Dome

Façade, detail showing head of canopy over niche above entrance and inscription on frieze; In 1634 Cardinal Francesco Barberini helped Borromini to gain his first commission as an independent architect, the monastery and church of S Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (or S Carlino) for the Discalced Trinitarians, who had established themselves there in 1611. The monastic building, complete with cells, refectory and library, was finished by 1636, but work on the church could not begin until 1638. It was dedicated to S Carlo Borromeo in 1646, but the façade was not completed until 1677, ten years after Borromini's death. In this early masterpiece Borromini was faced with the conflicting demands of a strictly ascetic order with a severe shortage of funds that yet wished to create an impression on papal Rome. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 12/2/2007)