ABSTRACT
In northern and central Italy, baroque architecture in the public sector came to the fore in Venice and Turin, but elsewhere it was confined to a number of small projects and a reflection of stylistic preference and the unwillingness to incur heavy public expenditure on exuberant architecture at a time of economic and population decline. The present church dates from 1666–80 and was designed by Guarino Guarini who was summoned by Duke Emmanuel to Turin from Rome where he had been inspired by the Baroque architecture of Francesco Borromini. The glory-days of public patronage in northern and central Renaissance Italy were now mostly over. In contrast to Milan and Florence, where Early and High Renaissance buildings were prolific ‚ the classical style of architecture was largely nonexistent in Turin during this period ‚ except for its fifteenth century duomo.
