Alessandro VII Chigi e Carlo Fontana: la demolizione dell'Arco di Portogallo a Roma

The demolition of the arch of Portugal, that took place in 1662 during the pontificate of Alexander VII Chigi (1655-1667), is here identified as one of the illuminating episodes for the study of the use of the classical past during the consolidation of Rome as the capital of the kingdom of the Church. The arch, once located in Via del Corso, created an obstacle for entrance ceremonies of the important visitors entering the city from the north (from Porta del Popolo) as well as for carnival parades and the annual berberi horse race. The demolition of a Roman arch, strongly desired by the Pope, for the first time caused a debate within the papal entourage. Alexander VII remedied by commissioning first to Bernini and later to Carlo Fontana an expert opinion on the true value of Roman ruin. The practical requirements of rationalization and traffic probably draw the architect to advice towards the demolition, but Fontana also expressed the necessity of a scale drawing of the arch, which would remain as a testimony of its form, position and structure.