Il Gesu, 1568

Jacopo Vignola's design for Il Gesu in Rome is important for several reasons. As a result of the Council of Trent, a new kind of architecture was established in Rome. Il Gesu, as the Jesuits inaugural church, reflected their mendicant status with reliance on donations and focus on education and missionaries, it also established the shift toward desegragating congregations. With the abbreviation of side aisles and transepts, a larger nave was allowed. Instead of large aisles, carved out chapels were created. It also eased the problem of joining the exterior levels. There are Albertianesque scrolls to suggest continuity. Following patron Cardinal Farnese's wish that all would have access to the altar, Vignola combined a suppressed basilica plan with a Latin cross plan. Additionally, Farnese was interested in the sound quality. In order to project the preaching for all to hear, a barrel vaulted nave was decided upon.

Vignola was relieved of his position on Il Gesu, the creator of this facade is Giacomo della Porta (1537-1602). He followed, to some degree, Vignola's original plan. There is a double tabernacle facade, with horizontal and vertical symmetry. Framed by a pediment, the top story seems to be set back from the more plastic lower story. The emphasis is on the portal, where there are double pilasters and columns. The exterior structure is reminiscent of Palladio's Il Redentore, with a strong sense of compact focus.

Also, the interior decoration is not as Vignola had planned. His wish was to reflect the humble mendicant order, lighter colors, whites, and the simplification utilized by Il Redentore. Instead there are lavish frescoes by Giovanni Battista Gaulli.

Carlo Maderno (1556-1629)

S. Susanna

Carlo Maderno (1556-1629) was the successor and nephew of Domenico Fontana. He had assisted his uncle in the placement of several obelisks, during the wave of city planning. After becoming a more established architect he was put to work on the renovation of S. Susanna in Rome (1597-1603).
Faced with the now common situation of seamlessly applying a temple front on an irregular Medieval structure, Maderno looked to Vignola's original design of Il Gesu for ideas, using volutes to connect the two stories and topping the whole with a pediment. However, he made the design his own by giving strength and force to the classical orders. Using ornamental build up, layers are created giving a sense of projection and recession. Especially in the upper story, where the columns have shifted from being engaged on the lower to thick pilasters reaching out on the top story.

St. Peter's

Maderno is also important because of his work on St. Peter's. In 1603 he was appointed by Pope Paul V to succeed della Porta's position as Architect of St. Peter's. Several years into his residency, Maderno began to make decisions that would complete the construction. While making an effort to follow Michelangelo's plan, Maderno added a three bay nave (1609-1615) and in the facade (1607) succeeded in making an undetectable transition from the older centralized structure to his longitudinal addition. Maderno used some of the same principles featured at S. Susanna, progressive layering and a central focus marked with a pediment. Maderno added a secondary order on the lower story portals, which gives the facade a more human scale and adds to the overall rhythm.

The Michelangelo designed dome was vaulted by Giacomo della Porta (1588-93) with the assistance of the engineer Domenico Fontana.