No way! I'm truly amazed!

Baroque architecture originated in Rome, Italy in the late 16th century. - Historical background: "Baroque" originally meant bizarre and eccentric. Classicists used it to refer to this style, which was considered unconventional. It played an important role in opposing rigid classical forms, pursuing free and unrestrained styles, and expressing secular interests. It influenced many areas, such as city squares and gardens, and was once widespread in Europe. After the mid-17th century, with the revival of Catholicism, it spread from Rome throughout Europe and even to the Americas. - Architectural features: - Ornate decoration: Extensive use of precious materials, bright colors, full of decoration, interiors often use a lot of gilding or gold, and have rich ornaments, such as patterns made of wood (often gilded), plaster, stucco, and marble. - Pursuit of dynamism: Gives buildings and spaces a sense of movement, such as twists, turns, or conflicts, emphasizing curves and fluidity, breaking the boundaries between architecture, sculpture, and painting, and allowing them to permeate each other. - Emphasis on light: Uses artificial light to create a dramatic atmosphere, producing strong light and shadow contrasts, and shaping a space with a greater sense of three-dimensionality, depth, and layering. - Tendency towards nature: The construction of villas in the suburbs promoted the development of garden art, open squares were built in cities, buildings gradually became more open, and natural materials were added to the decoration. - Diverse forms: Long and narrow church naves were often replaced by wider or rounder forms; large-scale ceiling frescoes were common; external facades often had dramatic central projections; illusionistic effects, such as trompe l'oeil, mixed painting and architecture; onion domes or pear-shaped domes were common in some areas. - Church of the Gesù, Rome: Designed by Vignola, it is a representative work of the transition to the Baroque style and is also known as the first Baroque building. Its plan is rectangular, the altar decoration is magnificent and free, and the facade treatment is novel, which was later widely imitated. - San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Rome: Designed by Borromini, the hall plan is close to an olive shape, emphasizing curved dynamics, rich decoration, and strong light and shadow effects. - St. Peter's Square, Rome: Designed by Bernini, it is surrounded by Roman Tuscan colonnades, with a bold layout, rich dynamics, and strong light and shadow effects. - Vierzehnheiligen Basilica, Bamberg, Germany: The exterior is simple and elegant, in harmony with nature, the interior decoration is magnificent, the layout is novel, and the ceiling has a large number of plant-shaped decorative patterns. - Dissemination and influence: Baroque architecture spread around the world and blended with local characteristics. For example, it was introduced to China in the early 17th century and combined with traditional architecture to form "Chinese Baroque"; in Germany and Austria, it combined with local national architectural styles; in Russia, different styles such as Petrine Baroque and Naryshkin Baroque appeared; in the Ottoman Empire, it formed "Turkish Baroque" or "Ottoman Baroque".