Stefano Ittar
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Stefano Ittar (March 15, 1724 - January 18, 1790) was a Polish-Italian architect.
Biography
Ittar was born in
While Ittar was still young his family moved to
After a brief period in Spain Ittar settled in
Eventually Ittar was employed to work on the great palazzo itself; he is believed to be responsible for much of the architecture in the inner courtyards and upper floors. This was the beginning of a form of partnership with Battaglia, and together they worked on various ecclesiastical buildings and Catania's huge
In 1767, Ittar was sufficiently renowned to go into business alone; buildings he designed in this period include the church of San Martino dei Bianchi, his first concave façade. The following year he completed what is considered his masterpiece: the facade of the Basilica della Collegiata, a church probably designed by Angelo Italia. This Sicilian Baroque building is a classic example of chiaroscuro technique. Ittar later designed the Church of San Placido, which has a facade adorned by a central Sicilian bell tower surmounted by statuary.
Following Vaccarini's death some years later, Ittar was invited by the governors of Catania to produce a contemporary plan of the city, highlighting the new straight streets an example of Baroque town planning. This map was later made into an engraving and mass-produced.
By 1783, his long term project designing the Benedictine monastery came to an end. Ittar was by this time one of Catania's most respected and influential architects and town planners. However, this was the year his life was to change completely. He was invited to
It was said, at the time, that Ittar had committed suicide because of errors of architectural judgement leading to structural problems with the library; however, while the profusion of vast windows make the library a cold and draughty place of work, there is no evidence of severe structural error or other problems in the design. Records of his death show him dying in communion with the church, and as having received the last rites, a sacrament which would not have been administered in the case of a suicide.
Two of his sons, Enrico and Sebastiano, also became architects who achieved some notability.
References
- ^ Ellul, Michael (1988). "Punti d'incontro nell' architettura a Malta e in Sicilia" (PDF). Journal of Maltese Studies (in Italian). 18: 189–196. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 May 2019.
- ^ Ellul, Michael (1988). "Punti d'incontro nell' architettura a Malta e in Sicilia" (PDF). Journal of Maltese Studies (in Italian). 18: 189–196. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 May 2019.
- ^ Ellul, Michael (1988). "Punti d'incontro nell' architettura a Malta e in Sicilia" (PDF). Journal of Maltese Studies (in Italian). 18: 189–196. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 May 2019.