Filippo Juvarra a Roma: progetti per la chiesa dei Santi Cosma e Damiano dei Barbieri

Four drawings by Juvarra relating to the church of Ss. Cosma and Damiano of the Università dei Barbieri, here examined, are part of the continuity relationship with the Roman late Baroque tradition, both simple and monumental. They represent parts of a total reconstruction project of the small church of the Barieri confraternity, dating back to 1720-21, during one of the frequent Roman stays Juvarra experienced in the breaks of his works in Piedmont. They are in fact four plans, variants of a central scheme, placed respectively on the circle, the octagon, the oval and the square shape, set on an irregular sithe wichis oblique to the axis of the Barbieri street, in the district of S. Eustachio, wich probably included the sacristy and the oratory, as well as the new church. Even if reproducing some fixed patterns, and among them, mostly the churches of S. Maria Assunta in Ariccia, of. S. Andrea on the Quirinale by Bernini and of. S. Agnese in Agone by Borromini, the projects for the church of Ss. Cosma and Damiano represent great abstractions, re-elaborated by Juvarra within his "repertoire". He makes use of a balanced counterpoint, at a decisive time in Roman architectural culture and his personal language evolution.The Barbieri University rebuilt the church within the old area between 1722 and 1724, according to a very poor pattern, very different from those of Juvarra probably executed by the same builder, the master builder Cesare Carnevale.