# Exterior view [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [BORROMINI, Francesco]() - Date: 1601-1650 - Technique: Photo ## Commentary The brethren of the Congregation of St Philip Neri had for a considerable time planned to build an oratory next to their church of Santa Maria in Vallicella. In conjunction with this idea, plans ripened to include in the building programme a refectory, a sacristy, living quarters for the members of the Congregation, and a large library. This considerable programme was, in fact, not very different from that of a large monastery. Borromini won the competition in 1637, and the building activity was rapid: in 1640 the oratory was in use, in 1641 the refectory was finished, between 1642 and 1643 the library above the oratory was built and between 1644 and 1650 the north-west front with the clock-tower overlooking the Piazza dell'Orologio was constructed. The photo shows the main façade on Via del Pellegrino. Although the façade is reminiscent of that of a church, its rows of domestic windows seem to contradict this impression. The main portion of the façade consists of five bays, closely set with pilasters, arranged over a concave plan. But the central bay of the lower tier is curved outward, while that of the upper tier opens into a niche of considerable depth. Crowning the façade rises the mighty pediment which, for the first time, combines curvilinear and angular movement. View the <a href="\#" onClick="w=window.open \('/support/plans/b/borromin/oratory.html', 'newWin', 'scrollbars=yes,status=no,dependent=yes,screenX=0,screenY=0,width=400,height=600'\);w.opener=this;w.focus\(\);return false">ground plan</a> of the whole complex built for the Congregation of St Philip Neri in Rome. ## Related artworks - [Courtyard and façade]() - [Courtyard and façade]() - [Exterior view]() - [Exterior view]() - [Exterior view]() - [Exterior view]() - [Exterior view]() - [Exterior view]() - [Exterior view]() - [Exterior view]() - [Exterior view]() - [Exterior view]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()