Welcome to the Bernini Chronology Project, an endeavor to gather in one convenient location all of the known, documented information we currently possess about the life and work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Though there are many books and websites devoted to the artist, in none of them can one find a simple, succinct, user-friendly summary of his entire lifetime and works of art. Hence, the raison d’être of this website.
The current chronology is an abridged version of my personally amassed Bernini chronology — a document of over 500 pages — and is the fruit of my many years of intense Bernini research. I offer it for the convenience of all those who study Bernini and Baroque Rome. A significant percentage of the entries below present data that is little known even by Bernini scholars, but all entries are accompanied by source notes where the reader will find the original published documentation or information for finding it in the relevant archive or library. In most cases, I simply refer the reader to the source notes in my abundantly annotated edition of Domenico Bernini’s Life of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (cited below as Mormando 2001a) or my own 2011 biography, Bernini: His Life and His Rome (cited below as Mormando 2011b). However, this database adds further data and sources that either have been discovered since the publication of these two works, or were omitted therein. For further updates on Bernini, his work and his world, please visit my personal website, www.francomormando.com
This database will be continue to be enriched as time allows. Any questions or comments can be sent to me at: mormando@bc.edu. Lector, lege feliciter!