300 px, The Villa Falconieri in Frascati; renovations were commissioned by Orazio Falconieri Orazio Falconieri (died 1664) was an Italian nobleman from

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

; he was the owner of the

Villa Falconieri The Villa Falconieri is a villa in Frascati, Italy. History The villa was originally called Villa Rufina, having been was initially built by Monsignor Alessandro Rufini. Later it was enlarged thanks to Pope Paul III, dating back to 1546. In 16 ...

. His

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

symbol was a

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

Family

Falconieri was the son of Paolo Falconieri and Maddalena Albizzi and the brother of Lelio Falconieri who was later elevated to Cardinal. In 1615 he married Ottavia Sacchetti (1590–1645), sister of Cardinal Giulio Cesare Sacchetti who would later

consecrate Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

Orazio's brother Lelio. The Sacchetti and Falconieri were already close; Orazio's father had made his fortune importing

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

and as a result Orazio had business connections to Ottavia Sacchetti's father. When Ottavia's first husband, Piero Alberti, died, marriage to Orazio was considered an excellent option for both families. Records indicate they had at least one son (Paolo Francesco Falconieri) who took ownership of the Villa Falconieri and took his father's titles.

Commissions

Falconieri purchased the

and commissioned

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

to renovate it. Orazio later commissioned Borromini to renovate the church of

San Giovanni dei Fiorentini The Basilica of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini ("Saint John of the Florentines") is a minor basilica and a titular church in the Ponte (rione of Rome), Ponte ''Rioni of Rome, rione'' of Rome, Italy. Dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the protector ...

to build a Falconieri family chapel for his burial and the burial of his brother Lelio Falconieri.''Borromini'' by Anthony Blunt (Harvard University Press, 1979)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falconieri, Orazio 1664 deaths Italian untitled nobility Tuscan nobility Year of birth unknown