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

Italian Baroque Italian Baroque (or ''Barocco'') is a stylistic period in Italian history and art that spanned from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. History The early 17th century marked a time of change for those of the Roman Catholic religion ...

architect.

Biography

He was born in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Italy, and trained under Lorenzo Binago. He was patronized by Cardinal

Federico Borromeo Federico Borromeo (; 18 August 1564 – 21 September 1631) was an Italian cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan, Archbishop of Milan, and prominent figure of the Counter-Reformation in Italy. His acts of charity, ...

, Archbishop of Milan. After a stint in Rome, he became ''capomastro ''under the main architect of the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

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

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

and the Ducal Palace of the Certosa di Pavia (1625). He helped in the construction of Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia 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 Switzerland, Swiss canton of Ticino

Notes

References

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