San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (San Carlino)

This photo of the San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane is part of one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of Rome. There are over 100 images taken from around Rome linked to an interactive map.

This tiny church is located on the crossroads of the Quattro Fontane, where Via Del Quirinale ends. It was the first church in Rome to be dedicated to Carlo Borromeo, the Lombard Bishop of Milan and protagonist of the Counter Revolution. The church was commissioned by Spanish Trinitarian Order ("Discalced", or "shoeless"), an order dedicated to the freeing Christian slaves. The church is also know as S Carlino.

Designed by Borromini in a deviation from the Baroque norm, the dome is a complex arrangement of interlocking crosses, hexagons and ovals to give a greater sense of space. The complex design blurs the distinction between architecture and art, the whole building becoming a work in itself.

The altarpiece depicts Sts Carlo Borromeo, John of Matha and Felix of Valois, created by Pierre Mignard. In the chapel to the left lies the mummified body of a Roman soldier martyr. In this chapel is the Flight to Egypt by Giovanni Francesco Romanelli.

A full panoramic image showing the inside of S Carlo is found on the Rome tour by PanoramicEarth.com. An enlargement of this photo can be found on Flickr.

For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.