Name Benedetto Alfieri | Died 1767, Turin, Italy | |
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Presentazione del liceo artistco benedetto alfieri asti
Benedetto Innocenzo Alfieri (1699 - 9 December 1767) was an Italian architect, a representative of the late-Baroque or Rococo style.
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Biography and works
Born in Rome, he was the godson of Pope Innocent XII, and a member of the notable Alfieri family of Piedmontese origin (the well-known dramatist Vittorio Alfieri was his nephew). In Rome, Benedetto was educated in mathematics and design by the Jesuits; he then moved to Piedmont (living in Turin and Asti) to practice both as a lawyer and as an architect. He was frequently patronized by Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, who commissioned him with the design of the Royal Theater of Turin; the theatre (which was probably his masterwork) burned down in 1936.
He also completed the bell tower of the church of Santa Anna in Asti and the Palazzo Gilini in Turin; helped complete the facade of Vercelli Cathedral (1757-1763); aided in the decoration of the interior of the Basilica of Corpus Domini in Turin and the decoration of Palazzo Chiablese, adjacent to the Royal Palace in Turin. He also contributed additions and extensive decoration of the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi. He designed the bell-tower of the Basilica of San Gaudenzio in Novara. He also completed the facade of the church of San Pietro in Genoa. The King made him Count of Sostegno.
He collaborated during his long career with artists such as Luigi Acquisti, Giovanni Battista Borra, and Emilio Usiglio among many. He died in Turin.