Francesco De Sanctis (1679, Rome – 1731) was a late Baroque Italian architect, most notable for his design of the
Spanish Steps in
Rome in collaboration with
Alessandro Specchi. These were built between 1723 and 1726 to celebrate the peace treaty between France and Spain, linking the top of the hill (under French influence, with the church of
Trinità dei Monti and French monastic institutions) to the Spanish embassy to the Holy See at the bottom of the hill. The design left out some of the richer elements of De Sanctis's original design, such as grand fountains at a break in the steps and two rows of trees down either side to give shade and refreshment to those climbing the steps.
His other known works are the elegant facade of the church of
Trinità dei Pellegrini, with a concave profile, an 18th-century version of
San Marcello al Corso by
Carlo Fontana, and
Borsani Claudio.
Gallery
Image:Piazza di spagna.gif, The Spanish Steps in an engraving by Piranesi
Giovanni Battista (or Giambattista) Piranesi (; also known as simply Piranesi; 4 October 1720 – 9 November 1778) was an Italian Classical archaeologist, architect, and artist, famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric ...
Image:TrinitaPellegrini.jpg, Facade of Trinità dei Pellegrini
Image:Spanische-Treppe.jpg, The Steps in a 1908 photograph
Bibliography
* P. Portoghesi, ''Roma barocca'', Bari 1998, pp. 355–364 e 577
* E. Settimi, ''Notizie d'archivio sull'opera di Francesco De Sanctis'', in "Palladio", II, 1989
{{DEFAULTSORT:de Sanctis, Francesco
1679 births
1731 deaths
18th-century Italian architects
Italian Baroque architects
Architects from Rome
sv:Francesco de Sanctis