Vaccarini, Giovanni Battista

Vaccarini, Giovanni Battista (1702–69). Prolific Sicilian architect, influenced by Borromini, Carlo Fontana, and (to a lesser extent), aspects of French Classicism then beginning to percolate into Italy. His appointment (1730) as City Architect of Catania heralded the introduction of Roman Baroque, as in his Church of San Giuliano (1739–57), derived from Carlo Rainaldi's Santa Maria in Monte Santo on the Piazza del Pópolo, Rome, while the Convent Church of Sant'Agata (1735–67) owes something to Sant'Agnese in Agone, Piazza Navona, with a façade slightly reminiscent of that of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, both in Rome. Sant'Agata's façade is also embellished with carved valancing like that on Bernini's baldacchino in St Peter's, Rome, and has pilaster–capitals decorated with palms, lilies, and crowns, symbols of the Saint's martyrdom. Vaccarini designed the façade of the Cathedral (1730–68), the elephant fountain bearing an obelisk (1736–  a motif also used by Bernini), and many other buildings in Catania, also completing the Town Hall in the Piazza del Duomo (1735). Later works, e.g. Palazzo del Principe di Reburdone (c.1740–50) and the Collegio Cutelli (1748–54), owed less to Baroque and more to Classicism.

Bibliography

Alajml (1950);
Blunt (1968);
Boscarino (1961);
Fichera (1934);
Norberg-Schulz (1986a);
Placzek (ed.) (1982);
Pisano (1958);
Jane Turner (1996);
D. Watkin (1986)