La Scala Regia in Vaticano. Spazio fisico, illusorio e simbolico

Abstract

In 1655 with the advent of Alexander VII Chigi to the papacy, Gian Lorenzo Bernini returned to take care of the San Pietro factory which saw him at the beginning of his career in 1624 as the protagonist and innovator of the new Baroque language. The Scala Regia represents the completion of a large urban arrangement project represented by the new trapezoidal square in front of the Basilica and above all by the large oval square surrounded by the awesome colonnade.

The most fascinating aspect that makes the Scala Regia a unique and innovative architectural work is the perspective conformation used by Bernini to induce in the viewer the perception of an illusory space. Many art historians and perspective scholars link the Scala Regia with  the Borrominian Gallery of Palazzo Spada, built a few years earlier.

An anticipation of the theme of the monumental staircase and the perception implications resulting from the introduction of perspective or pseudo-perspective deformations can already be found in another work by Bernini at Palazzo Barberini.

The contribution aims to analyze the physical space of the Scala Regia in the Vatican with elements of comparison with the monumental staircase of Palazzo Barberini, based on two digital laser scanner surveys carried out by the author. It is also intended to propose an interpretation of the illusory space as an evolution of the theme of solid perspective in the Roman Baroque and an evaluation of the strong symbolic implications centered on the Visible / Invisible duality in the relationship between man and God, between people and ecclesiastical power in the Christianity symbolic place.