![Francesco Sabatini hacia 1790](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Francesco_Sabatini_hacia_1790.jpg)
Gioacchino Toesca e Ricci (1745–1799; known as Joaquín Toesca in the
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
) 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 ...
who worked at the service of the Spanish Empire, mainly in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. He was mainly a
Neoclassical architect although he also built
Baroque buildings.
Biography
Gioacchino Toesca was born in 1745 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 studied architecture as a student of
Francesco Sabatini
Francesco Sabatini (1721 – 19 February 1797), also known as Francisco Sabatini, was an Italian architect of the 18th century who worked in Spain.
Biography
Born in Palermo, he studied architecture in Rome. His first contacts with the Spa ...
and at the age of 15, he moved to Madrid and later completed his studies in mathematics in Barcelona.
Chilean architecture
![Elevacion de la Real Casa de Moneda en Santiago de Chile, por Toesca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Elevacion_de_la_Real_Casa_de_Moneda_en_Santiago_de_Chile%2C_por_Toesca.jpg)
In 1780 he traveled to South America, to Santiago in the colonial
Captaincy General of Chile
The Captaincy General of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ) or Governorate of Chile (known colloquially and unofficially as the Kingdom of Chile), was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1817 that was, for most of its existenc ...
at the request of the
Royal Governor Agustín de Jáuregui
Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa (May 17, 1708/1711 – April 29, 1784) was a Spanish politician and soldier who served as governor of Chile (1772–80) and viceroy of Peru (1780–84).
Early life
Jáuregui was born in Lecároz, the son of Matías ...
and the
Archbishop Santiago Manuel de Alday y Aspée, who engaged him to design the
''Catedral de Santiago de Chile'' (present day Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral).
In addition to this project he was also occupied in developing the plans for the ''
Palacio de la Moneda
Palacio de La Moneda (, ''Palace of the Mint''), or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secre ...
'' to house the royal
mint
MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...
, which later became Chile's presidential palace.
Toesca died in 1799 and did not live to see his two major projects, the Cathedral and the Palacio, completed. However, he did finish a number of other smaller works, including the (city hall) of the Santiago
''Cabildo'', the
San Juan de Dios Hospital, and the (
levees) which would prove crucial in protecting the city from the floods of the
Mapocho River
The River Mapocho ( es, Río Mapocho) ( Mapudungun: ''Mapu chuco'', "water that penetrates the land") is a river in Chile. It flows from its source in the Andes mountains onto the west and divides Chile's capital Santiago in two.
Course
The Mapo ...
. He also worked on the construction of the
Santo Domingo Church, Santiago. His designs were generally in the
neoclassical style
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...
of the period. His creative influence on Santiago—directly and through his many students—is notable.
References
External links
Memoria.chilena: El arquitecto Joaquín Toesca (1752–1799) – biography (''in Spanish'')
– (''in Spanish'')
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toesca, Joaquin
Architects from Rome
Neoclassical architects
People of the Spanish colonial Americas
1745 births
1799 deaths
18th-century Chilean people
Italian neoclassical architects
Italian emigrants to Chile