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Interior of the dome of the church of S. Ivo della Sapienza, Rome, by Francesco Borromini, … (credit: GEKS)

(born Sept. 25, 1599, Bissone, Duchy of Lombardy — died Aug. 2, 1667, Rome) Italian Baroque architect. Though he worked with Gian Lorenzo Bernini on the design of the famous baldachin in St. Peter's Basilica, the two later became bitter rivals. Borromini's first independent commission was the Roman church and monastery of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (1638 – 41), the dome of which appears to float because its spring points (see arch) and light sources are concealed below. His works, composed of flowing concave and convex forms, contain spaces that are irregular ovals and polygons, as at Sant'Ivo della Sapienza (1642 – 60). His fortunes declined in later years, and in 1667 he committed suicide. His influence was felt in northern Italy and central Europe in the next century.

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