A FACE HIDDEN BEHIND THE FAÇADE：NEW EVIDENCES ABOUT CARLO SPINOLA’S AUTHORSHIP OF THE PROJECT OF SÃO PAULO’S CHURCH立面背後隠藏的面孔：再証斯皮諾拉於聖保祿教堂興建項目中的著作者身份
The article reassesses, based on new evidence, the traditional attribution to the Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola (1564–1622) of the original design of the Church of St. Paul in Macau. The investigation starts from the recognition that, since 1628, the connection between Spinola and the design of the t...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
| Published: |
Instituto Cultural de Macau
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40055/2273 |
| _version_ | 1877196269916520448 |
|---|---|
| author | Daniele Frison |
| author_autocomplete | Daniele Frison |
| author_browse | Daniele Frison |
| author_facet | Daniele Frison Daniele Frison |
| author_sort | Daniele Frison |
| container_title | Review of Culture |
| container_title_str | Review of Culture |
| container_volume | 55 |
| container_volume_str | 55 |
| description | The article reassesses, based on new evidence, the traditional attribution to the Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola (1564–1622) of the original design of the Church of St. Paul in Macau. The investigation starts from the recognition that, since 1628, the connection between Spinola and the design of the temple has been treated as a settled matter, relying mainly on a single biographical piece preserved in the work of Spinola’s Jesuit cousin, Fabio Ambrosio: the reference to Spinola as a “good mathematician” and author of the “design of the new Church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.” Frison argues, however, that such a passage seems to derive from an unknown source, as it finds no correspondence in Spinola’s writings and is not confirmed in the Portuguese account of the martyrdom, attributed to Bento Fernandes.
Methodologically, the author undertakes a critical and contextual reading of the narrative and administrative sources associated with the foundational period, shifting the focus from the alleged biographical testimony to documents concerning the destruction of the old church by fire. By reconstructing the chronology and circumstances of the fire and the subsequent constructive intervention, the article argues that the available evidence does not support Spinola’s design authorship in the way historiography has consecrated, instead proposing a reinterpretation of the effective role of other agents in the building’s configuration. |
| first_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:59Z |
| format | Articles |
| genre | Articles |
| genre_facet | Articles |
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| hierarchy_parent_id | zotero-coll-76L3BRGH |
| hierarchy_parent_title | Review of Culture |
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| hierarchy_top_id | zotero-coll-WX87PJHD |
| hierarchy_top_title | News |
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| issn | 1682-1106 |
| last_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:59Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-11T02:56:59Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateRange | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| publishPlace | Macau |
| publisher | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
| publisherStr | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
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| spelling | A FACE HIDDEN BEHIND THE FAÇADE：NEW EVIDENCES ABOUT CARLO SPINOLA’S AUTHORSHIP OF THE PROJECT OF SÃO PAULO’S CHURCH立面背後隠藏的面孔：再証斯皮諾拉於聖保祿教堂興建項目中的著作者身份 The article reassesses, based on new evidence, the traditional attribution to the Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola (1564–1622) of the original design of the Church of St. Paul in Macau. The investigation starts from the recognition that, since 1628, the connection between Spinola and the design of the temple has been treated as a settled matter, relying mainly on a single biographical piece preserved in the work of Spinola’s Jesuit cousin, Fabio Ambrosio: the reference to Spinola as a “good mathematician” and author of the “design of the new Church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.” Frison argues, however, that such a passage seems to derive from an unknown source, as it finds no correspondence in Spinola’s writings and is not confirmed in the Portuguese account of the martyrdom, attributed to Bento Fernandes. Methodologically, the author undertakes a critical and contextual reading of the narrative and administrative sources associated with the foundational period, shifting the focus from the alleged biographical testimony to documents concerning the destruction of the old church by fire. By reconstructing the chronology and circumstances of the fire and the subsequent constructive intervention, the article argues that the available evidence does not support Spinola’s design authorship in the way historiography has consecrated, instead proposing a reinterpretation of the effective role of other agents in the building’s configuration. Instituto Cultural de Macau Macau Review of Culture Articles 2017 Daniele Frison |
| spellingShingle | A FACE HIDDEN BEHIND THE FAÇADE：NEW EVIDENCES ABOUT CARLO SPINOLA’S AUTHORSHIP OF THE PROJECT OF SÃO PAULO’S CHURCH立面背後隠藏的面孔：再証斯皮諾拉於聖保祿教堂興建項目中的著作者身份 Daniele Frison |
| title | A FACE HIDDEN BEHIND THE FAÇADE：NEW EVIDENCES ABOUT CARLO SPINOLA’S AUTHORSHIP OF THE PROJECT OF SÃO PAULO’S CHURCH立面背後隠藏的面孔：再証斯皮諾拉於聖保祿教堂興建項目中的著作者身份 |
| title_autocomplete | A FACE HIDDEN BEHIND THE FAÇADE：NEW EVIDENCES ABOUT CARLO SPINOLA’S AUTHORSHIP OF THE PROJECT OF SÃO PAULO’S CHURCH立面背後隠藏的面孔：再証斯皮諾拉於聖保祿教堂興建項目中的著作者身份 |
| title_full | A FACE HIDDEN BEHIND THE FAÇADE：NEW EVIDENCES ABOUT CARLO SPINOLA’S AUTHORSHIP OF THE PROJECT OF SÃO PAULO’S CHURCH立面背後隠藏的面孔：再証斯皮諾拉於聖保祿教堂興建項目中的著作者身份 |
| title_fullStr | A FACE HIDDEN BEHIND THE FAÇADE：NEW EVIDENCES ABOUT CARLO SPINOLA’S AUTHORSHIP OF THE PROJECT OF SÃO PAULO’S CHURCH立面背後隠藏的面孔：再証斯皮諾拉於聖保祿教堂興建項目中的著作者身份 |
| title_full_unstemmed | A FACE HIDDEN BEHIND THE FAÇADE：NEW EVIDENCES ABOUT CARLO SPINOLA’S AUTHORSHIP OF THE PROJECT OF SÃO PAULO’S CHURCH立面背後隠藏的面孔：再証斯皮諾拉於聖保祿教堂興建項目中的著作者身份 |
| title_short | A FACE HIDDEN BEHIND THE FAÇADE：NEW EVIDENCES ABOUT CARLO SPINOLA’S AUTHORSHIP OF THE PROJECT OF SÃO PAULO’S CHURCH立面背後隠藏的面孔：再証斯皮諾拉於聖保祿教堂興建項目中的著作者身份 |
| title_sort | a face hidden behind the façade：new evidences about carlo spinola’s authorship of the project of são paulo’s church立面背後隠藏的面孔：再証斯皮諾拉於聖保祿教堂興建項目中的著作者身份 |
| url | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40055/2273 |
| zotero_collection_key | 76L3BRGH |