Nicola Salvi or Niccolò Salvi (6 August 1697 (Rome) – 8 February 1751 (Rome)) was an Italian architect; among his few projects completed is the famous

Trevi Fountain The Trevi Fountain () is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi (rione of Rome), Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762 and several others. Standing high and wide, it i ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy.

Biography

Admitted to the Roman Academy of Arcadia in 1717, Salvi became an architect only after studies in mathematics and philosophy. His mentor in architecture was Antonio Canevari, who served also as consulting architect for the king of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. In 1728, Canevari left for Lisbon, and Salvi continued his commissions in Rome. Among these were ephemeral decorations and small decorative projects. In Rome, the patronage for the building of large structures had declined relative to the previous century. In 1732, competitions were held by Pope Clement XII for two large projects. One was to create a new façade for the church of Saint John Lateran, and another was for a public fountain at

Trevi The area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) of the European Union (EU) is a policy domain concerning home affairs and migration, justice as well as fundamental rights, developed to address the challenges posed to internal security by col ...

. The former completion was won by Alessandro Galilei, though Salvi's design had much praise. Salvi's design for the

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

however was chosen instead of plans by Ferdinando Fuga and his friend Luigi Vanvitelli. Salvi did not live to see the fountain completed in 1762 by his friend Pietro Bracci. Salvi's other remaining works are few: he rebuilt the church of Santa Maria in Gradi (1738) in

Viterbo Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...

, but it was destroyed by bombs in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and is still being restored. He also created a chapel, believed to be the most expensive ever created, for Igreja de São Roque Jesuit church in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, along with Luigi Vanvitelli, and a tabernacle for the abbey of

Monte Cassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic Church, Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient ...

References

* A. Schiavo,'' The Trevi Fountain and other works of Nicola Salvi'', Rome 1956 * P. Portuguese,'' Nicola Salvi'','' in'' Baroque Rome, Rome 1973 * E. Kieven,'' Nicola Salvi and Luigi Vanvitelli at Rome'', in'' 'Luigi Vanvitelli and his circle'', edited by C. De Seta, Naples, 2000, p. 53-78 1697 births 1751 deaths Artists from Rome Italian Baroque architects Italian Roman Catholics {{Italy-architect-stub