Francesco Sabatini
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Francesco Sabatini (1722, Palermo, Italy - 1797, Madrid, Spain), also known as Francisco Sabatini was an Italian architect of the 18th century who worked in Spain.
Born in Palermo, he studied architecture in Rome. His first contacts with the Spanish monarchy was when he participated in the construction of the Palace of Caserta for the King of Naples and Duke of Parma and Tuscany, Carlos VII, the future King Carlos III of Spain. When he was raised to the Spanish throne, he called Sabatini to Madrid in 1760, where he was positioned above the most outstanding Spanish architects of the time. He was appointed as Great Master of Royal Works, with the rank of lieutenant colonel at the Engineers Corps, simultaneously designated also as an honorary academician of the Academia Real de Bellas Artes de San Fernando.
Sabatini's works are all encompassed within the neoclassicism tradition, but unlike other neoclassic authors, he was not inspired fundamentally by old Greece and Rome, but by the Italian Renaissance architecture.
His talent as an architect and the favor that was professed to him by the king brought many commissions of architectural work. His professional talents were awarded in many occasions. He was promoted to lieutenant general of the Engineers Corps, was granted the degree of Knight of the Order of Santiago, and had direct access to the circle of confidence of the king after his designation as gentilhombre de camara (Gentleman of the Royal Chamber).
Among his numerous works the most important were:
- Replaces Sachetti in the works of the Royal Palace of Madrid until its conclusion (1760-1764).
- Plans the sewage system of Madrid, which was paved with stones and cleaned (1761-1765) for the urban reform of the city of Madrid.
- Builds the Royal Customs House in the Alcala Street (1761-1769), present seat of the Ministry of Property.
- With Francisco Gutiérrez builds the tombs of Ferdinand I of Spain and Bárbara de Braganza, located in the Church of the Salesas Real.
- Builds the Convento de San Pascual de Aranjuez (1765-1770).
- Directs the remodeling works of Cuesta de San Vicente (1767-1777).
- The prolongation of the Southeastern wing of the Royal Palace begins (1772).
- Rebuilds the monastery of the Comendadoras of Santiago (1773).
- Projects and builds the Puerta de Alcalá (1774-1778).
- In 1774 assumes the direction of works of the Basilica de San Francisco (Saint Francis Cathedral), the largest if Madrid until its conclusion in 1784.
- Builds the Door of San Vicente (1775).
- Builds the Casa de los Secretarios de Estado y del Despacho, also known as the Palace of the Marquess de Grimaldi and Palace of Godoy (1776).
- Continues the works of the General Hospital that José de Hermosilla had initiated (1776-1781) during the reign of Fernando I (at the present time the National Museum and Queen Sofia Center of Arts)
- Builds the Convent of Franciscan of San Gil in the Prado de Leganitos (1786-1797), recently transformed by Manuel Martín Rodriguez.
- Changes the direction of the main stairs of the Royal Palace by desire of Carlos IV.
He participated in the reconstruction of the Plaza Mayor de Madrid after the 1790 fire, together with Juan de Villanueva.
The famous Gardens of Sabatini (located in front of the North facade of the Royal Palace of Madrid, between the Bailén street and the hill of San Vicente) were not designed by him, but that were created in the 1930s in the place which they occupied in the stables constructed by Sabatini for servicing the palace.
Furthermore, Sabatini was responsible for building the Arms Factory of Toledo, the headquarters for the Wallon Guarda in Leganés (presently part of the Universidade Carlos III de Madrid), a convent in Valladolid (Santa Ana) and another one in Granada (Comendadoras of Santiago) and the well-known Chapel of the Immaculate in the Cathedral of Osma, also called of Palafox.
