Friday, January 18, 2019

St. JOHN THE BAPTISTOF THE GENOESE PEOPLE

S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA DEI GENOVESI
1482/83 with the adjacent and now discontinued hospital
It was built according to the testament of the noble Genoese Meliaduce Cicala near the port of Ripa Grande for sick or needy sailors
Rebuilt in 1737
Restored 1843/76
National Church of the Genoese in Rome

It was rebuilt in 1864 by Francesco Cellini

TO THE RIGHT
“St. George” 1696 by Filippo Zucchetti (active in the years 1694/1712) from Rieti
“Two columns of porphyry” maybe brought here from the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls after the fire of 1823

FURTHER ON TO THE RIGHT
“Funeral Monument of Meliaduce Cicala” d. 1481 by the school of Andrea Bregno (1418/1503)
Originally it was located at the bottom of the left wall and when it was reassembled here the statues of St. John the Baptist and St. Catherine of Alexandria were probably reversed. They are now turning towards the exterior of the monument instead of toward the Virgin Mary

IN THE 5th COLUMN ON THE RIGHT
“Tombstone” reminiscent of the first palm tree imported to Rome and planted here in 1588 by a man from Savona

APSE
Painting “St. Zachary, St. John the Evangelist, St. Elizabeth with Faith and Charity” 1899 by Mario Spinetti
MAIN ALTAR
1876 Luca Carimini (1830/90) with “Two columns of porphyry” maybe also from the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
On the altar “Baptism of Christ” about 1625 by the French artist Nicolas Régnier (1591/1667)
To the left “Tabernacle of the holy oils” end of the fifteenth century by an anonymous Florentine artist

LEFT ALTAR
“Apparition of the Virgin of Savona” by Giovanni Odazzi (1663/1731)

CHAPEL OF St. CATHERINE FIESCHI ADORNO
1728/40 by the Marquis G.B. Pittaluga who financed it and designed it
On the altar “Transit of St. Catherine Fieschi Adorno”
In the vault “Glory of St. Catherine Fieschi Adorno”
Two side panels in gray monochrome with “Stories from the Life of St. Catherine Fieschi Adorno” and four oval green monochrome with “Cardinal Virtues” all works by the Roman Odoardo Vicinelli (1683/1755)

CLOISTER
End of the fifteenth century maybe by Baccio Pontelli (about 1450/92)
It is one of Rome's most beautiful cloisters. Here are kept some architectural fragments of the original church

ORATORY
Frescoes “Stories of the Virgin and St. John the Baptist” beginning of the seventeenth century discovered after the restoration of 1975
“The frescoes on the walls of the oratory are a peculiar problem of attribution: it is a work, probably, of more than one artist, one more rough and popular, another one able to express some noble suggestions. They are dated to the beginning of the seventeenth century, but they refer (especially the Stories of the Virgin) both in the decorative plan and in the manneristic cut of some scenes, to themes of the previous century interpreted in a pleasant and lively way. The cycle in the lunettes, with stories of John the Baptist, is also the work of a painter active at provincial level, but who does not ignore certain results of contemporary figurative culture which, at least in the scenes and the Preaching and of the Beheading inspired him to obtain a dignified artistic style” (Website of the Confraternita di S. Giovanni Battista dei Genovesi - www.confraternita- sgbg.it)

St. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI

S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA DE' ROSSI
1938/40 Tullio Rossi (1903/97)
Frescoes in the nave “Twelve Apostles” by D. Duili
APSE
“St. John Baptist de Rossi in glory between two angels” 1945 by Alessandro Missori
In the church there is the tomb of St. John Baptist de' Rossi (1698/1764)

St. JOHN AT THE LATIN GATE

S. GIOVANNI A PORTA LATINA
End of fifth century
Repeatedly transformed and restored
In 1190 Celestine III Orsini (1191/98) had the relics of Sts. Gordian and Epimachus placed under the altar
In the years 1940/41 the church was stripped of the Baroque decorations
“The current building, in spite of the too drastic restorations, is essentially a well-preserved basilica, of a type that Krautheimer (1980) sees characteristic of a group of parish churches (S. Stefano del Cacco, S. Salvatore in Onda) already since the end of the eleventh century, and that at Porta Latina it appears even in a convent church. The Romanesque masonry is considered by Krautheimer similar to that of St. Clement, therefore of the first decades of the twelfth century. One would have to conclude that the architectural renovation was earlier than the time of the dedication, perhaps to bring back to the period (1144) in which the church is to join the Lateran Chapter, and that the placement of the relics of Gordian and Epimachus and the subsequent consecration would mark the end of a vast work of renewal of the church” (Serena Romano)
At the end of the sixteenth century a group of Portuguese men had founded in the church, abandoned at the time, a gay fraternity
They used to celebrate gay marriage during which they would take communion, read the gospel of the wedding and then they would sleep and dwell together in the premises
Gable end with palm leaves, lilies and roses globe (coat of arms of the patron) from the nearby Oratory of S. Giovanni in Oleo 1658 by Francesco Borromini (1599/1667) for Cardinal Francesco Paolucci

Two rows of five ancient columns each: the first two made out of pavonazzetto marble from Turkey, the others of cipolin marble and granite
“The basilica is characterized by a sense of recovery of the ancient, which is the main theme of the culture of the twelfth century and here is revealed above all in the use of ancient columns with Ionic capitals (four really beautiful, to support the round arches in the portico and ten in the nave) but also in the relief with scrolls and small heads adapted as step in the chancel” (Serena Romano)
Important fresco cycle “46 scenes from the Old and New Testament” about 1190

PRESBYTERY
Frescoes “Symbols of the Evangelists” and “The 24 Elders of the Apocalypse” about 1190
Floor of the presbytery in opus sectile with colored marbles
“The cycle of Porta Latina is a very important milestone in the group so called 'Umbrian-Roman' of the testamentary cycles. (...) Each cycle of this group combines common traits, especially iconographic, with particular characteristics, and certainly, from the point of view of style, each of them was done a different workshop: and the one of Porta Latina appears attentive to elaborations from the classicist and antiquarian heritage, whose elements are preserved and handed down especially through the decorative repertoire and the systems of fiction and architectural illusion” (Serena Romano)

Thursday, January 17, 2019

St. GEORGE IN VELABRO

S. GIORGIO IN VELABRO
It was a diaconia in the fifth/sixth century
A diaconia was an establishment for the care of the poor and distribution of the church's charity in the Middle Ages
The Liber Pontificalis mentions the church as founded by Leo II (682/684) with a dedication to St. Sebastian
Rebuilt under Pope Gregory IV (827/844)
Renovated in porch and other areas in the late twelfth/early thirteenth century, same period when the bell tower was built
The GATE dates back to 1665
In 1923/26 Antonio Muñoz (1884/1960) deleted the Baroque additions
On the night between 27 and 28 July 1993 a terrorist attack destroyed the porch with about 100 kg (220 pounds) of explosives
On the same night another explosion damaged the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Twenty-two people in total were injured. These attacks were seen as a warning to the Pope who just earlier had spoken in Sicily against the mafia
Sixteen ancient columns all different of Luni marble, pavonazzetto marble from Turkey and gray granite

Frescoes “Jesus, Virgin Mary, Sts. Peter, George and Sebastian” maybe by Pietro de' Cerroni aka Pietro Cavallini (about 1240/about 1325) with restorations of the sixteenth century

Seventh century

St. JOACHIM

S. GIOACCHINO
1891/98 Raffaele Ingami (1838/1908) for the priestly jubilee of Pope Leo XIII Pecci (1878/1903)
Dedicated to the father of the Virgin Mary who was called Joachim just like Leo XIII
“The overabundance and at the same time the extreme refinement of the decoration, the innovative structural choices, although strictly concealed, and the particularity of the friezes in cast iron for the facing of the decorations, more frequently used in contemporary architecture north of the Alps, were bitterly criticized by contemporaries as manifestations of the most extreme and frenetic eclecticism (Angeli)” (Raffaella Catini - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Treccani)
“It should be noted the attempt to use (and not always in a bad way) those teachings of the baroque art that had been abandoned only a few years before. The taste for the double domes, for the richness and variety of ornaments, anti-academic for the most part, won't perhaps grant this church a place of respect in the treaties of art history, but will justify a little attention from both the Romanists who want to know every hidden corner of their city, and those who want to delve into the world a bit mysterious of art during the transition between the last century and the current one, that is to say, one of the most ambiguous and difficult periods” (Luciano Zeppegno)
The church is oriented towards south - southeast and is designed to let in the sunlight from the rose window of the façade to shine on the Eucharistic throne on the altar exactly every 22 December, the day of the winter solstice
Among the artists who worked in the church:
Eugenio Cisterna (1862/1933), Silvio Galimberti (1869/1956), Giovanni Gagliardi (1838/1924) a nephew of Pietro Gagliardi, Attilio Palombi (c. 1860/1913), Cesare Cappabianca (active at the beginning of XX century)


Skeleton in iron and aluminum cover

In the spandrels of the arches carved medallions with “Apostles” by the Sicilian Michele Tripisciano (1860/1913) who sculpted the Monument to Gioacchino Belli in Piazza Mastai and worked for S. Andrea della Valle with Virginio Monti

 FOURTEEN CHAPELS
Representatives of fourteen Catholic nations who donated funds for the construction of the church:
Brazil, Portugal, Bavaria, Poland, Canada, England, USA, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Ireland and Argentina

TO THE RIGHT OF THE APSE
The largest chapel dedicated to Spain in 1908 by Carlo Busiri Vici (1856/1925)

St. JAMES IN SETTIGNANO

S. GIACOMO IN SETTIGNANO
Known since the eleventh century
It is also known as S. GIACOMO ALLA LUNGARA
The name Settignano comes from the nearby Porta Settimiana

BELL TOWER
Built in the thirteenth century
It's the only old bell tower with a single window in Rome
Completely renovated in 1643 by Luigi Arrigucci (1575/after 1643) for Cardinal Francesco Barberini
Restored in 1901
Near this church a miracle of S. Francesca Romana happened: she healed a poor sick woman named Angiolella
In the presbytery on the right remarkable “Funerary monument of Ippolito Merenda”, consistorial lawyer, about 1640/41 designed and created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598/1680)

MAIN ALTAR
Altarpiece “St. James” maybe by Giovanni Francesco Romanelli (1610/62) from Viterbo, a pupil of Pietro da Cortona

St. JAMES IN AUGUSTA

S. GIACOMO IN AUGUSTA
1592/94 by Francesco Capriani aka Francesco da Volterra (1535/94) for Cardinal Antonio Maria Salviati
After Francesco da Volterra's death it was completed in 1600 by Carlo Maderno (1556/1629) who also designed the two twin bell towers on either side of the apse, a unique and distinctive arrangement in Rome
The FAÇADE was designed in the upper part by Carlo Maderno, in the lower part by Francesco da Volterra
It was designed with a clear inspiration from the façade of the Chiesa del Gesù (Church of Jesus) by Giacomo Della Porta
The name indicated the proximity of the church to the Mausoleum of Augustus
It was part of the complex of the Ospedale S. Giacomo (St. James' Hospital) for terminally ill patients, with the exception of those with leprosy and plague. Most of the patients were syphilitic
1861/63 interior restoration work by Gaetano Morichini
1910 faux marble wall cladding

Francesco da Volterra had planned a central hole inspired by the Pantheon, but for static reasons, Carlo Maderno built a roof truss over the great dome
“In the construction of the dome, buttressed by large volutes, the professional probity and technical rigor of Carlo Maderno, acquired in long apprenticeship alongside Domenico Fontana, shine brightly. However, the desire for consistency with the part of the church already built by Francesco da Volterra makes it impossible to experiment new ideas” (Paolo Portoghesi)
“Glory of St. James” 1861/63 by Silverio Capparoni (1831/1907), a pupil of Francesco Podesti who had to intervene to protect him from the negative criticism
It seems that the pope himself Pius IX Mastai-Ferretti (1846/78) had commented when he saw for the first time the painting: “Even the Incurable have their Paradise” in reference to the name of the St. James' Hospital, also known as the Hospital for Incurable Diseases, or for syphilitic

ROUND ROOM TO THE RIGHT OF THE ENTRANCE – BAPTISTERY
Above the altar “Resurrection” about 1601/03 by Cristoforo Roncalli aka Pomarancio (1552/1626), clearly influenced by the Fall of St. Paul by Caravaggio in S. Maria del Popolo
“Our Lady, St. James and the donor Vittoria Tolfia” about 1610 by Francesco Zucchi (about 1562/1622)
It is very interesting, from a documentary point of view, to note in Zucchi's painting the representation of the rear façade of the Basilica of S. Maria Maggiore before the seventeenth century works by Carlo Rainaldi

2nd RIGHT - CHAPEL OF MIRACLES
High Relief “St. Francis of Paola begs the Virgin Mary for the sick in hospital” 1714 by Pierre Legros (1666/1719) to whom it is assigned also the stucco decoration on the ceiling of the chapel with “Four angels holding the center pane with the dove of the Holy Spirit among cherubims”
The relief includes the painting “Virgin Mary of the Miracles” by an anonymous artist of the first half of 1400s, from a tower of the Aurelian Walls in the stretch along the Tiber River
The tower was known as the Chapel of Miracles: a woman with the appearance of the image of Our Lady in 1525 would have saved a child who was drowning in the Tiber
“The work is distinguished for the technique and the extremely high quality, evident in the modulation of the surface that generates vibrations of luminosity with a great effect” (Daria Colonna)
On the sides “Miracles of St. Francis of Paola” 1714 by Giuseppe Passeri (1654/1714), a pupil of Carlo Maratta
“The affinity to the Rococo style of the paintings, which are among the latest achievements of the artist, has been explained by the critics in the light of the contemporary work of French sculptors in Rome” (Daria Colonna)

3rd CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Altarpiece “Baptism of Christ” about 1610 Domenico Crespi aka Passignano (1559/1638), a pupil of Federico Zuccari

“Holy Trinity” about 1862 by Francesco Grandi (1831/91), a pupil of Tommaso Minardi
Maybe by Carlo Maderno. The marble was taken from the Mausoleum of Augustus
To the sides of the altar “Epitaph and bronze coat of arms of Cardinal Antonio Maria Salviati” financier of the construction of the church, buried here
On the sides frescoes of the beginning of the seventeenth century, to the right by Francesco Nappi (about 1565/1630) and to the left by Vespasiano Strada (1582/1622)
Frescoes maybe by Francesco Nappi

3rd CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Wall to the right “Nativity” about 1622/25 by Antiveduto Grammatica (about 1572/1626)
“This work demonstrates the full integration of the Sienese painter to the style of Caravaggio: the reference to the painting of the same subject painted by Caravaggio in Messina has taken forward the hypothesis that Grammatica would have lived in Southern Italy before the execution of this picture” (Daria Colonna)

2nd LEFT - CHAPEL OF St. JAMES
Statue “St. James” about 1601 by Ippolito Buzio (1578/1659)

St. GASPAR DEL BUFALO

S. GASPARE DEL BUFALO
1975/79 Pier Luigi Nervi (1891/1979) and his son Antonio Nervi (1925/79) with Mario Desideri and Francesco Vacchini
Nervi wanted to create a spectacular, huge tent in masonry
The church was consecrated in 1981
Decorative stained-glass windows by Luciano Vinardi
“Towards the end of his career, Pier Luigi Nervi could appear almost as a tutelary deity of Italian architecture, the interpreter of a way of building that evoked a comparison with an ancient, almost timeless tradition” (Filippo De Pieri - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Treccani)

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

St. GALLA

S. GALLA
1940 Tullio Rossi (1903/97)
It was built to replace the old church of S. Maria in Portico later dedicated to St. Galla (about 504/550), demolished for the construction of the Palazzo dell'Anagrafe (Palace of the Registry Office)

END OF THE RIGHT NAVE
Canvas “Vision of St. Galla” by an anonymous seventeenth-century artist, formerly in the old church of St. Galla

MAIN ALTAR
“Memorial stone with reliefs” of the Flavian period (69/96 AD), formerly in the old church of St. Galla
Organ with mechanical transmission 1967/2003

St. FRANCIS XAVIER AT THE GARBATELLA

S. FRANCESCO SAVERIO ALLA GARBATELLA
1931/33 Alberto Calza Bini (1881/1957)
First parish church in Rome ever visited by John Paul II Wojtyla (1978/2005) in 1978, shortly after his election
On the occasion of his visit John Paul II recalled his time as a student in Rome immediately after the Second World War, during which he spent almost every Sunday in the Garbatella neighborhood for his pastoral service

LEFT TRANSEPT
Fresco “Sacred Heart” by Gisberto Ceracchini (1889/1982)

St. FRANCIS OF SALES

S. FRANCESCO DI SALES
2005 Lucrezio Carbonara, Paolo Dattero and Alfredo Re from the Studio Dattero and Re
A striking futuristic octagonal structure in reinforced concrete covered with laminated wood and copper
“The octagonal plan allows, with its regularity, an original spatial distribution in the research for centrality in which the congregation is costar with the altar. (...) The 'Canadian tile', in terms of implementation, adapts well to each slope, and the end result is a sort of spatial scan in the roof created by a pattern of considerable interest. The highly distinctive element that is perceived from the outset is the roof itself that extends above the building wrapping it in so fluidly, softly, extending as a protection for the assembly gathering in the church” (Official Website of the Parish of St. Francis de Sales - www.sanfrancescodisales.it)

St. FRANCIS OF PAOLA

S. FRANCESCO DI PAOLA
1623/40 Orazio Torriani (about 1601/about 1657)
Expanded 1645/50 by Giovanni Pietro Morandi for Olimpia Aldobrandini Pamphilj
Completed with the interior decoration and the FAÇADE at the beginning of the eighteenth century by Luigi Barattoni (active in the first quarter of the eighteenth century) who rebuilt the adjacent former Convent of the Minims originally built in the seventeenth century
The lower part of the façade is made of travertine, while the simpler upper part is in plaster
Consecrated in 1728 by Benedict XIII Orsini (1724/30)
Restored in 1826 for Leo XII Sermattei (1823/29)

BELL TOWER
Twelfth century with belfry of the fifteenth century, formerly Torre dei Borgia (Tower of the Borgia family)
National Calabrian church dedicated to the Calabrian saint of the fifteenth century S. Francesco di Paola, founder of the Minim Friars and patron saint of sailors

VAULT
Fake gilded coffered ceiling and emblems in perspective 1953 by Cesare Minestra

COUNTER FAÇADE
Rococo choir with pipe organ
Among choir and portal stucco relief “Glory of St. Francis of Paola” maybe by Luigi Barattoni

1st RIGHT - CHAPEL OF Sts. ANNE AND JOACHIM
Altarpiece “Sts. Joachim and Anne” 1720 by Filippo Luzi (1665/1722), a pupil of Lazzaro Baldi
Vault “Glory of St. Anne” by Onofrio Avellino (about 1674/1741), a pupil of Francesco Solimena

2nd RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. FRANCIS OF PAOLA
A copy of the painting on wooden board of the fifteenth century “St. Francis of Paola” in the church of Montalto Uffugo (Cosenza)
Walls “Miracles of St. Francis of Paola” and vault “Glory of St. Francis of Paola” by Giuseppe Chiari (1654/1727)

3rd RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. FRANCIS DE SALES
Above the altar “St. Francis de Sales receives the cord of the Third Order by St. Francis of Paola”
Wall to the right “St. Francis de Sales blesses the sick”
Wall to the left “St. Francis de Sales writer”, all works by the Roman Giovanni Antonio Grecolini (1675/1725)
On the wall of the nave: commemorative inscription for the Italian patriot Natale Del Grande (1800/48)

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CHANCEL ABOVE THE DOOR ON THE RIGHT
“Funeral Monument of Lazzaro Pallavicini” Governor of Piceno 1744 by Ferdinando Fuga (1699/1782) with bust by Agostino Corsini (1688/1772)

MAIN ALTAR
Pavilion supported by “Angels” with in the upper part “Eternal God between angels” in stucco about 1655 masterpiece by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi (1616/95)
“It is evident in this work the intent to put together themes from Bernini and Borromini on the basis of the effect of 'surreal' appearance, of the method of display of faith, but between the visions of the sacred proposed by the two masters the distance remains unbridgeable as it is demonstrated by the very different way in which the angelic image enters their figurative repertoire. For Bernini the angel does introduce a dynamic element that communicates with the architectural structure without joining the structure himself. (...) For Borromini the angel, most of the time, enters into the architectural compound and accepts the rules, becomes an angelic herm following the example of the classical world” (Paolo Portoghesi)

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CHANCEL ABOVE THE DOOR ON THE LEFT
“Funeral Monument of Giovanni Pizzullo” founder of the convent in 1646

3rd LEFT - CHAPEL OF St. MICHAEL
Altarpiece “St. Michael the Archangel” first half of 1600s by Stefano Perugini
Walls and vault “Stories of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Francis of Paola” 1728 by Giacomo Triga (1674/1746), a student of Benedetto Luti

2nd LEFT - CHAPEL OF BLESSED NICHOLAS THE WISE
Altarpiece “Blessed Nicola the Wise of the Langobards receives the cross from the Redeemer” about 1786 by the Sicilian Francesco Manno (1752/1831)
Walls on the right “Adoration of the Shepherds”, on the left “Adoration of the Magi” and on the vault “Assumption into glory” by the Roman Stefano Pozzi (1699/1768)
In the four corners “Angels in stucco” maybe by Luigi Barattoni

1st LEFT - CHAPEL OF GASPARE DEL BONO
“Gaspar Del Bono in prayer” 1787 by the Calabrian Vincenzo Milione (about 1732/1805)
Walls on the right “Joseph's Dream”, on the left “Flight into Egypt” and on the vault “God the Father Blessing” by Stefano Pozzi

SACRISTY
Maybe designed by Filippo Breccioli (1574/after 1627)
At the center of the ceiling painting “Virgin Mary giving to St. Francis of Paola, the emblem of the order” about 1641/42 first work by G.B. Salvi aka Sassoferrato (1609/85) similar to the fresco “Apparition of the Virgin to Sts. Nile and Bartholomew” by his master Domenichino in the Abbey of Grottaferrata
In the lunettes eighteenth-century cycle “Stories of St. Francis of Paola” by Agostino Masucci (1691/1758) and Filippo Luzi (1665/1722)

SALA DEL CAPITOLO (Chapter Room)
Chapel adjacent to the sacristy with frescos:
On the altar “St. Francis of Paola adoring the Crucifixion” about 1640/41 by Francesco Cozza (1605/82)
On the left wall “Agony in the Garden”
On the right wall “Way to Calvary”
Vault “Angels with symbols of the Passion” all paintings by Stefano Pozzi (1699/1768)

CONVENT OF THE MINIMS FROM CALABRIA
Domenico Castelli (1582/1657). It was attached to the church in the first half of the seventeenth century
Rebuilt in the early eighteenth century by Luigi Barattoni (active first quarter of the eighteenth century)
It is partly occupied by the ISTITUTO CENTRALE DEL RESTAURO (Central Restoration Institute)

In the entrance hall of the convent:
“Immaculate Conception” by Stefano Pozzi
“St. Francis of Paola venerating the Virgin Mary” 1787 by Vincenzo Milione (about 1732/1805)

St. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

S. FRANCESCO D'ASSISI
Built in the years 1667/76 together with the adjoining convent
Also known as S. Onofrio in Campagna al Borgo Clementino (St. Onuphrius in the Country at Clementine Village)
FAÇADE
1728/29 by Pietro Passalacqua (1690/1748)
Interior decoration of the end of the seventeenth century by Pietro Baragiola
MAIN ALTAR
Giuseppe Cacci, in polychrome marble

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

St. FRANCIS BY THE BANK OF THE RIVER

S. FRANCESCO A RIPA
It is in the area where the Church of St. Biagio and a Benedictine Monastery of the tenth century originally were
According to tradition, St. Francis of Assisi (1181/1226) was a guest of the monastery for a period of time
The monastery became possession of the Minor Friars in 1229 when the little church was expanded to have three aisles for the Anguillara family and decorated with frescos depicting “Stories of Jesus and St. Francis” by Pietro de' Cerroni aka Pietro Cavallini (about 1240/about 1325) now totally disappeared
The monastery was expanded in late 1500 and early 1700
It was used as barracks for the Bersaglieri corps of the Italian army from 1873 until 1943
The church was supposed to be modified in 1535 by Baldassarre Peruzzi (1481/1536)
The church was extended with the choir in 1603 by Onorio Longhi (1568/1619)
1682/89 Mattia De Rossi (1637/95) destroyed the frescos by Cavallini and rebuilt NAVES and FAÇADE for Innocent XI Odescalchi (1676/89)

IN THE SQUARE
“Ancient column of white Carrara marble” placed here in 1847 for Pius IX Mastai-Ferretti (1846/78)
It was found in 1817 in the ruins of the city of Veii along with eleven other columns that are now in the portico of Palazzo Wedekind in Piazza Colonna

1st RIGHT - CHAPEL OF THE CROSS
Carlo Fontana (1634/1714)
Wooden seventeenth-century “Crucifix” by Fra' Angelo from Pietrafitta
To the left “Monument of Cardinal Michelangelo Ricci” d. 1682 with bust maybe by Domenico Guidi (1625/1701)
Vault and pendentives “Saints” by Fra' Emanuele da Como

Carlo Fontana
Altarpiece, walls and vault “Stories of St. John of Capistrano” about 1725 by Domenico Maria Muratori (1661/1742)

1685 Stefano Legnani or Legnanino
Frescos on the walls, vault and pendentives by Giuseppe Passeri (1654/1714) one of the favorite pupils of Carlo Maratta
Under the altar there is the body of St. Leontia martyr

Spectacular chapel by Nicola Michetti (about 1675/1758), finished in the years 1710/25 by Ludovico Rusconi Sassi (1678/1736)
Altarpiece “Sts. Peter of Alcantara and Paschal Baylon” by Giuseppe Chiari (1654/1727) who was also one of the favorite pupils of Carlo Maratta
Ovals by the brother Tommaso Chiari (1665/1773)
On the sides funerary monuments with sculptures “Cardinal Virtues”, “Skeletons” and “Portraits” 1713/19 by Giuseppe Mazzuoli (1644/1725)

1746 by Fra' Secondo da Roma in polychrome marbles
Statue of “St. Francis” about 1587 by Fra' Diego da Careri
On the sides plaster statues “Faith” and “Charity” 1751 by Fra' Secondo da Roma
Altarpiece with “Trinity and Saints” by Paris Nogari (about 1536/1601) facing the 1603 choir by Onorio Longhi (1568/1619)

1622/25 by Giacomo Mola (?/1650)
Famous statue “Blessed Ludovica Albertoni” 1671/74 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598/1680) with a painting above “St. Anne and the Virgin Mary” by G.B. Gaulli aka Baciccio (1639/1709) for Clement X Altieri (1670/76)
Clement X had only one female heir and he arranged for her to marry Gaspare Paluzzi Albertoni. The pope imposed so the name Altieri to the Paluzzi Albertoni family
The statue was made by Bernini without compensation as fine and bail for his brother Luigi, who had been caught raping a boy in St. Peter's Basilica in front of the statue of Constantine
The coffin with the body of the blessed is under the statue, covered at the beginning of the eighteenth century by a mantle of montauto alabaster
The alabaster replaced the original wood paneling painted in red blood, perhaps wanting to remind of Bernini's painting “Sea of blood that flows from the wounds of Christ on the Cross”, of which he was very fond
“Bernini co-wrote all the elements to make them as real as possible. The blessed woman is living, the light is effective, the big picture is really painted. The beautiful compound theorized for large enterprise, focuses this time in an intense three-dimensional altarpiece. Picture within the picture, theater within the theater, art within art” (Maurizio Fagiolo dell'Arco)
“The direct light contributes decisively to the unreal effect of the work. Employing directional light, the source of which is hidden to the viewer, was one of the great inventions of Bernini. In contrast to the serene and widespread light used by the artists of the Renaissance, the directional light appears transitory, precarious. The directional light corroborates in the viewer the feeling of transience of the represented scene” (Rudolf Wittkower)
On the right fresco “Blessed Ludovica Albertoni” maybe its authentic portrait by an anonymous sixteenth-century artist

AMONG TRANSEPT AND 3rd CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
“Monument to Giulia Ricci Paravicini” 1662 bust by Ercole Ferrata (1610/86)

Altarpiece “St. Michael the Archangel” 1660 copy by Giuseppe Mallenghi from the original by Guido Reni, which replaced an original artwork by Annibale Carracci now in France
“Mattei Tombs” 1635 by Niccolò Menghini (about 1610/55) and 1687 Lorenzo Ottoni (1648/1736)
To the left “Bust of Laura Frangipani” 1637 by Andrea Bolgi (1606/56)
Frescoes in the lunettes “Miracles of St. Charles of Sezze” 1882 by the Roman Marcello Sozzi a pupil of Tommaso Minardi
Under the altar bronze urn with body of S. Charles of Sezze

Above the altar “Annunciation” about 1534 by Francesco de' Rossi aka Francesco Salviati (1510/63)
Frescoes including “Eternal Father” by G.B. Ricci (about 1550/1624)
Outside “Tomb of Giuseppe Paravicini” d. 1695 with bust by Camillo Rusconi (1658/1728)

Above the altar “Immaculate Conception” about 1555 by the Flemish artist Marten de Vos (1532/1603)
On the left “Nativity of the Virgin” about 1620 by Simon Vouet (1590/1649)
On the right “Assumption of the Virgin” by Antonio Mariani Della Cornia (about 1584/1654)
In the pendentives “Sibyls” by an anonymous artist of the school of Simon Vouet
In the back of the chapel the painter Giorgio de Chirico (1888/1978) is buried. His body was moved here in 1992
Three of his paintings are near the tomb:
“Self-portrait”
“Portrait of his wife Isa (veiled lady)”
“Fall or Climb to Calvary with St. Francis” his most important sacred work

SACRISTY
1696/98 including the Chapel of St. Francis with “Cabinet of relics” 1708
Inside the cabinet:
Relics of the most important Franciscan saints
A copy of the portrait of St. Francis of Assisi maybe by Margheritone d'Arezzo considered one of his true portraits, now in the Pinacoteca Vaticana
“Black Stone” which would have been used by St. Francis as a cushion