inSPIREd Sunday

Here's the church of Sant' Agnese in Agone,
in the Piazza Navona; its main
architect was Borromini, arch-rival of
Bernini, who created the Four Rivers fountain
(built around an obelisk brought to Rome
by the emperor Caracalla) directly in front of the church.  
It's said that Bernini sculpted his figure depicting
the Nile with its head covered, as though
 hiding from Borromini's looming church façade,
but in fact the fountain predates the
façade by quite a few years.

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.] 

inSPIREd Sunday

This 17th-century angel Gabriel (by
Gian Lorenzo Bernini!) lives in l'eglise 
de Saint Bruno, Bordeaux's first baroque 
church, built in 1611.

[To see more churches from around
the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Here are Bernini's classic columns, 
which hug the square in front
of St. Peter's, in Rome. I took this
picture some years ago and I still can't
believe there are no people in it.

[To see more b/w shots, visit Dragonstar's meme.
Also linking back to Shadow Shot Sunday.]