Sant’ Ivo alla Sapienza. A generative hypothesis
We know that Borromini had roughly 1,000 books in his personal library, so it is very likely that he
was influenced by several branches of learning; theology, philosophy and poetry may have inspired and
sustained the sense of secular or spiritual Knowledge, which he then instilled in the design of Sant’Ivo alla
Sapienza (which means knowledge).
Based on these premises the study examined in-depth the exterior and interior of Sant’Ivo and evaluated
several literary works, three in particular: The Consolation of Philosophy by Severinus Boethius, The Celestial
Hierarchy by Dionysius the Areopagite, and above all, the canticle of Paradise in the Divine Comedy that
provided new, stimulating interpretations of the building.
