Camporese, Pietro, the Younger

CAMPORESE, PIETRO, THE YOUNGER. - Architect, b. in Rome on 22 May 1792 and d. there in 1873. He belongs to a notable family of Roman architects active between the middle of the 18th century and the end of the 19th. He was in fact the son of Giulio C. (1754-84), who in turn was the brother of Giuseppe C. (1763-1822). Pietro C. the elder (1726-81) was his grandfather. Numerous church buildings in Rome and Latium must be assigned to the activity of the C. family. Pietro C. the Younger began his activity as an assistant to P. Belli and P. Bosio in the reconstruction of St. Paul Outside the Walls (1823-29); the restoration of Sts. Vitus and Modestus dates from 1832.

His best works are the so-called portico of Vejo in Piazza Colonna, built as the seat of the Pontifical post office, elegant and typical, and the facade of the Hospital of St. James (1831-46), simple, correct and majestic. Also his are the two buildings on Via Ripetta arranged in a horseshoe, the seats of the Academy of Fine Arts; in 1869 he began the church of St. Thomas of Canterbury on Via Monserrato, completed by A. Poletti and V. Vespignani. C. is a mediocre personality as an architect, wavering between a scholastic purism and a freer classicizing inspiration.

Renato Bonelli