736 (producing 10 plates for his te ...

, and

Emilio Usiglio Emilio Usiglio (18 January 1841 in Parma – 7 July 1910 in Milan) was an Italian composer and conductor. Life and career Usiglio studied music in Parma, first with Giuseppe Barbacini and then with Giovanni Rossi, before continuing his educa ...

among many. He died in Turin.

Sources

Gallery

Novara-Campanile Benedetto Alfieri-DSCF0940.JPG, Belltower Novara Novara-Campanile Benedetto Alfieri- e cupola antonelliana-DSCF0942.JPG, Belltower Novara 0654 - Milano - Palazzo Sormani - Retro - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 5-May-2007.jpg,

Palazzo Sormani Palazzo Sormani (also known as Palazzo Sormani-Andreani or cà Sormana in Milanese dialect) is a historic building of Milan, Italy, and the seat of the central public library of Milan. It is located at number 6 in Corso di Porta Vittoria, in the ...

in Milan Varallo Sesia Sacro Monte di Varallo 024.JPG, Main altar by Alfieri in Sacro Monte di Varallo Chiesa di S.Anna.jpg, Santa Anna, Asti Duomo-facciata.jpg, Duomo of Carignano (1756-1766) Pietro Domenico Oliviero - The Royal Theater in Turin.jpg, Interior of Teatro Regio, painted by

Pietro Domenico Oliviero Pietro is an Italian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Pietro I Candiano (c. 842–887), briefly the 16th Doge of Venice * Pietro Tribuno (died 912), 17th Doge of Venice, from 887 to his death * Pietro II Can ...

Façade de la cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Genève 2009-07-11.jpg, The Neoclassical façade of Saint Pierre Cathedral, Geneva (1752–56) {{DEFAULTSORT:Alfieri, Benedetto 1700 births 1767 deaths Architects from Rome Architects from Turin Italian Baroque architects 18th-century Italian architects