Aristide Leonori (28 July 1856 – 30 July 1928) was an Italian architect and engineer. He worked mostly on religious buildings in Italy, the United States, and Africa, in a variety of styles.

Biography

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 ...

, the eldest of twelve children of Rafael and Anna Ianari Leonori, After graduating from high school, he attended architecture courses at the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its fi ...

, studying under

Virginio Vespignani Virginio Vespignani (12 February 1808 – 4 December 1882) was an Italian architect. Vespignani was born in Rome. A student of Luigi Poletti, he was highly interested in classical architecture, becoming one of Roman neoclassical's main figur ...

. Vespignani involved him in work on a new apse at the

Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

(1882-86).Di Marco, Fabrizio. "Leonori, Aristide", ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', Volume 64 (2005)
/ref> Leonori set up his own studio in 1884. He mainly worked in building churches and religious structures, adopting styles and characters requested by the client. Many of his commissions came from religious institutes. In 1886 he became a Franciscan tertiary, and with two others founded a night shelter for abandoned children. From 1890 he was architect of the chapter of

Santa Maria in Trastevere The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere); en, Our Lady in Trastevere) is a titular minor basilica in the Trastevere district of Rome, and one of the oldest churches of Rome. The basic floor plan and ...

, directing a series of restorations in the basilica until 1923. In the 1890s he began a series of overseas travels from which a number of assignments developed. He often collaborated on design with his younger brother Pio in Rome, and later with his nephew Francisco. Leonori also worked in Egypt, Mauritania, Ireland, Prague, Warsaw, and elsewhere. One of his biggest projects was the design and construction of the Church of St. Joseph in Cairo, Egypt, built in 1909. He often provided his services free of charge for projects for religious complexes in India, Africa and South America. In Rome, Leonori designed at least five churches and several hospitals. He helped design the belltower for the

Shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei The Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei ( it, Pontificio Santuario della Beata Vergine del Santo Rosario di Pompei) is a Roman Catholic cathedral, Marian pontifical shrine and minor basilica commissioned by Bartolo L ...

(1912) in Pompeii, Italy. In addition to designing The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington, D.C., Leonori contributed to several other churches in the United States: the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (1907); and Holy Rosary Church in Washington, D.C. (1923). Between 1898 and 1913, he published in Rome a twice-monthly magazine in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

titled ''Vox Urbis: de litteris et bonis artibus commentarius''. He also wrote: * ''The Italian industries at the National Exhibition in Milan in 1881…'', Rome (1882) * ''Leo XIII and the arts'', Rome (1888) * ''The most distinguished cathedrals of the thirteenth century'', Rome (1891) Leonori was a member of various Catholic associations. In 1886, he was made a knight of the

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

; and in 1912, of the Order of St. Sylvester. He died in Rome in 1928.

Works (partial)

* Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, Washington D.C. (1898)G. Martin Moeller Jr
"S15 Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America".
''AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington''. Part 3. JHU Press, 2012. p. 290-91. * Chapel of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in

Sant'Andrea della Valle Sant'Andrea della Valle is a minor basilica in the rione of Sant'Eustachio of the city of Rome, Italy. The basilica is the general seat for the religious order of the Theatines. It is located at Piazza Vidoni, at the intersection of Corso Vittor ...

in Rome. (1887) *

San Patrizio San Patrizio a Villa Ludovisi is a Roman Catholic parish, titular church, and national church of the United States in Rome. History It was the national churches of Ireland until 2017 when it became the national church of the United States of Amer ...

, Rome (1908) * San Giuseppe al Trionfale, Rome (1909) * St. Joseph Cathedral, Buffalo, New York) (1912); demolished. * two chapels in the Cathedral of Saint Louis, St. Louis, Missouri (1912-14) *

, Pompei (1912) bell tower * Santa Croce in Via Flaminia, Rome (1913)

References

External links

Order of St. Francis website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonori, Aristide 1856 births 1928 deaths Architects from Rome 19th-century Italian architects 20th-century Italian architects Secular Franciscans Italian Servants of God