Oratorio dei Filippini
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| Oratorio dei Filippini | |
|---|---|
 The facade of the oratory | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| 41°53′54″N 12°28′07″E / 41.898228°N 12.468710°E | |
| Location | Rome |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Francesco Borromini |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Groundbreaking | 1637 |
| Completed | 1650 |
The Oratorio dei Filippini (Oratory of Saint Philip Neri) is a building located in Rome and erected between 1637 and 1650 under the supervision of architect Francesco Borromini, in his distinctive style. The oratory is adjacent to the Chiesa Nuova Santa Maria in Vallicella, the mother church of the congregation. In front of the two sides was a small closed square, now integrated in the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.
The congregation of the Filippini already had one of the most well-decorated Baroque churches in Rome, and the order had planned to build an oratory, as well as residential quarters, adjacent to the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella (Chiesa Nuova) located in crowded central Rome. Originally, Ortario dei Filippini was also meant to be a place for the Filippini to practice their own, unique, inventive style of prayer.[1] Borromini won a competition for designing the structure against many including Paolo Maruscelli[citation needed]. He was employed in the task for 13 years, often a testy process. By 1640, the oratory was in use, and by 1643, the library, called the Biblioteca Vallicelliana, was complete. Borromini later became occupied by the construction of many components of the building such as the façade, two courtyards, the refectory, recreational rooms, the Biblioteca Vallicelliana, and the clock tower. Camillo Artucci became the designer after Borromini left the job in 1650 due to conflicts with the Fillipini Congregation.[2]
