Da ornamento a sostegno: il dibattito sull’ordine trabeato nell’architettura chiesastica tra Napoli e Palermo nel secondo Settecento

Abstract

The recovery of the structural values of the column and the trabeated system, with a view to a return to a pure rationality of architecture, was, as is well known, one of the main themes of the 18th century debate. Historiography has, to date, obviously privileged the protagonists who first fuelled the theoretical debate (Lodoli, Maffei, Algarotti and Memmo, Winckelmann, Piranesi), the institutions (the academies of France, San Luca, Parma) and the cultural centres most sensitive to the new instances (Venice and Rome). However, if we move from the level of theoretical debate to that of the construction sites actually launched in the name of the new principles, the story takes another turn and identifies other protagonists, tracing further perspectives for in-depth analysis and interpretation. This contribution is dedicated to them.