S. MARIA IN AQUIRO
Ancient
foundation maybe in the early fifth century in consequence of the cult of
Mary's divine motherhood being sanctioned by the Council of Ephesus in the year
431
The Council
of Ephesus considered a heresy the so-called Nestorianism advocated by
Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople, according to which Jesus lived together
in two distinct persons, a divine and a human one. According to Nestorius, Mary
was only the mother of Jesus as man and not as God
The church
is mentioned in the sources for the first time in the year 740 when Gregory III
(731/741) had it rebuilt longer and wider. It occupied the area of the central
nave of the present church
It was
granted in 1540 to the Confraternita degli Orfani (Brotherhood of
Orphans)
Rebuilt in
the years 1590/1620 by Francesco Capriani aka Francesco
da Volterra (1535/94) for Cardinal Antonio Maria Salviati and then,
after the death of Francesco da Volterra, by Carlo
Maderno (1556/1629) and his collaborator Filippo
Breccioli (1574/after 1627)
It was
consecrated in 1728
It was
built on the site of the BASILICA OF MATIDIA which, with the BASILICA OF
MARCIANA (on Via dei Pastini) encompassed the TEMPLE
OF MATIDIA in the area of Piazza Capranica
The
church's name comes from a noble benefactor named Cyrus (a Cyro, meaning
from Ciro)
It is
officiated since 1826 by the Somascan Fathers
Designed by
Carlo Maderno and Filippo
Breccioli
It was
completed in the upper part in 1774 by Pietro Camporese
the Elder (1726/81)
INTERIOR
Completely
renovated in the years 1861/66 by Luca Carimini
(1830/90) and decorated by Cesare Mariani
(1826/1901)
VAULT
Decorations in chiaroscuro by Giuseppe Masella
“Evangelists”
and “Angels” lunettes with “Stories of the Virgin Mary” and DOME by Cesare Mariani
“The whole
decoration of the nave, the vault and the dome is stylistically inspired by the
academic purist neo-sixteenth century canon. It is intended to celebrate the
theme of the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, declared in 1854 a dogma
of the Catholic Church” (Costanza Barbieri)
1st
CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Renewed in
1866 by Raffaele Francisci
On the
altar “Martyrdom of St. Sebastian” by an unknown artist of the early
seventeenth century
On the
sides “Gravestones of Francesco Rota and Maria Cianchi” patrons of the chapel
in neo-Renaissance style
2nd
RIGHT - CHAPEL OF THE CROSS
“Seventeenth-century
polychrome wooden Crucifix”
Paintings
on the walls and “Glory of St. Jerome Miani” in the vault by Carlo Gavardini from Pesaro
3rd
RIGHT - CHAPEL OF THE ANNUNCIATION or FERRARI
Cycle of “Life
of the Virgin Mary” with “Saints” and “Allegorical figures” 1614/17 by the
Venetian Carlo Saraceni (1579/1620), carried out
with the experimental technique of oil on wall which was favorited by the Venetian
painters but which has also affected the preservation of the work
“In the
Birth of the Virgin one perceives the mystery of the birth of Mary 'sine
macula' (without stain) according to the 'immaculate' movement very strong,
especially among people in Rome connected with Spanish people in the early
seventeenth century, not recognized theologically, but very much felt in the
current devotion.'The architecture so simple, yet complex with light and
foreshortening, creates different levels of events, and it seems it is possible
to see in the background the interior of a church, an ancient allusion to Mary
'ecclesia' (church)” (Maria Giulia Aurigemma)
RIGHT
TRANSEPT - CHAPEL OF St. JOSEPH LABRE
St. Joseph
Labre (1748/83) was a Franciscan saint who used to come here to pray. He was
beatified in 1860
Paintings
from the nineteenth century:
Altarpiece “St.
Joseph Labre, Virgin Mary and the Holy Trinity” by Vincenzo
Pasqualoni (1819/80)
On the
sides “Angels” by Ettore Grandi
Oval and
the side walls by Pietro Gagliardi (1809/90)
TO THE LEFT
DOOR OF SACRISTY
“Tomb of
Niccolò Modetti” 1872 with sculpture by Stefano
Galletti (1832/1905), a pupil of Pietro Tenerani
MAIN ALTAR
1866 in
polychrome marble with relics of the martyrs Emiliano, Felicissimo and
Fortunato
In the
aedicula “Virgin Mary and Child with St. Stephen” precious image by an anonymous Roman artist follower of Pietro Cavallini, formerly in the demolished nearby church of S.
Stefano del Trullo
LEFT
TRANSEPT - CHAPEL OF St. JEROME MIANI
St. Jerome
Miani (1486/1537) was the founder of the Somascan Fathers
On the
altar “St. Jerome Miani presents the orphans to the Virgin Mary” by Cesare Mariani (1826/1901)
On the
sides canvases: on the right “Liberation of St. Jerome Miani” and on the left “Miracle
of the Water” by Pietro Gagliardi (1809/90)
“Tomb of the Marquise Nicoletta Puccetti” 1869
by Carlo Chelli (1807/77) from Carrara
“Cenotaph of Maria Belli Modetti” 1874 by Stefano Galletti (1832/1905)
3rd
LEFT - CHAPEL OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES
Friezes and
paintings by Domenico D'Alessandro, designed by Salvatore Bianchi (1821/84)
On the
sides canvas “Homage to the Immaculate Virgin” and “The Healing of the sick”
1931 by Aurelio Mariani (1863/1939) from
Velletri
2nd
LEFT - CHAPEL OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST
Above the
altar “Lamentation over the Dead Christ” about 1635 maybe by Mastro Jacomo
On the
right “Flagellation” maybe by Gerrit Van Honthorst aka
Gherardo Delle Notti (1590/1656)
On the left
“Crown of Thorns” about 1635/40 maybe by Trophime Bigot
(about 1579/1649)
Vault and
lunettes “Five Stories of the Passion of Christ” about 1635 by G.B. Speranza (about
1600/40)
ON THE PIER
IN FRONT OF THE CHAPEL
“Tomb of
Count Carlo Montecatini, d. 1699” Archbishop of Chalcedon, maybe by Domenico Guidi (1625/1701)
1st
LEFT - CHAPEL OF THE GUARDIAN ANGEL
On the
altar “Guardian Angel” 1867 by Ippolito Zapponi
Statues of “St.
Peter” and “St. Paul” by Domenico D'Amico
Pius
Institute of St. Mary in Aquiro
To the right of the church
1591 Filippo Breccioli (1574/after 1627) designed by Carlo Maderno (1556/1629)
It embeds
the structure of the ancient TEMPLE
OF MATIDIA
FRONT
TOWARD THE SQUARE
1840 Pietro Camporese the Younger (1792/1873)
Among the works of art housed in the building:
“Immaculate
Conception” about 1585 by G.B. Fiammeri (about 1541/1617)
“Virgin
Mary of the Annunciation” and “Angel of the Annunciation”, “Rest on the Flight
into Egypt” 1729 and “Crucifixion” all paintings by Placido
Costanzi (1702/59)
