Sixtus V and the Quirinal

Abstract

SIXTUS V is best remembered for his efforts to remake the face of Rome during his papacy from 1585 to I590. Under his orders the Lateran Palace was entirely rebuilt and the dome of St. Peter's completed; wide streets were cut across the city and ancient obelisks erected upon them; various antiquities were restored, many others demolished and quarried; and within the imperial walls, civil law and architectural order were restored to all quarters. These facts are extensively published, but much of Sixtus V's urban planning has not been critically scrutinized.1 In particular, his works and projects on the Quirinal Hill have never been fully discussed although they are prominently depicted in the largest room of his Lateran Palace. I refer to the two city views that dominate the end walls of the salone grande (Figs. I and z).2 They show, respectively, a fountain and the surrounding area that Sixtus was responsible for building and organizing. The Pope called this area the Borgo Felice di S. Bernardo, which refers in part to his own given name, Felice Peretti Montalto, and to a confraternity favored by him and dedi-