Death of the Architect Carlo Maderno

A Detail of the Facade of St Peter's Basilica

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On January 31st 1629, Carlo Maderno, the architect who designed the facade of
St Peter's Basilica, died in Rome. 

The facade was completed during the reign of Pope Paul V (r. 1606-21), whose name is emblazoned across the top of it in letters one metre high.  The inscription proclaims: IN · HONOREM · PRINCIPIS · APOST · PAVLVS · V · BVRGHESIVS · ROMANVS · PONT · MAX · AN · MDCXII · PONT · VII (In honour of the Prince of the Apostles, Paul V, Borghese, Roman, Pontifex Maximus, in the year 1612, the eighth of his pontificate), which led one wag to quip, 'That's strange, I thought the church was dedicated to St Peter'. 

A plaque marks the house in Via dei Banchi Nuovi where Maderno lived. He is interred in the nearby church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, the dome of which he designed. The dome quickly came to be known as the 'confetto succhiato' ('sucked sweet'), on account of its elongated shape!

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Plaque to Carlo Maderno, Via dei Banchi Nuovi

Dome, San Giovanni dei Fiorentini