Francesco Sabatini
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 18th century who worked in Spain.
Biography
Born in Palermo, he studied architectureArchitecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
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...
. His first contacts with the Spanish monarchy
Spanish monarchy
The Monarchy of Spain, constitutionally referred to as The Crown and commonly referred to as the Spanish monarchy or Hispanic Monarchy, is a constitutional institution and an historic office of Spain...
was when he participated in the construction of the Palace of Caserta for the King of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and Duke of Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
and Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Charles VII, the future King Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
. When he was raised to the Spanish throne, he called Sabatini to Madrid in 1760, where he was positioned above the most outstanding Spanish architects of the time. He was appointed as Great Master of Royal Works, with the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
at the Engineers Corps, simultaneously designated also as an honorary academician of the Academia Real de Bellas Artes de San Fernando.
Sabatini's works are all encompassed within the neoclassicism
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
tradition, but unlike other neoclassic authors, he was not inspired fundamentally by old Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and 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...
, but by the Italian Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
.
His talent as an architect and the favor that was professed to him by the king brought many commissions of architectural work. His professional talents were awarded in many occasions. He was promoted to lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
of the Engineers Corps, was granted the degree of Knight of the Order of Santiago
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.-History:Santiago de...
, and had direct access to the circle of confidence of the king after his designation as gentilhombre de camara (Gentleman of the Royal Chamber).
The Gardens of Sabatini (located in front of the North facade of the Royal Palace of Madrid, between the Bailén street and the hill of San Vicente) were not designed by him, but that were created in the 1930s in the place which they occupied in the stables constructed by Sabatini for servicing the palace.
Furthermore, Sabatini was responsible for building the Arms Factory of Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, the headquarters for the Wallon Guarda in Leganés
Leganés
Leganés is a city in central Spain. Part of the greater Madrid conurbation - mainly a satellite-city with a population of 186,066 it is located about 11 km southwest of the city centre....
(presently part of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid is a private university in Madrid, Spain. Its 27 campuses are located in the municipalities of Leganés, Colmenarejo and Getafe. It is a mediocre institution well-known for the quality of its teaching and academic research, its international orientation and its...
), a convent in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
(Santa Ana) and another one in Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
(Comendadoras of Santiago) and the well-known Chapel of the Immaculate in the Cathedral of Osma, also called of Palafox
Palafox
Palafox may refer to:* Palafoxia, a Genus of flowering plants from the sunflower family* Antonio Palafox, a Mexican tennis player* José de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa, a Spanish general...
.
He died at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in 1792.
Works
Among his numerous works the most important were:- Works of the Royal Palace of MadridRoyal Palace of MadridThe Palacio Real de Madrid is the official residence of the King of Spain in the city of Madrid, but it is only used for state ceremonies. King Juan Carlos and the Royal Family do not reside in the palace, choosing instead the more modest Palacio de la Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid...
until its conclusion (1760-1764). - Planning of the sewageSewageSewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
system of Madrid, which was paved with stones and cleaned (1761-1765) for the urban reform of the city of Madrid. - Royal Customs HouseReal Casa de la AduanaThe Real Casa de la Aduana is the headquarters of Spain's Ministry of Economy and Finance.It is located on Madrid's longest street, the Calle de Alcalá....
in the Alcala Street (1761-1769), present seat of the Ministry of Property. - Tombs of Ferdinand I of Spain and Bárbara de BraganzaBarbara of PortugalBarbara of Portugal was an Infanta of Portugal and later Queen of Spain as wife of Ferdinand VI of Spain.-Life in Portugal:...
, located in the Church of Santa BarbaraChurch of Santa Barbara, MadridThe Santa Barbara, also known as Church of the Monastery of the Salesas Reales is a Catholic church, built in Neoclassic style, in central Madrid, Spain. It is one of a number of Spanish churches dedicated to St Barbara.- History :...
of the Convent of the Salesas RealesConvent of the Salesas RealesThe Convent of the Salesas Reales is an 18th-century architectural complex in central Madrid, Spain. Formerly a convent, specifically the convent of the Visitación de Nuestra Señora , it was constructed and occupied by the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, which had been founded by St. Francis...
, with Francisco GutiérrezFrancisco GutiérrezFrancisco Gutiérrez may refer to:* Francisco Gutierrez , "Franky G", frontman for the German Europop group Captain Jack* Francisco Gutiérrez, candidate in the Chilean parliamentary election, 2009...
. - Convent of San Pascual, in Aranjuez (1765-1770).
- Renovation of Cuesta de San Vicente (1767-1777).
- Prolongation of the Southeastern wing of the Royal Palace begins (1772).
- Reconstruction of the monasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of the Comendadoras of Santiago (1773). - Puerta de AlcaláPuerta de AlcaláThe Puerta de Alcalá is a Neo-classical monument in the Plaza de la Independencia in Madrid, Spain. It stands near the city center and several meters away from the main entrance to the Parque del Buen Retiro...
(1774-1778). - Direction of works of the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande (1774-1784).
- Door of San Vicente (1775).
- Casa de los Secretarios de Estado y del Despacho, also known as the Palace of the Marquess de Grimaldi and Palace of Godoy (1776).
- Continuation of the works of the General Hospital that José de Hermosilla had initiated (1776-1781) during the reign of Ferdinand VI (at the present time the National Museum and Queen Sofia Center of Arts)
- Convent of Franciscan of San Gil in the Prado de Leganitos (1786-1797), recently transformed by Manuel Martín Rodriguez.
- Change of the direction of the main stairs of the Royal Palace by desire of Charles IV of SpainCharles IV of SpainCharles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
. - Reconstruction of the Plaza Mayor de Madrid after the 1790 fire, together with Juan de VillanuevaJuan de VillanuevaJuan de Villanueva was a Spanish architect. Alongside Ventura Rodríguez, Villanueva is the best known architect of Spanish Neoclassicism....
.