Short answers, pulled from the story.
Baroque architecture first emerged in Rome during the late 16th century as a calculated weapon in a spiritual war. The Catholic Church initiated this style to counter the Protestant Reformation and inspire collective awe through a new language of stone. This movement began in the 1500s and quickly spread across Europe to become a dominant architectural force.
The High Baroque period, spanning from 1625 to 1675, saw the rise of three titans of the style: Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Francesco Borromini, and Pietro da Cortona. Bernini was appointed chief Papal architect by Pope Urban VIII in 1629 and transformed Rome into an enormous theater. Borromini designed San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane between 1634 and 1646, while Cortona painted the immense Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power on the ceiling of the Barberini Palace.
French Baroque architecture prioritized dignity over drama, using symmetry and classical proportions to project the absolute power of the Sun King. The Académie royale d'architecture was founded in 1671 to codify this new French Baroque style, which was more ordered and classical than its Italian counterpart. The Palace of Versailles, constructed between 1668 and 1678 by Louis Le Vau and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, became the model for palaces across Europe.
Dutch Baroque architecture favored sobriety, balance, and clarity, shaped by the cultural and religious climate of the seventeenth century. Brick was the dominant material, often combined with natural stone accents to reinforce both durability and visual restraint. Civic buildings, town halls, and private residences exemplified this style, with the Royal Palace of Amsterdam standing as one of its most prominent monuments.
The Baroque style was imported into Latin America in the 17th century by the Spanish and Portuguese, particularly by the Jesuits for the construction of churches. In Mexico, the Zacatecas Cathedral featured a lavishly sculpted facade and twin bell towers, while the Metropolitan Tabernacle of the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral was built by Lorenzo Rodríguez between 1749 and 1760. The Churrigueresque style became a hallmark of Spanish American Baroque, with buildings nearly overwhelmed by the ornament of gilded wood and gigantic twisting columns.
At the heart of Baroque architecture was the deliberate use of visual and theatrical effects designed to amaze and awe the viewer. Domes were a common feature, their interiors often painted with a sky filled with angels and sculpted sunbeams, suggesting glory or a vision of heaven. Quadratura, the use of trompe-l'œil painting combined with sculpture, gave the illusion of three dimensions and of looking through the ceiling to the heavens.