Alessandro Antonelli
Encyclopedia
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
of the 19th century. His most famous works are the Mole Antonelliana
Mole Antonelliana
The Mole Antonelliana is a major landmark of the Italian city of Turin. It is named for the architect who built it, Alessandro Antonelli. In Italian "Mole" indicates a building of monumental proportions. Construction began in 1863, soon after Italian unification and was completed 26 years later,...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
(named for him) and both the Novara Cathedral
Novara Cathedral
Novara Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at the Piazza della Repubblica in Novara, Piedmont, Italy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Novara.Construction began in the 11th century of the original church on the site, which was consecrated in 1132...
and the Basilica of St. Gaudenzio in Novara
Novara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
.
Biography
Antonelli was born in GhemmeGhemme
Ghemme is a comune in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located on the river Sesia about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 25 km northwest of Novara....
, near Novara.
He studied in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and Turin, and for years he worked in the state territorial planning offices. After winning an architecture contest in the Accademia Albertina, he moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1828, where he studied in deep descriptive geometry.
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
's Parliament, and a member of Turin's communal council and of the Province of Novara's one. In this period he designed numerous works: several residences, the communal seta and the Sanctuary of Boca (whose cupola was never completed due to crumbling risks), a villa at Romagnano Sesia
Romagnano Sesia
Romagnano Sesia is a town and comune of c. 4,000 inhabitants in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 25 km northwest of Novara....
, the Orphans' Hospice in Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
, the regulation plans of Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
and Novara, the church of San Clement and the Asilo de Medici in Bellinzago Novarese
Bellinzago Novarese
Bellinzago Novarese is a comune in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 90 km northeast of Turin and about 15 km north of Novara...
. The church of Borgolavezzaro
Borgolavezzaro
Borgolavezzaro is a comune in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 15 km southeast of Novara...
(1858–1862) was also finished without the cupola, due to high costs.
Noteworthy is the Basilica of San Gaudenzio in Novara, finished in 1887. It is an audacious construction in brickwork, standing 121 m tall. Also from him in Novara are the Casa Bossi and the Cathadral.
Antonelli's most famous work is the Mole Antonelliana
Mole Antonelliana
The Mole Antonelliana is a major landmark of the Italian city of Turin. It is named for the architect who built it, Alessandro Antonelli. In Italian "Mole" indicates a building of monumental proportions. Construction began in 1863, soon after Italian unification and was completed 26 years later,...
, the symbol of Turin, named after him and begun in 1863 as a Jewish synagogue. It was completed in 1897 by the city's council as the Risorgimento Museum. The spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
, demolished by a violent cloudburst accompanied by a tornado in 1953, was rebuilt in 1961 according to the original drawings.
Antonelli died in 1888. He was buried in the family cemetery of Maggiora
Maggiora
Maggiora is a comune in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 90 km northeast of Turin and about 30 km northwest of Novara. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,763 and an area of 10.7 km².Maggiora borders the following municipalities:...
.