Bernini's signature among the Archival documents

In the history of the Duomo di Milano, the 17th century was marked by debate regarding its façade. In fact, more than two centuries after its construction, the Duomo was still a complex and intricate construction site: the construction of the naves was approaching completion, but the façade of the ancient Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore still stood between the third and the fourth aisles, by now incorporated in the longitudinal development of the new cathedral, and wouldn't be demolished until 1683.

Of utmost importance, after centuries of discussions about pillars, windows, capitels, tiburium, and vaults, the issue of which face, or rather which facade, to give the Duomo finally posed itself. The book by F. Repishti - R. Schofield Architettura e Controriforma (Architecture and the Counter-Reformation): the debates on the Duomo di Milano's façade, 1582-1682 (Milan 2003), carefully retraces the history of this crucial moment and the 37 important and articulate contributions that architects and experts submitted in favor of another solution are published. Among those called upon to express an opinion on the submitted designs was also Gian Lorenzo Bernini, of whom the Archives preserves a report written in 1652 (AS cart. 146, fasc. 17bis, n.10) and a print dated 1656. The two texts are incredibly different from one another, yet both are addressed to Cardinal Trivulzio, the Veneranda Fabbrica's representative for this delicate correspondence. The projects subjected to Bernini's evaluation were those of Carlo Buzzi and Francesco Castelli.