Architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel
Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel (born 3rd February 1677 in Prague – died 7th December 1723 in Prague) was a notable Czech architect of Italian origin, who became famous by his unique Baroque gothic style.
He was born on St. Blažej's day as the eldest son to a respectable family of a Prague stonecutter, Santini Aichel and was christened in the St. Vitus Cathedral as Jan Blažej Aichel the following day. He was born with a physical handicap – paralysis of a half of his body. This prevented him from a pursuing a successful follow-up to his father's career and so to take up the stonecutter's workshop after him. He did, however, serve his time of apprenticeship (as did his brother František), but he also studied painting from the imperial and royal painter Kristián Schröder.
Later on, around 1696 he started a journey to gain experience. He traveled through Austria and arrived in Rome, Italy, where he had the possibility to meet with the work of a radical architect, Francesco Boromini, considered by Roman conservative contemporaries as a "fool". It was in Italy where he incorporated into his name his father's name, Santini.
In 1700 Santini started to design independently and to build, which ensured his own income, and he could become a member of one craft guild and have his own construction company.
Santini married Schröder's daughter, Veronika Alžběta in 1707. They had four children, but all three sons – Jan Norbert Lukáš (* 1707), Josef Rudolf Felix Řehoř (* 1708) and František Ignác (* 1710) – died from tuberculosis at an early age; the only child left was Anna Veronika (* 1713). Santini's wife died in 1720 and he re-married a South Bohemian noblewoman, Antonie Ignatie Chrapická from Mohliškovice whereby Santini was ennobled. From this marriage, daughter Jana Ludmila and son Jan Ignác Rochus were born. The godfathers of all Santini's children were members of aristocracy.
Santini picked up on the style of architect J. B. Mathey and after his death also took up some of his clients and finished several buildings. In 1705, he bought Valkounský house (no. 211) in Nerudova street for 3000 gold coins in cash. Two years later, he connected his house with adjoining building, the House of Golden Goblet (no. 212). He became a well-known person, a fact which is proven by the fact that in 1723 Jan Josef from Schwalbenfeld called him a “Jan Santini Aichel townsman and architect of Royal Lesser Town of Prague". Unfortunately, Santini died at a fairly young age of 47 and that is why some of his works remained unfinished.
Santini was so significant a figure of baroque architecture that he had a lot of followers. To name just a few: Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer, František Maxmilián Kaňka, Jan Ferdinand Schor, Jakub Auguston, Austrians Jakub Prandtauer, Matthias Steinl and others. These men either reconstructed or were inspired by Santini's work.
During his life, Santini created or participated in 100 projects. Some of them can be found in the neighbourhood of the Residence. In Nerudova street alone, there are three important buildings that he designed, namely number 20 – Thunovský palace (present seat of the Italian Embassy, built by Liebštejnští from Kolovraty during 1716 – 1721), number 5 – Morzinský Palace (present seat of the Romanian Embassy built in an upgraded baroque style in the place of 4 medieval town houses, later rebuilt in Renaissance style and owned by Morzinové in 1668 and the Virgin Mary Divine Providence Cathedral of St. Kajetán that was built during 1691 – 1717 according to the design of J. B. Mathey next to his monastery of Kajetán's friary, however the façade of this building, a ground plan of Greek cross is from Santini.