St. ROCH

S. ROCCO
Largo S. Rocco/Piazza Augusto Imperatore 6

Eleventh century as S. Martino di Posterula
Rebuilt in the years 1499/1503 for Alexander VI Borgia (1492/1503) for the Confraternity of St. Roch, established precisely in 1499

It was dedicated to the French hermit St. Roch of Montpellier (about 1346-50/about 1376-79), protector of plague victims
In those same years a hospital and a chapel were also built adjacent to the church, eventually destroyed in 1938

It was transformed in the years 1644/80 by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95)

FAÇADE
1834 neoclassical masterpiece by Giuseppe Valadier (1762/1839), a tribute to façade of S. Giorgio Maggiore in Venice by the great architect Andrea Palladio (1508/80)

“He was the best architect of his time, but he did not have ideological assumptions or social programs. He had too much taste and sense of proportion not to understand that Rome is, basically, a Baroque city. Everywhere, in numerous and timely interventions, he grasped with finesse the tone the Rome of his time, papal and bourgeoisie. His ideal was balance, a syntactically well-articulated discourse, without emphasis and without vulgarity. This is demonstrated by what is perhaps his masterpiece, the façade of St. Roch, where he combined to perfection, fitting the pieces into each other, the central section all developed in height and the two lowered wings all developed in width” (Giulio Carlo Argan)

The two “Angels holding candles” on the façade were placed here in 1984

On the right side of the church was placed in 1821 the Hydrometer of Ripetta, a bas-relief column that measures the height of the flooding of the Tiber
The worst flooding reported here is the one in 1598 with a record of 4 m (13 feet) above the current level of road

In the attached obstetrician hospital, now no longer extant, were accepted pregnant women who wanted to remain anonymous: they entered veiled, their beds were separated by curtains and were identified by numbers
They were therefore described as the celate di S. Rocco (concealed of St. Roch). Their children ended up in an orphanage

The hospital was abolished in the late nineteenth century but this activity continued in the Ospedale S. Giovanni (St. John's Hospital)

VAULT OF THE CENTRAL NAVE
“Christ, St. Peter and other saints” by Achille Scaccioni (active 1858/65)

DOME
Painted by Vincenzo Pasqualoni (1819/80), a pupil of Tommaso Minardi
Dome and vault were carried out in the artistic period defined purist
Above the entrance organ of 1721

COUNTER FAÇADE
“Tomb of the master builder Vitelli” (patron of the façade by Valadier) by Giuseppe De Fabris (1790/1860)

1^st RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. FRANCIS OF PAOLA
Above the altar “Ecstasy of St. Francis of Paola” 1719 by Antonio Amorosi (1660/1738)

2^nd RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. JOSEPH
Above the altar “St. Joseph” 1912 by Giovanni Gagliardi (1838/1924), grandson of Pietro Gagliardi

3^rd CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Above the altar “St. Julian and St. Nicholas” by an unknown artist influenced by Carlo Maratta

TO THE RIGHT OF THE PRESBYTERY - CHAPEL OF OUR LADY OF GRACE
1655 masterpiece by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi for Urban VIII Barberini (1623/44) with influences Borromini

“The visitor can detect a likeness with the space of San Carlino by Borromini (the inspiration is evident even if this chapel is much smaller): the side walls constrict and dilate, the intricate design is repeated on the perimeter of the frame that has a strong overhang” (Rosanna Barbiellini Amidei)

In the dome “Assumption” by Giovanni Antonio Carosi (about 1600/about 1656)

ALTAR OF THE CRUCIFIX
Paintings by Ernesto Ballarini (1845/1922)

MAIN ALTAR
“St. Roch in glory with the Redeemer” 1674 by Giacinto Brandi (1621/91)
On the sides “St. Roch visit the plagued” and “St. Martin gives his cloak to the poor” 1885 by Cesare Mariani (1826/1901)

3^rd LEFT - CHAPEL OF St. ANTHONY OF PADUA
Above the altar “St. Anthony of Padua” about 1650 by Gregorio Preti (active in the seventeenth century), brother of Mattia Preti
Frescoes “Stories of St. Anthony” by the Genoese Francesco Rosa (active since 1674/d. 1687)

2^nd LEFT - CHAPEL OF THE NATIVITY
Above the altar “Nativity” second decade of the 1500s by Baldassare Peruzzi (1481/1536) badly damaged also by a restoration of the eighteenth century by Giovanni Odazzi

1^st CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Above the altar “St. Vincent Ferrer” 1721 by Antonio Gregolini (1675/1736)

SACRISTY
In the ceiling “Our Lady appears to St. Roch” maybe by Francesco Cozza (1605/82)
“Virgin Mary with Sts. Anthony Abbot and St. Roch and the Plague Victims” about 1660/65, first Roman masterpiece by G.B. Gaulli aka Baciccio (1639/1709)
“In the painting by Gaulli dominates the neo-venetian lesson of Nicolas Poussin. The vivid color range, the representation of 'feelings', even the poses of the characters, refer to prototypes common in the works by Poussin and Andrea Sacchi of the third decade of the century, as if the painter was trying independently to draw directly to the sources of Carlo Maratta” (Rosanna Barbiellini Amidei)

St. PANTALEON

S. PANTALEO

Piazza S. Pantaleo

Mentioned in the sources for the first time in 1186

Maybe restored in about 1216 by Honorius III Savelli (1216/27) who entrusted it to English prelates

Originally it had the orientation reversed, with entry from Piazzetta dei Massimi

Granted in 1614 by Paul V Borghese (1605/21) to St. Joseph Calasanz (1557/1648), founder of the Order of the Pious Schools, the first free public schools in Europe that he opened in 1567 near the church of S. Dorotea (St. Dorothy of Caesarea) in Trastevere

Reconstructed in two phases: 1681/82 and 1686/89 by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95) for Cardinal Gaspare Carpegna, with the orientation reversed

Last work of Giovanni Antonio De Rossi and his most accomplished piece of religious architecture, although maybe his initial project with a central plan had been rejected by the Order

“The architectural structure of S. Pantaleo is the expression of a first attempt to evolution, if not revolution, of Baroque poetry towards forms that are able to rationalize the means of expression, in the context of a classical language” (Gianfranco Spagnesi)

Dedicated to St. Panteaeon doctor of Nicomedia, martyr in the year 305. In Rome, the name changed to Pantaleo and he became the protector of the lotto players and he was an inspiration for winning numbers. The church was used for a long time for exorcisms

FAÇADE

1806 Giuseppe Valadier (1762/1839) for Prince Giovanni Torlonia with “Frieze with weapons and armor” by Pietro Aurelj

VAULT

Spectacular “Triumph of the Name of Mary” 1687/92 masterpiece by Filippo Gherardi (1643/1704)

Six years before starting this amazing fresco Filippo Gherardi had mourned the death of the painter Giovanni Coli (1636/81), his beloved partner, with whom he wanted to share the grave even though he died 23 years later

1^st RIGHT - CHAPEL OF THE CROSS

Sculptural group “Crucified Christ and Mary Magdalene” by an unknown artist of the eighteenth century and fresco with “Landscape”

2^nd RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. JOSEPH

Above the altar “Death of S. Joseph” about 1690 maybe by Sebastiano Ricci (1659/1734) with beautiful still life on the left

Inside the altar there are the relics of St. Flavian martyr

MAIN ALTAR

1763/67 designed by Nicola Salvi (1697/1751)

Redesigned and begun by Carlo Murena (1713/64)

Finished in 1802 by Giuseppe Valadier

Relief in stucco “St. Joseph Calasanz and the Scolopi Fathers attend the triumph of Our Lady” 1802 by Luigi Acquisti (1745/1823) with inserted “Madonna of the pious schools” given to the Scolopi Fathers in 1688

Urn containing the body of St. Joseph Calasanz by Carlo Murena

2^nd LEFT - CHAPEL OF St. PANTALEON

Above the altar “St. Pantaleon heals the sick” 1689 by Tommaso Caisotti copy from an original of Guido Reni

Inside the altar since 1995 body of blessed Pietro Casani

1^st LEFT - CHAPEL OF THE CONGREGATION OF St. ANNA

1740/46. Above the altar “Sts. Joachim and Anne with the Virgin Mary as a young girl” about 1750 Bartolomeo Bosi

SACRISTY

In the passageway of the entry “Tomb of Laudomia Brancaleone” d. 1577 daughter of Giovanni Brancaleone, the knight who led the Italians to victory in the challenge of Barletta in 1503

“Sts. Justus and Pastor” maybe by Cristoforo Roncalli aka Pomarancio (1552/1626) the only painting remaining of the original furnishings

ORATORY OF THE APPARITION

Decorated 1923/25 by Antonino Calcagnadoro (1876/1935)

ROOM OF St. JOSEPH CALASANZ

It is the room where he lived and died in 1648. Frescoes of the sixteenth century

St. MARTHA

S. MARTA

Piazza del Collegio Romano 5 - Sconsacrata

1546 with the adjoining monastery on the site of the ancient TEMPLE OF MINERVA FROM CHALCIDICE

Founded by S. Ignatius of Loyola to accommodate women badly married, or married women in public sin without fear of God and shameless of men who wanted to rehabilitate themselves

Renovated with the monastery in the years 1668/71 by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95) and 1671/96 by Carlo Fontana (1634/1714) who also designed the interior

“A masterpiece of improvisation is the church for the Augustinian of St. Martha at the Collegio Romano. It was a sixteenth-century church with a single nave that Fontana modified by adding the side chapels and raising the vault considerably. The interior decoration as well was probably designed by Fontana and executed by Leonardo Retti and G.B. Gaulli” (Helmut Hager - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Treccani)

FAÇADE

1852 by Luigi Poletti (1792/1869)

The property of the church passed to the Italian State in 1872. Since then it was used as barracks and military store

The MONASTERY is now the seat of the Rome Police First District

The CHURCH was saved in the sixties from being transformed into a the gym after a strong media campaign and now is home to conferences, conventions, exhibitions and concerts

It is owned by the Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities

VAULT

G.B. Gaulli aka Baciccio (1639/1709) with Paolo Albertoni (1670/after about 1695) and Girolamo Troppa (1630/after 1710) who also did the frescoes in the presbytery

Sculptures by Leonardo Retti (active 1670/1709)

St. MARY OF THE CONCEPTION IN THE CAMPUS MARTIUS

S. MARIA DELLA CONCEZIONE IN CAMPO MARZIO

Piazza Campo Marzio 45

About 750 when some Basilian nuns fled Constantinople with the body of St. Gregory of Nazianzus, now in the Vatican, and other relics, including the Madonna Avvocata (Virgin Mary Advocate) believed to have been painted by St. Luke himself

Pope St. Zechariah (741/752) granted to the nuns this church near which they built a monastery. According to tradition, the animals that carried the body of St. Gregory Nazianzus and the relics stopped in this spot

Rebuilt in the second half of 1500s by Giacomo Della Porta (1533/1602) and in the first half of 1600s by Carlo Maderno (1556/1629) and Francesco Peparelli (active since about 1626/d. 1641)

Completely transformed in Baroque style in the years 1668/85 by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95)

It is an Eastern Catholic Church of Syro-Antiochian rite

“This imposing Greek cross with an oval dome but without the drum is a masterpiece of the mature style of De Rossi. The way as the mass of the apse closes the view from Via della Maddalena is designed in the best tradition of the Roman Baroque style” (Rudolf Wittkower)

1^st CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT

On the altar “Nativity of the Virgin” maybe by Lazzaro Baldi (about 1624/1703) or one of his pupils

RIGHT ALTAR OF THE GREEK CROSS

Above the altar “Baptism of Jesus”

On the left “The Birth of St. John the Baptist” and on the right “Beheading of the Baptist” about 1690 by Pasquale Marini (about 1660/about 1712) a pupil of Carlo Maratta

“The painter from the Marche region shows a predilection for models of Pietro da Cortona especially in the beheading of St. John the Baptist. His approach is still grandiose and bombastic just like the great seventeenth-century altarpieces. In the canvas at the sides the emphasis of gestures and expressions is reconstructed in the balanced equilibrium of the whole” (Laura Possanzini)

2^nd CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT

Above the altar “St. Gregory of Nazianzus” 1686/87 by Luigi Garzi (1638/1721)

“To an essential and balanced approach he combines his personal visions of the early Baroque, as in the angel holding up the book. The dynamic action of light as well and the attention to realistic details denote a desire to broaden his cultural references both recalling Lanfranco's ideas and finding closer inspiration in Courtois or Brandi” (Laura Possanzini)

MAIN ALTAR

1708 Tommaso Mattei (1652/1726), a pupil of Carlo Fontana

“Icon of Our Lady Advocate” 1100/1200 from Constantinople

Our Lady looks at the viewer slightly turned to the right, with her right hand raised and her left hand to her chest to indicate that she intercedes for all those who are praying her

APSE

Frescoes in the middle “Immaculate Conception”, on the right “St. John the Evangelist”, and on the left “Isaiah” 1730 by Placido Costanzi (1702/59)

2^nd CHAPEL ON THE LEFT

On the altar “Bronze Crucifix”

Lateral paintings by artists of the school of Sebastiano Conca

On the left “Noli Me Tangere” and on the right “Penitent Magdalene” maybe by Giovanni Angelo Soccorsi

LEFT ALTAR OF THE GREEK CROSS

On the altar “Death of St. Benedict”

On the left “St. Benedict writing the rule” and on the right “Madonna and Child with St. Gertrude and Benedictine saints” 1685/88 masterpieces by Lazzaro Baldi (about 1624/1703)

“The Madonna and Child with Saints is one of the best results of the followers of Pietro da Cortona and anticipates aspects of eighteenth-century painting with a lot of great airiness effects. The three paintings are considered to be the 'second maturity of the artist's masterpieces' and the best example of a complete fusion between the styles of Cortona and Maratta” (Laura Possanzini)

1st CHAPEL ON THE LEFT

Above the altar “Deposition of Christ” of the second decade of the 1600s by Baccio Ciarpi (1574/1654)

“The attribution of Federico Zeri was accepted by all art historians: the position of the artist expresses the new formula of 'regulated mixing' implemented at the beginning of the seventeenth century in Rome through the experience of the painting style of Titian and Rubens compared with the style of Tuscan Mannerism” (Laura Possanzini)

CONVENT

During construction in 1777, it was found here the “Column of cipolin marble” now in Piazza di Spagna, near the Spanish Steps, and known as the Column of the Immaculate Conception

The “Painting on board with Christ blessing” about 1150 was also found and the “Last Judgement” with “Christ Pantocrator, Christ the Priest, Allegory of Earth and Sea, Hell and Heavenly Jerusalem with the patron Abbess Constance and her partner Benedetta” of the end of 1100s by Giovanni and Nicolò now in the Vatican Museums and maybe originally located on the counter façade of the Oratory of St. Gregory of Nazianzus

VISCARDI CELSI PALACE

PALAZZO VISCARDI CELSI

Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 18

End of 1500 for the Celsi family

FAÇADE renewed in 1678 by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95)

When the Celsi family finished in the early 1700s, it passed to the Viscardi family who changed the entire façade

Today it belongs to the Mercantili Bernetti family

RECTANGULAR COURTYARD

Ancient sculptures and a fountain composed of a “Strigillated sarcophagus with lion heads” that serves as a tank in which water flows from the mouth of a mask

ROOM WITH ARCHITECTURAL PERSPECTIVES

Beautifully painted by Giovanni Paolo Pannini (1691/1765)

“His importance consisted in the timely reception of the necessity, even in his specific genre, to break away from the drama and rhetoric of his predecessors of the seventeenth century, by means of a language that would be more agile and brilliant, implemented with a painting drive loose and mushy. The technical implementation is coupled, however, with taste of a man of theater, who knows how to make come alive his whims with the basic animation of human presence and of subsidiary details, informing the viewer of the memory or of the suggestions of a very much alive rapport, lived in direct contact with his views in the eternal city. His views, in fact, with their subtle balance between reality and fantasy, are always on a human scale, not taking the ever looming and impending timeless grandeur of Piranesi” (Giancarlo Sestieri)

PASOLINI DALL'ONDA PALACE

PALAZZO PASOLINI DALL'ONDA

Piazza Benedetto Cairoli 5

1598/1602 Carlo Maderno (1556/1629) for Onofrio Santacroce. Formerly known as PALAZZO SANTACROCE

Completed in the years 1630/40 by Francesco Peparelli (active since 1626/d. 1641)

1659/68 FAÇADE ON VIA DEI CATINARI by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95)

Since 1904 it belongs to the Pasolini family from Ravenna who opened their palace to the followers of Modernism

It is now divided into apartments and it is the seat of the library of the Italian-Latin American Institute

GALLERY

Frescoes by G.B. Ruggieri aka Battistino del Gessi (1606/40)

In another room “Biblical scenes” by Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi (1606/80) from Bologna

Cardinal Prospero Publicola Santacroce was the first to introduce tobacco in Rome which was called Santacroce Grass. The French ambassador in Portugal had planted it in the royal gardens of Lisbon and had him trying it in 1561

It was called Nicotine Grass and was thought to be a cure for many diseases so as to be known as Holy Grass

The Santacroce family could afford to build this building thanks to the proceeds of the tobacco trade

In the seventeenth century tobacco was strongly recommended to priests and nuns as an aid to repress the sexual desires even if not everyone encouraged its use: Innocent X Pamphilj (1644/55) came to threaten to excommunicate those who had smoked in the Basilica of St. Peter

NUÑEZ TORLONIA PALACE

PALAZZO NUÑEZ TORLONIA

Via Condotti 20

1658/60 Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95) maybe from a design of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598/1680) for the Marquis Nuñez

In 1806 it became the property of the Bonaparte family and here lived Napoleon's brother, Lucien Bonaparte, who had Raffaele Stern (1774/1820) to renovate the building

In 1842 it was bought by the Torlonia family who had Antonio Sarti (1797/1880) to restore and enlarge it

Marino Torlonia wanted to build the Hotel d'Inghilterra (Hotel England) in front of the building for his guests

It was again restored in 1989

MUTI BUSSI PALACE

PALAZZO MUTI BUSSI

Piazza Aracoeli 2

Begun at the end of 1500s by Giacomo Della Porta (1533/1602)

Completed in the years 1642/62 by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95)

At the beginning of the nineteenth century Cecilia Muti married Giulio Bussi originally from Orvieto and the names of the families were united until the end of the line in 1972

GAMBIRASI PALACE

PALAZZO GAMBIRASI

Via della Pace 8/12

1659 Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95) for the Confraternity of S. Giacomo agli Spagnoli, today church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore in Piazza Navona

De Rossi followed the directions of Pietro Berrettini aka Pietro da Cortona (1597/1669) who was renovating the nearby S. Maria della Pace and rearranging the open space in front of it

It passed in the eighteenth century to the Gambirasi family that had the roof terrace built

It became later property of the Institute of S. Maria dell'Anima who still owns it and largely rents it out

The architect Francesco Azzurri (1831/1901) lived and died here. He designed the Palace of the Republic of San Marino, the restoration of the Milvian Bridge and many other buildings in Rome

The 1961 movie Fantasmi a Roma (Ghosts in Rome) was shot here, directed by Antonio Pietrangeli with Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni and Eduardo De Filippo. The definitely spooky building adapted well to a story that had ghosts as chief characters

CAPRANICA PALACE

PALAZZO CAPRANICA

Piazza Capranica 101

1449/51 for Cardinal Domenico Capranica who incorporated existing buildings and the Chapel of St. Agnes

Along with Palazzo Venezia it is the first Roman Renaissance palace

Restored in about 1660 by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95)

The SECOND FLOOR was built at the beginning of the eighteenth century

Restructured in 1955 by Giuseppe Breccia Fratadocchi (1898/1955) for Pius XII Pacelli (1939/58). It was the architect was also rebuilt the Abbey of Monte Cassino

Chapel of St. Agnes

1775, rebuilt in 1955 by Giuseppe Breccia Fratadocchi

Panel “Madonna and Child with two saints and the Capranica cardinals” 1451 Antonio Aquili aka Antoniazzo Romano (about 1435-40/1508) and workshop

In the sacristy there is the Cappellina della Madonna (Small Chapel of the Virgin Mary) and the detached fresco “Madonna and Child” by Antonio Aquili aka Antoniazzo Romano and workshop

Almo Collegio Capranica

It plays a primary role in the education of the clergy and two of his former students have become popes: Benedict XV Della Chiesa (1914/22) and Pius XII Pacelli (1939/58)

The title of almo (which gives life) reminds of those teachers and students of the college who sacrificed their life near Porta S. Spirito to defend the pope during the sack of Rome in 1527

On the ground floor there is the CINEMA CAPRANICA one of the oldest auditoriums in Rome

BONAPARTE D'ASTE PALACE

PALAZZO BONAPARTE D'ASTE

Piazza Venezia 5/angolo Via del Corso

1658/65 Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95) for Giuseppe and Benedetto D'Aste

“Only the Borromini-inspired rounded corners and the pure, unorthodox arrangement in three rows, which includes the four sides are mildly progressive. All the decorations, including the curved pediments of the windows, are quite simple. Confidentiality and an immaculate sense of proportion are the virtues of this style. The intelligent fusion carried out by Rossi of the decorative details inspired by Pietro da Cortona and Francesco Borromini and the transformation of this into a personal idiom relatively light and pleasant foretold his important part in the development of the architecture of the eighteenth century” (Rudolf Wittkower)

In 1760 it was sold to the Marquis Ranuccini of Florence

From 1818 it belonged to Letizia Bonaparte, Napoleon's mother, who lived and died here in 1836

She notoriously used to peep through the famous corner balcony, known in Italian as mignano

In 1972 it became the property of the Assicurazioni d'Italia (Insurance of Italy)

ASTALLI PALACE

PALAZZO ASTALLI

Via S. Marco 8

Built at the end of 1500s for the Muti family

It was bought by the Astalli family who had it expanded from 1642 onwards by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95)

It was completed in 1698 after the De Rossi's death

In 1827 it became the seat of the Reverenda Fabbrica di S. Pietro (Reverend Factory of St. Peter's Basilica), the institution that takes care of St. Peter's Basilica

1930/32 significant changes that reduced the building: the façade of Via S. Marco was demolished and rebuilt further back for the widening of the street, the façade of Via Aracoeli was shortened and the roof terrace was rebuilt

On the front overlooking Via S. Marco now there are only seven windows whereas before 1930 there were ten

The great ballroom also ended up being destroyed, where memorable carnival dancing parties used to be held. Some frescoes were removed and are now kept in the Museum of Rome

ALTIERI PALACE

PALAZZO ALTIERI

Piazza del Gesù 49

1650/55 masterpiece by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95) with Mattia De Rossi (1637/95) for Cardinal G.B. Altieri

With the election of Emilio Altieri as Pope Clement X (1670/76) widening and completion by De Rossi with the purchase of adjacent houses, except that of a lady known as “Mrs. Bertha” who refused to sell her house to the pope and ended up having it surrounded and incorporated in the palace

Renewed later by Alessandro Speroni, Clemente Orlandi (1694/1775) and, in the years 1787/94, by Giuseppe Barberi (1746/1809) for the Paluzzi Albertoni family

“The rooms were architecturally and decoratively executed from projects and under the direction of Barberi, who tempered the eighteenth century style with a wonderful pre-neoclassical taste. For exquisite elegance, proportions, color harmony and refinement we do not know in Rome any example of a higher quality of interior architecture in the second half of the eighteenth century. The work (...) gives the idea of the balance, great inventive and artistic capability of Barberi, who, succeeded as architect of the Altieri to Clemente Orlandi, began work as early as February 1787, directing operations for seven years” (Andrea Busiri Vici - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Treccani)

It is currently a building occupied in part by the Italian Banking Association ABI, and by other two banks FINNAT and Banca Popolare di Novara, in part by private owners including descendents of the Altieri, whose direct line became extinct in 1955

Here lived the writer Carlo Levi

The actress Anna Magnani lived in the attic for 20 years and died there in 1974

STAIRCASE

Statue of “Barbarian prisoner” found at the Theatre of Pompey

ANTECHAMBER OF THE HALL

In the vault spectacular “Apotheosis of Romulus” 1676 by Domenico Maria Canuti (1626/84) in a quadrature by Enrico Haffner (1640/1702)

HALL OF THE HEARINGS OR OF THE CLEMENCY

In the vault “Triumph of Mercy” or sacred and Christian Rome accompanied by Peace and Virtue crowned by Honour during the reign of Clement X 1674/77 by Carlo Maratta (1625/1713)

“Maratta wished to restore the autonomous nature of the painted surface: once more the painting is framed in a clear and simple way. He also wanted to restore the autonomy of the individual figure. He returned to the classic principle of composing with a few figures and with an evenly lit palette that invites you to focus attention on the figure designed plastically, on its attitude and gestures. He almost abandons upside down perspectives, but, characteristic fact, he doesn't rediscover either the austere classicism of the set out framework of early Baroque. Moreover, his figures are themselves more baroque and less Raphael-like than he liked to believe. Maratta had gone quite forward towards the reconciliation of two opposing tendencies, the baroque and classical. He followed a nice middle ground” (Rudolf Wittkower)

APARTMENTS

Vaults and lunettes painted by Salvator Rosa (1615/73), Felice Giani (1758/1823), Cristoforo Unterberger (1732/98) and Francesco Cozza (1605/82)

ROOM OF THE MOSAIC

Cabinet in the apartment of Prince Paluzzo Altieri

In the vault painting “Apotheosis of Romulus” by Stefano Tofanelli (1752/1812)

Above the doors “Scene of the Rape of the Sabines” of four important painters of the second half of 1700s: Giuseppe Cades (1750/99), Francesco Manno (1752/1831), Anton von Maron (1733/1808) and Antonio Cavallucci (1752/95)

On the floor “Mosaic of Mars and Rhea Silvia” found in Ostia Antica in 1783

HALL OF MIRRORS

In the vault “Chariot of the Sun” 1675 by Fabrizio Chiari (about 1615/95) and paintings by Giuseppe Cades and Salvator Rosa

“Landscapes” 1794/95 by Giuseppe Barberi (1746/1809) and Francesco Di Capua

LIBRARY

Now it is the Altieri family archive

“Bust of Pope Clement X” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598/1680) with spectacular curtain stucco supported by angels in flight by Giacomo Filippo Schor son of Giovanni Paolo Schor

CARAVITA ORATORY

ORATORIO DEL CARAVITA

Via del Caravita 8

1630/33, for the Jesuit Father Pietro Gravita

The oratory was dedicated to St. Francis Xavier co-founder, with S. Ignatius of Loyola, of the Jesuit Order

It was restructured in 1670/77 probably by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95) and restored in the second half of 1800s

Father Gravita was authorized in 1618 to build an oratory in the Collegio Romano (Roman College) for meetings of the Congregation of the Most Holy General Communion of Urban Mission

The congregation was so successful that in 1630 Gravita was authorized to build a new oratory in the area of the destroyed church of S. Nicholas and Forbitoribus

The acoustic properties of the hall are perfect and it was used for concerts and religious plays

On the death of Father Gravita in 1658 the oratory took its current name “Caravita” due to his name being corrupted

ATRIUM

Vault with frescoes “Triumph of the Eucharist” and “Stories of St. Ignatius” about 1671/73 by the pupil of Pietro da Cortona Lazzaro Baldi (about 1624/1703) with assistants. They were heavily repainted in the nineteenth century

On the left “Wooden cross” of the sixteenth century

Above the atrium SMALL ROOM OF THE ANGELS meeting room for students congregated in the College called “the angels”, with frescoes of “Saints” of the eighteenth century by Gaetano Sortini (1715/86) and Odoardo Vicinelli (1683/1755) and stucco reliefs “Allegories” 1745/46 by G.B. Maini (1690/1752)

ORATORY

Vault

“Jesus adored by Sts. Francis Xavier, G.B. De Rossi and Leonardo da Porto Maurizio”

Walls frescoed in the second half of the nineteenth century

Main Altar

Canvas: “Holy Trinity and St. Francis Xavier”, on the left “Archangel Michael” and on the right “Guardian Angel” painted in mid-1800 even if some incredibly attribute them to Sebastiano Conca (1680/1764)

“Madonna of Mercy” maybe by Baldassare Peruzzi (1481/1536) from the church of S. Rocco