Home

Visit Rome following 8 XVIIIth century itineraries XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi The Environs of Rome: Frascati, Tivoli, Albano and other small towns near Rome A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Rome seen by a 1905 armchair traveller in the paintings by Alberto Pisa The 14 historical districts of Rome An abridged history of Rome How to spend a peaceful day in Rome Baroque sculptors and their works The coats of arms of the popes in the monuments of Rome Pages on a specific pope Pages complementing the itineraries and the views by Giuseppe Vasi Walks in the Roman countryside and in other towns of Latium following Ferdinand Gregorovius A Directory of links to the Churches of Rome A Directory of links to the Palaces and Villas of Rome A Directory of links to the Other Monuments of Rome A Directory of Baroque Architects with links to their works A Directory of links to Monuments of Ancient Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Medieval Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Renaissance A Directory of links to Monuments of the Late Renaissance A list of the most noteworthy Roman Families Directories of fountains, obelisks, museums, etc. Books and guides used for developing this web site An illustrated Glossary of Art Terms Venice and the Levant Roman recollections in Florence A list of Italian towns shown in this web site Venetian Fortresses in Greece Vienna seen by an Italian XVIIIth century traveller A list of foreign towns shown in this web site
What's New!

Detailed Sitemap

All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.

To the Italian visitors of my web site

Bell Towers of Rome The Bell Towers of Rome
(bell tower of SS Giovanni e Paolo - detail)

The skyline of Rome is characterized by domes, rather than by bell towers. Most of the largest churches do not have a prominent bell tower: this is especially true for those built during the Renaissance and afterwards.

SS. Quattro Coronati
(left) Santi Quattro Coronati; (centre) San Saba; (right) San Nicola in Carcere

Some of the oldest Roman bell towers were built with a defensive aim: both SS. Quattro Coronati and S. Saba stood in isolation at the top of a hill and were surrounded by walls: their bell towers were thickly built and had very little decoration as if they belonged to a medieval castle, rather than to a church.
The bell tower of S. Nicola in Carcere was originally part of the defensive system built by the Pierleoni family who controlled this part of Rome in the XIIth century.

S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura
(left to right) San Lorenzo fuori le Mura; San Silvestro in Capite; Santa Maria in Cosmedin; Santa Maria del Popolo

During the XIIth and the XIIIth century the popes acquired greater authority and many old churches were enlarged or rebuilt: their bell towers follow a common Romanesque pattern: they are marked into clearly defined stages by horizontal courses. The narrow windows show the influence of Byzantine architecture.
The bell tower of S. Maria del Popolo was built at a later period and is more similar to bell towers of northern Italy (another bell tower of this kind can be seen at S. Maria dell'Anima).

SS. Giovanni e Paolo
SS. Giovanni e Paolo

The bell tower of SS. Giovanni e Paolo is perhaps the finest Romanesque bell tower of Rome: the first two storeys (above the ancient Roman stone structure) were completed by 1118 and in 1150 the other five storeys were added. In 1190-1210 ca. the whole bell tower was decorated with porphyry slabs and Arab ceramics.

S. Francesca Romana
S. Francesca Romana

The bell tower of S. Francesca Romana was built approximately in the same period and in the same style and decoration as that of SS. Giovanni e Paolo. Other Romanesque bell towers were built at S. Alessio, S. Bartolomeo all'Isola, S. Benedetto in Piscinula, S. Cecilia, S. Crisogono, S. Croce in Gerusalemme, S. Eustachio, S. Giorgio in Velabro, S. Giovanni a Porta Latina, S. Gregorio Nazianzeno, S. Lorenzo in Lucina, S. Marco, S. Maria in Monticelli, S. Maria in Trastevere, S. Maria Maggiore, S. Pudenziana, SS. Rufina e Seconda, S. Sisto Vecchio and S. Spirito in Sassia. They are so many that one could say that the typical bell tower of Rome is a Romanesque one. Its design was always appreciated and when a church was largely restructured its Romanesque bell tower was not modified.

SS. Cosma e Damiano e Montecitorio
(left) SS. Cosma e Damiano; (right) Palazzo di Montecitorio

In 1251 the Franciscans started to build S. Maria in Aracoeli: the original design included a bell tower, but in 1260 the Constitutiones Narbonensi, the rules established by the general chapter of the order in the French town of Narbonne recommended that Franciscan churches should visually portray the modesty and poverty of the order: so the design of S. Maria in Aracoeli had to be revised and the bells were placed in a simpler structure, vaguely resembling a sail (in Italian it is called campanile a vela - sail bell tower).
This structure was adopted also in non Franciscan churches and in public buildings.

S. Agnese in Agone
(left and centre) Sant'Agnese in Agone; (right) Sant'Andrea delle Fratte (both by Francesco Borromini)

S. Agostino the first large Roman church of the Renaissance did not have a bell tower and this approach was followed in the design of other churches of that period.
SS. Trinitą dei Monti, a church belonging to France, introduced in Rome the pattern of twin bell towers to the sides of the church; this was followed in S. Atanasio dei Greci, but the large churches built at the end of the XVIth century (il Gesł, Chiesa Nuova, S. Andrea della Valle) were all without a (major) bell tower.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed two bell towers for S. Pietro, but the project was abandoned because they were too heavy for the once marshy ground near the Tiber: also his small bell towers for the Pantheon must have been designed on an unlucky day because they were demolished in the XIXth century.
Francesco Borromini was more successful: the bell towers of S. Agnese in Agone are regarded as the finest ones of the Roman Baroque. His bell tower for S. Andrea delle Fratte explains why his detractors regarded his works as extravagant ones.

S. Maria in Montesanto
(left) Santa Maria dei Miracoli; (centre) Santa Maria in Montesanto; (right) SS. Claudio e Andrea dei Borgognoni

The architects who came after Borromini did not follow the example of S. Agnese in Agone and their bell towers were in general minor additions to the design of the churches.