Biography

Johann Blasius (Jan Blazej, Giovanni) Santini Aichel (Santin Eichel), Bohemian architect of Italian origin. He became a painter first, but from 1700 he devoted himself to architecture. In 1705 he became a Lesser Town burgher in Prague and also a member of the builders' guild.

He was influenced by local architects such as Jean Baptiste Mathey (after his death he took over some of his projects and joined his collaborators) and Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. He was greatly influenced by his journey to Rome where got acquainted with the work of Borromini.

Santini worked mainly for church orders (Benedictines, Premonstratensians), less for the nobility. His constructions are characterized by a great variety and an effort to find new solutions. He elaborated an original form of the so-called Baroque Gothic style, a way of coping with the local historical tradition. Central location with swapping of materials is one of his signature styles.