The Tallest Campanile in Rome: Santa Maria Maggiore
Title
The Tallest Campanile in Rome: Santa Maria Maggiore
Description
One of the most dramatic architectural components of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore is its bell tower, rising up 75 m high – the tallest campanile in Rome. The tower appears very similar to the typical twelfth and thirteenth century Romanesque style typical of Rome, with its square base, brick construction, bifore and trifore windows openings (window openings divided into two or three pieces by columns), and discreet levels clearly delineated by cornices. If one looks more closely at this campanile, however, one finds many characteristics that distinguish it from its earlier models. The tower’s exterior is decorated with numerous bacini, or ceramic bowls which often originated from the Middle East. The levels are delineated by stringcourses of marble moldings rather than a simple course of brick tiles.
As Ann Priester points out, the arched openings from the lower three stories with double bifore window openings are very differently constructed here than in most Roman bell towers as they are described by Ann Priester. The lowest bifore level has Gothic arches, and in the next two stories the colonnettes (thin columns) are doubled, a practice with origins outside of Rome and dating from the mid-thirteenth century, after most Roman bell towers were built. Most of the tower was completed in the 1370s, a century after the original campanile craze had died down. In fact, the tower was one of the few major ecclesiastical building projects in Rome during the Avignon papacy. Between 1445 and 1483 Cardinal Guillaume D’Estouteville completed the top story and add the pyramidal spire to the top of the roof, completing one of the rare examples of Romanesque-style campanile construction after the thirteenth century.
As Ann Priester points out, the arched openings from the lower three stories with double bifore window openings are very differently constructed here than in most Roman bell towers as they are described by Ann Priester. The lowest bifore level has Gothic arches, and in the next two stories the colonnettes (thin columns) are doubled, a practice with origins outside of Rome and dating from the mid-thirteenth century, after most Roman bell towers were built. Most of the tower was completed in the 1370s, a century after the original campanile craze had died down. In fact, the tower was one of the few major ecclesiastical building projects in Rome during the Avignon papacy. Between 1445 and 1483 Cardinal Guillaume D’Estouteville completed the top story and add the pyramidal spire to the top of the roof, completing one of the rare examples of Romanesque-style campanile construction after the thirteenth century.
Creator
Joseph Lowry (2017)
Source
Gill, Meredith J. "'Where the Danger Was Greatest': A Gallic Legacy in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome." Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 59 (1996): 498-522.
Priester, Ann. “Bell Towers and Building Workshops in Medieval Rome.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 52 (1993): 199-220.
Priester, Ann. “Bell Towers and Building Workshops in Medieval Rome.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 52 (1993): 199-220.
Date
1300s
Identifier
santamariamaggiore_2015
Spatial Coverage
P.za di Santa Maria Maggiore, 00100 Roma RM
Description
One of the most dramatic architectural components of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore is its bell tower, rising up 75 m high – the tallest campanile in Rome. The tower appears very similar to the typical twelfth and thirteenth century Romanesque style typical of Rome, with its square base, brick construction, bifore and trifore windows openings (window openings divided into two or three pieces by columns), and discreet levels clearly delineated by cornices. If one looks more closely at this campanile, however, one finds many characteristics that distinguish it from its earlier models. The tower’s exterior is decorated with numerous bacini, or ceramic bowls which often originated from the Middle East. The levels are delineated by stringcourses of marble moldings rather than a simple course of brick tiles.As Ann Priester points out, the arched openings from the lower three stories with double bifore window openings are very differently constructed here than in most Roman bell towers as they are described by Ann Priester. The lowest bifore level has Gothic arches, and in the next two stories the colonnettes (thin columns) are doubled, a practice with origins outside of Rome and dating from the mid-thirteenth century, after most Roman bell towers were built. Most of the tower was completed in the 1370s, a century after the original campanile craze had died down. In fact, the tower was one of the few major ecclesiastical building projects in Rome during the Avignon papacy. Between 1445 and 1483 Cardinal Guillaume D’Estouteville completed the top story and add the pyramidal spire to the top of the roof, completing one of the rare examples of Romanesque-style campanile construction after the thirteenth century.
Creator
Joseph Lowry (2017)Date
1300sSource
Gill, Meredith J. "'Where the Danger Was Greatest': A Gallic Legacy in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome." Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 59 (1996): 498-522.Priester, Ann. “Bell Towers and Building Workshops in Medieval Rome.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 52 (1993): 199-220.