Francesco Maria Richini (also spelled Ricchini) (9 February 1584 – 24 April 1658) was an Italian Baroque architect.

Biography

He was born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

and trained under Lorenzo Binago. He was patronized by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan. After a stint in Rome, he became ''capomastro ''under the main architect 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 denominations ...

of the city, Aurelio Trezzi, in 1605. He was elevated to the latter's position himself from 1631 to 1638. Like his famous elder cousin,

Carlo Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...

, author of a guide to religious architecture, Federico Borromeo promulgated classical or antique models. In Richini he found a deviation to the Baroque, as exemplified by his churches of Santa Maria alla Porta and of San Giuseppe. This small church in central Milan (consecrated 1616) has a highly decorated facade (finished 1630) with volutes. The interior is two

Bramante Donato Bramante ( , , ; 1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance st ...

-inspired squares. He also worked on the palazzos of Brera (1627–1628), Annoni (1631), Litta (1642–1648), and Durini (1648). He contributed to the design of the courtyard of the Ospedale Maggiore (1625–1649), in collaboration with Giovan Battista Messina, Fabio Mangone and

Giovanni Battista Crespi Giovanni Battista Crespi (23 December 1573 – 23 October 1632), called Il Cerano, was an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect. Biography He was born in Romagnano Sesia, the son of a painter, Raffaele Crespi, and moved to Cerano with his f ...

. He also designed the concave facade for the Collegio Elvetico, and also for the Collegio Borromeo in

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the ...

and the Ducal Palace of the

Certosa di Pavia The Certosa di Pavia is a monastery and complex in Lombardy, Northern Italy, situated near a small town of the same name in the Province of Pavia, north of Pavia. Built in 1396–1495, it was once located on the border of a large hun ...

(1625). He helped in the construction of

Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia is a church in Milan, Italy. History The original church was built by the Barnabite order in the 9th century, on the ruins of the Pretorium which tradition holds was the prison that held the martyred Sant'Alessandro. ...

in Milan. He designed the "Altar of Our Lady of the Assumption" in the Como Cathedral, a work that lasted several decades and was completed in 1686. Como 037

His son, Gian Domenico, was also an architect. Richini is said to have been an early influence of

Francesco Borromini Francesco Borromini (, ), byname of Francesco Castelli (; 25 September 1599 – 2 August 1667), was an Italian architect born in the modern Swiss canton of Ticino

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richini, Francesco Maria 1584 births 1658 deaths Italian Baroque architects 17th-century Italian architects Architects from Milan