Jan Santini Aichel
Encyclopedia
Jan Blažej Santini Aichel (February 3, 1677 – December 7, 1723) was a Czech architect
of Italian
descent, whose major works represent a curious amalgam of the Gothic
and Baroque
styles.
– died 7th December 1723 in Prague
) was a renowned Czech architect of Italian origin (His grandfather Antonin Aichel moved from Italy
to Prague
in the 1630s), he became famous by Baroque gothic style.
He was born on St. Blažej's day as the oldest son to a respectable family of a Prague stonemasons, Santini Aichel and was christened in the St. Vitus Cathedral
as Jan Blažej Aichel. He was born with a physical disability – paralysis of a half of his body. This prevented him from a successful follow-up to his father's career. He only served his time of apprenticeship (as did his brother František), but he also studied painting from the imperial and royal painter Kristián Schröder.
Around 1696 he started to travel and gain experience. After his journey through Austria
he arrived in Rome
, Italy
, where he had the possibility to meet with the work of a radical architect, Francesco Boromini. Borromini's influence is apparent in his predilection for star-shaped forms and complex symbolism. Many of his buildings are airy and elegant, yet he was considered a maverick genius by his contemporaries and exerted little influence on subsequent generations of Bohemian architects. It was in Italy
where Santini incorporated into his name his father's name, Santini.
In 1700 Santini started to design independently and to build, which ensured his own income, he then became a member of one craft guild and founded his own construction company.
Santini married Schröder's daughter (Veronika Alžběta) in 1707. They had four children, but all three sons died from tuberculosis at an early age; the only child left was Anna Veronika (* 1713). Santini's wife died seven years later and he re-married a South Bohemian noblewoman, Antonie Ignatie Chrapická from Mohliškovice whereby Santini was ennobled. Daughter Jana Ludmila and son Jan Ignác Rochus were born from this marriage.
Santini acquired the style of J. B. Mathey and after his death also finished several works of him. In 1705, he bought Valkounský house
(no. 211) in Nerudova street for 3000 gold coins in cash and rebuilt it. Santini became a well-known person, but unfortunately, he died at a fairly young age of 47 and some of his works therefore remained unfinished.
The asteroid
37699 Santini-Aichl
is named in his honour.
Gallery of selected works
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 Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
descent, whose major works represent a curious amalgam of the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
and Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
styles.
Biography
Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel (born 3rd February 1677 in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
– died 7th December 1723 in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
) was a renowned Czech architect of Italian origin (His grandfather Antonin Aichel moved from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in the 1630s), he became famous by Baroque gothic style.
He was born on St. Blažej's day as the oldest son to a respectable family of a Prague stonemasons, Santini Aichel and was christened in the St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus Cathedral
Saint Vitus' Cathedral is as a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. The full name of the cathedral is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral...
as Jan Blažej Aichel. He was born with a physical disability – paralysis of a half of his body. This prevented him from a successful follow-up to his father's career. He only served his time of apprenticeship (as did his brother František), but he also studied painting from the imperial and royal painter Kristián Schröder.
Around 1696 he started to travel and gain experience. After his journey through Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
he arrived in 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...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he had the possibility to meet with the work of a radical architect, Francesco Boromini. Borromini's influence is apparent in his predilection for star-shaped forms and complex symbolism. Many of his buildings are airy and elegant, yet he was considered a maverick genius by his contemporaries and exerted little influence on subsequent generations of Bohemian architects. It was in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
where Santini incorporated into his name his father's name, Santini.
In 1700 Santini started to design independently and to build, which ensured his own income, he then became a member of one craft guild and founded his own construction company.
Santini married Schröder's daughter (Veronika Alžběta) in 1707. They had four children, but all three sons died from tuberculosis at an early age; the only child left was Anna Veronika (* 1713). Santini's wife died seven years later and he re-married a South Bohemian noblewoman, Antonie Ignatie Chrapická from Mohliškovice whereby Santini was ennobled. Daughter Jana Ludmila and son Jan Ignác Rochus were born from this marriage.
Santini acquired the style of J. B. Mathey and after his death also finished several works of him. In 1705, he bought Valkounský house
Valkounsky house
The history of house number 14 of the Nerudova street in Prague, Czech Republic, dates back to the 17th century. Valkounský house no. 14 is named after the original owner, Knight Bohuchval Valkoun from Adlar, from the beginning of the 17th century.- History:...
(no. 211) in Nerudova street for 3000 gold coins in cash and rebuilt it. Santini became a well-known person, but unfortunately, he died at a fairly young age of 47 and some of his works therefore remained unfinished.
The asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
37699 Santini-Aichl
37699 Santini-Aichl
37699 Santini-Aichl is a main-belt asteroid discovered on January 13, 1996 by J. Ticha and M. Tichy at Klet. The asteroid is named in honour of Czech-Italian baroque architect Jan Santini Aichel.- External links :*...
is named in his honour.
Works
- Monastery Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary and St John the BaptistChurch of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the BaptistThe Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist is a baroque-style church north-east of Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic and is part of a World heritage site with the chapel of All Saints. The church was built first in a gothic style at the end of the 13th-century...
in Sedlec u Kutné HoryKutná HoraKutná Hora is a city in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic in the Central Bohemian Region.-History:The town began in 1142 with the settlement of the first Cistercian Monastery in Bohemia, Kloster Sedlitz, brought from the Imperial immediate Cistercian Waldsassen Abbey...
(reconstruction, 1703–1708, World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
) - St. Anna Chapel in Panenské Břežany (1705–1707)
- Pilgrimage Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary and Cistercian Provost Office in Mariánská Týnice (1707–1710)
- Convent of the Cistercian Monastery in PlasyPlasyPlasy is a small town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Střela River, some to the north from the region capital of Plzeň....
(reconstruction, 1711–1723) - Monastery Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, St Wolfgang and St Benedict in Kladruby u StříbraKladruby (Tachov District)Kladruby is a town in the Czech Republic, in the region of Plzeň, near the town Stříbro.The Abbey of Kladruby is a large Benedictine monastery first cited 1115...
(1711) - Monastery Church of the Nativity of Virgin Mary in Želiv (reconstruction, 1714–1720)
- Pilgrimage Church of the Name of Virgin Mary in Křtiny u BrnaKrtiny (Blansko District)Křtiny is a market town in Blansko District, South Moravian Region, Czech Republic, lying on boundary of the Moravian Karst nature reserve...
(1718) - Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of NepomukPilgrimage Church of Saint John of NepomukThe Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora is a religious building in Žďár nad Sázavou, Czechia, near the border between Bohemia and Moravia...
on Zelená hora in Žďár nad SázavouŽdár nad SázavouŽďár nad Sázavou is a city in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has approximately 24,000 inhabitants and is the administrative capital of the Žďár nad Sázavou District. The city is a prominent centre of tourism, as a ski resort in winter and a popular destination for cycling and...
(1719–1727, World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
) - Karlova Koruna ChateauKarlova KorunaKarlova Koruna is a château in the town of Chlumec nad Cidlinou in the Czech Republic.-History:The château was built for František Ferdinand Kinský from 1721-1723.Construction was completed in time for King Charles VI's coronation...
in Chlumec nad CidlinouChlumec nad CidlinouChlumec nad Cidlinou is a city of the Czech Republic in Bohemia, Hradec Králové Region.It is situated near Hradec Králové at the confluence of the rivers Cidlina and Bystřice. The town lies at an average height of 206 metres above sea level...
(1721–1723) - Church of St Wenceslas in Zvole (reconstruction)
- Church of St Peter and Paul in Horní Bobrová (1714)
- Church of the Visitation of Virgin Mary in Obyčtov
- Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary in Netín
- Provost Church of St Peter and Paul in Rajhrad (1721)
- Initial architect for the rebuilding of ZbraslavZbraslavZbraslav is a municipal district and cadastral area of Prague. The southernmost district of Prague, it lies on the Vltava River in the national administrative district of Prague 16....
chateau - Design and constructions of the KalecKalecKalec is a missing town but with a Chateau Mansion present in several important events in the history of Bohemia is situated to the West of Czech Republic under the statutes of Žihle, comprises the District of Pilsen-North in the Plzeň Region, according to its 530 altitude and cadastre it has...
chateau - Reconstruction of Valkounsky HouseValkounsky houseThe history of house number 14 of the Nerudova street in Prague, Czech Republic, dates back to the 17th century. Valkounský house no. 14 is named after the original owner, Knight Bohuchval Valkoun from Adlar, from the beginning of the 17th century.- History:...
(No.211-III) in PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
- Malá Strana (after 1705)
Gallery of selected works