Founded in
the Middle Ages on the house where Pope St. Gregory the Great (590/604) had
established in the year 575 a monastery dedicated to St. Andrew
It is also
known as S. GREGORIO AL CELIO (St. Gregory on Celium Hill) or Ss.
Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio (Sts. Andrew and Gregory on Celium Hill)
FAÇADE
1629/33
masterpiece by G.B. Soria (1581/1651) who
renovated the exterior of the church for Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese
(1577/1633), nephew of Pope Paul V (1605/21)
“Not taking
advantage of the variety and spatial complexity emerging from the drawings of
his master G.B. Montano, Soria remained anchored to a composed late
sixteenth-century classicism, using the scheme with a double row of pilasters
or the slight overhang of the central bodies with a balanced spectacular taste”
(Enciclopedia Treccani)
ATRIUM
1642 by G.B. Soria
“Tomb of
the Bonsi brothers” about 1490 by Luigi Capponi
(active end of 1400s/beginning of 1500s)
“Tomb of
Lelio Guidiccioni” in place of the tomb of the courtesan Imperia whose
tombstone was thrown away. She had been buried here in 1511 at the behest of
the banker Agostino Chigi (1466/1520) her lover
1725/34 by Francesco
Ferrari (active in Rome 1721/44)
“Architect
not particularly original, he belongs to the large group of followers of Carlo Fontana, who worked mainly in the
restoration of the ancient churches of Rome, in line with the main objective of
the papal building policy of the first half of the eighteenth century, after
the grandiose projects of the seventeenth century” (Susanna Misiano - Dizionario Biografico degli
Italiani Treccani)
“Triumph
of Faith”
1727 by Placido Costanzi (1702/59)
Made by the
Cosmati family, restored in 1745
1st
CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Altarpiece “St.
Benedict inspired by the Holy Spirit, appears to Sts. Sylvia and Gregory as a
child” 1749 rare work by the Englishman John Parker, pupil of
Marco Benefial
TO THE
RIGHT OF THE 1st CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT - ROOM OF St. GREGORY THE GREAT
2nd
CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Above the
altar “St.
Peter Damian” by Francesco Mancini
(1679/1758)
3rd
CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Above the
altar “St.
Romuald” by Francesco Fernandi aka
l'Imperiali (1679/1740)
Altar
frontal with three bas-reliefs “Thirty
masses of St. Gregory the Great” about 1490 by Luigi Capponi (active end of 1400s/beginning of 1500s)
In the
predella “St Michael submits Lucifer”, “Apostles” and “Sts. Anthony Abbot and
Sebastian” about 1490 by the Umbrian school
Altarpiece “St.
Gregory the Great” about 1625 by Sisto
Badalocchio (1585/1645)
“Marble
seat” of the
first century BC
“Madonna
with Sts. Andrew and Gregory” 1734 by Antonio
Balestra (1666/1740) from Verona
“Rarely an
artist was so much esteemed by his contemporaries as Balestra was: his
classicizing painting style in fact coincided with the dominant academic taste.
Modern criticism has however given a rather restrictive judgment, recognizing
more historical significance than a poetic validity, for having helped bringing
in the Veneto region, at the time closed in traditional and provincial forms of
art, Roman culture, which did not fail to have repercussions also for Piazzetta
and for the young Tiepolo” (Maria Angela Novelli - Dizionario Biografico degli
Italiani Treccani)
The left nave
leads to the SALVIATI CHAPEL
Built on a
design by Francesco Capriani aka Francesco da Volterra
(1535/94) and completed in the year 1600 by Carlo
Maderno (1556/1629)
On the
right fresco “Madonna and Child” which, according to tradition, would have
spoken to St. Gregory
On the left
“Marble Ciborium” for the bread and wine of the Eucharist, 1496 by Andrea Bregno (1418/1503) and assistants
The chapel
is currently used for Masses with the Byzantine Rite by the Romanian
community in Rome
3rd
CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Above the
altar “Immaculate
Conception” by Francesco Mancini
(1679/1758)
“Madonna
with Saints and Blessed belonging to the Gabrielli family from Gubbio” 1739 by Pompeo
Batoni (1708/87)
1st
CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Above the
altar “St.
Michael” by G.B. Ponfreni
(1714/95) a pupil of Marco Benefial
Cardinal
Cesare Baronio promoted the construction of three Oratories next to the church
in the years 1602/08:
Oratorio di S. Andrea
Oratory
of St. Andrew
In the middle
Restored
for Cardinal Baronio in the years 1607/08 until his death in 1608
The
restoration was completed along with the other two oratories with the direction
of Flaminio Ponzio (1560/1613) for Cardinal
Scipione Caffarelli Borghese (1577/1633)
Monochrome
frescoes “St.
Sylvia” and “St.
Gregory” 1608 by Giovanni Lanfranco
(1582/1647)
On the right
Fresco “Flagellation
of St. Andrew” 1608 by Domenico Zampieri aka Domenichino (1581/1641)
On the left
Fresco “St.
Andrew led to torture” 1608 by Guido
Reni (1575/1642)
“In the
first large fresco by Reni there is a lack of dramatic concentration and
dispersion in the composition, which as it allows the eye to dwell with
pleasure on certain passages of excellent painting quality, it distracts
however from the real story. How is clearly organized Domenichino instead! Yet
just compare the figure of the servant seen from behind in both the frescoes to
realize the superior artistic ability of Reni” (Rudolf Wittkower)
Painting “Virgin
Mary with Sts. Andrew and Gregory” 1602/03 by Cristoforo Roncalli aka Pomarancio (1552/1626)
On the
sides monochrome frescoes “St.
Peter” and “St.
Paul” by Guido Reni
Oratorio di S. Silvia
Oratory
of St. Sylvia
On the right
S. Sylvia
was the mother of St. Gregory and this oratory was probably built on the site
of her tomb
Erected in
the years 1602/06 for Cardinal Cesare Baronio, the only oratory of three
non-preexisting
ABOVE THE
ENTRANCE
Pediment in
marble with mosaic of the fourteenth century
Wooden
ceiling 1608
Fresco “Concert
of Angels for the heavenly glory of St. Sylvia” 1608/09
masterpiece by Guido Reni (1575/1642) and Sisto Badalocchio (1585/1645)
Statue “S.
Sylvia” 1603/04 by Nicolas Cordier
(1567/1612)
Stained glasses by Jacopo
Bissoni
Oratorio di S. Barbara
Oratory
of St. Barbara
On the left
Also known
as Oratory of the Triclinium since it was built on the remains of a
Roman insula (apartment block) with tabernae (shops) dating to
the first or second century AD
Restored at
the behest of Cardinal Cesare Baronio
IN THE APSE
Marble
statue “St.
Gregory” 1602 by Nicolas Cordier
(1567/1612)
IN THE
CENTER
“Table
in marble”
of the third century AD on which tradition says that St. Gregory used to serve
lunch for twelve poor men. One
day a thirteenth guest appeared, an angel, to whom St. Gregory served to eat
all the same
In memory
of this event every Holy Thursday until 1870 the popes used to serve food to
twelve poor men
It appears
that superstition relating to eat in thirteen would have come from this
tradition: one would not want to repeat what had happened for the divine will
ON THE
WALLS
Frescoes
“Stories
of Sts. Augustine and Gregory” and “Saints”
1602 by Antonio Viviani aka il Sordo (1560/1620),
a pupil of Federico Fiori aka Barocci
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