LATE BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE

Characteristics and Examples:

The Late Baroque style appeared from 1675 to 1750 across Europe, from
England and France to Central Europe and Russia, from Spain and Portugal to
Scandinavia, and in colonies of Spain and Portugal in the New World.
Baroque manifested itself in different ways in different regions, in Italy was an
extension of classical language of architecture and it gained its characteristic
expression through the elaborate catenation of different rhythms, surfaces,
ideas about different articulations and forms. In Northern regions, towards the
late baroque, the classical language became more and more unknown and
manifested particularized superimposition of different forms in a way that the
space tended to be more curvilinear, almost vegetal in the ways the form
unfolded. The tendency to move towards more asymmetry and sense of
movement and tension increased as the architecture style developed in its later
stage. Architects attempted to combine classical and baroque innovations with
the traditional elements and innovations of the region where Late Baroque
manifested. For example the most distinctive element of late Baroque in France
is the double-sloped mansard roof as in Palace of Versailles.
Late Baroque architectural style reached to high levels of ornamentation in
different regions, but still it tends to be restrained in comparison to its successor
Rococo style. The predilection towards asymmetrical, natural vegetal forms and
use of colors begins to take over towards late baroque in such a way that all
memory of the tectonic idea of space is lost or suppressed. For example
Pilgrimage Church of Wies by Dominikus Zimmerman depicts late Baroque as
it was shifting towards more decorative ornamental forms, ultimately leading to
Rococo architecture.

Church of Weis details

Inspiration from wider elements of architecture and structures from all over the
world and not just classical antiquity becomes a characteristic feature of the
Late Baroque style. Architects inclined towards multiple sources of architecture
like Egyptian, Chinese and Islamic sources and drew inspiration of them and
combined to fit in their own works. For instance in Fisher von Erlach’s
Karlskirche in Vienna, juxtaposition of multiple elements like Trajan’s column,
classical churches, Chinese pagoda and baroque dome is used.

Karlskirche, Vienna
CHRISTOPHER WREN
AND DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH BAROQUE
The architecture in England during the 17th century saw a continuation of the
use of Classical forms, which eventually gave way to a uniform style, derived
chiefly from Italy and exemplified predominantly in the work of Inigo Jones.
Jacobean architecture was prominent in the first quarter of the 17th century,
and English Baroque architecture, a distinctly English take on the Italian
Baroque style, became prevalent during the later part of the 17th century
following the Great Fire of London.
The later 17th century saw Baroque architecture come to prominence in a style
that is termed English Baroque. It was the architect Christopher Wren, one of
the most acclaimed English architects in history, who was responsible for the
genesis of the English Baroque style. When the Great Fire of London in 1666
forced much of the city to be rebuilt, Wren was hired to replace many of the
churches. His most ambitious construction, St. Paul’s Cathedral, was a
magnificent piece of architecture and is the only English cathedral in the
Classical tradition.
Popular from 1666 to about 1715, English Baroque architecture is characterized
by heavy structures adorned with elaborate decoration; compared to the
contemporary Baroque of the European continent, however, it tends to be
relatively plain and restrained, with more Classical subtleties.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

St. Paul’s Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1675, is an
Anglican cathedral in London. St. Paul’s was one of more than fifty church
commissions that Christopher Wren received in the aftermath of the Great Fire.
He was tasked with creating a cathedral that was a fitting replacement of the
Old St. Paul’s, and a suitable place of worship.
Wren was inspired by contemporary Renaissance trends in Italian architecture,
and designed the cathedral in a restrained Baroque style, attempting to
combine the traditions of English medieval cathedrals with the classical style of
Inigo Jones, and French buildings by Mansart. The cathedral, in particular
the dome, is heavily influenced by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He designed
the showpiece west façade to be fronted by a wide flight of steps, a double-
storey portico and two Baroque towers.
The cathedral’s main floor is divided into five sections: the Nave, the Dome, the
North and South Transepts and the Quire. The cathedral also has a Crypt, and
access to all the levels of the dome.
 West Elevation

Plan

Its famous lead-covered dome is one of the world’s largest, and at 111 m (365
ft). To ensure the dome appeared visually satisfying when viewed both
externally and internally, Wren designed a double-shelled dome, with the the
inner and outer domes using catenary curves rather than hemispheres.
Between the two shells, a brick cone supports the timbers of the outer, lead-
covered dome, and the ornate stone lantern that rises above it. The cone and
inner dome are 18 inches thick and supported by wrought iron chains to prevent
spreading and cracking. The dome rests on pendentives which rise between
8 arches spanning the nave, choir, transepts and aisles. It is raised on a tall
drum around which there is a continuous colonnade.

Interior and Dome