Francesco de Sanctis (architect)

Francesco De Sanctis (* 1679 in Rome, † ibid 1731, according to other sources until 1740) was an Italian architect of the Baroque.

Little has been handed down over the life of Francesco De Sanctis. His most famous building is the built 1723-1726 Spanish Steps in Rome, leading up from the Piazza di Spagna to the French national church Trinita dei Monti at the Pinciohügel. De Sanctis had in 1721 with its staircase design at one of Pope Clement XI. ausgelobten competition against Alessandro Specchi enforced. Upon completion, the system 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII. inaugurated. The stairs of concave and convex sequential stages, steps and patio plants, inhibited and accelerated again by striking turns, is one of the most famous outdoor staircases in the world. It begins with a central rise and two parallel lateral runs. Take all three for a third of the slope on a first terrace together, only to separate again and wrap around the second terrace wall. It follows a narrowing central east, the shares before the last terrace wall again and finally leads to the church of Trinità dei Monti. This tripartite division of the stairs, De Sanctis was referring to the church dedicated to the Holy Trinity on the mountain.

His second known work is the 1722 to 1723 built elegant concave main facade of the Roman church of the Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, where he was inspired by the facade of San Marcello al Corso Church of Carlo Fontana. Francesco De Sanctis, in turn, has influenced the work of the Sicilian architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini.