SS. NEREO E ACHÌLLEO
Viale delle Terme di
Caracalla 28
595 on the Titulus Fasciolae mentioned in the
sources since the year 377
The fasciola was the bandage fallen from the
wounded foot of St. Peter while being led to martyrdom
The church
was moved to the present site in 814 for Leo III (795/816)
Reduced in
size in 1475 for Pope Sixtus IV Della Rovere (1471/84)
Restoration
with frescoes and altar raised on the occasion of the Jubilee of the year 1600
for Cardinal Cesare Baronio
It was
dedicated on that year to Nereus and Achilleus servants of Flavia Domitilla and
martyrs, according to tradition, with her in Terracina under Trajan (98/117)
NAVES
Frescoes “Stories
of martyrs” maybe by Niccolò Circignani aka Pomarancio (about
1520/98)
PRESBYTERY
On the
right “Candelabra” of the fifteenth century from the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
and “Ambo” with a base made out of porphyry from the Baths of Caracalla
Enclosure
of the choir of the twelfth century with Cosmatesque pieces
Ciborium of
the sixteenth century
Episcopal
chair of Vassallettos’ workshop
SIDE OF THE
ARCH OF THE APSE FACING THE NAVE
Mosaic
“Annunciation”, “Theotokos” and “Transfiguration” about 815 the only section
left of the mosaic of the time of Leo III (795/816)
SS. MICHELE E MAGNO
Largo degli Alicorni 21
Founded,
according to tradition, in the year 754 by St. Boniface
It
certainly existed in the year 854
Rebuilt in
the twelfth century
Restored in
the thirteenth century when here were moved the relics of St. Magnus from Fondi. On this occasion the church was also
dedicated to St. Magnus
Restored
1754 by Carlo Murena (1713/64)
National Church of the Frisians, the Germanic people of the
Netherlands
Outside on
the left SCALA SANTA (Holy Stairs) with 35 steps
Adjacent to
the church was the Schola of the Frisians
where the German emperor Henry IV stayed in 1084 while besieging Gregory VII
(1073/85) in Castel Sant'Angelo
He retired
when he learned of the arrival of Robert Guiscard and his 36,000 Normans,
including many Muslim warriors, who saved the pope but put Rome on fire for
three days in the city
They caused
destruction and death worse than anything the barbarians had ever done in the
past or that the lansquenets would do in 1527
MAIN ALTAR
“Archangel
Michael appears to Sts. Gregory and Magnus” by Nicolò
Ricciolini (1687/1772)
LEFT NAVE
“Grave
of Anton Raphael Mengs” (1728/79) by Vincenzo Pacetti (1746/1820)
with, on the altar, “Sts. Peter and Paul” by Ludovico Stern (1709/77)
SS. MARCELLINO E PIETRO
Via Labicana 1
One of the
oldest places of Christian worship in Rome, described as titulus since the time of Constantine (306/337)
The first
church was built here at the end of the fourth century, at the time of Pope S.
Siricius (384/399), the first bishop of Rome to be called “Pope” exclusively
It
underwent many changes and revisions, the main ones in the years 740 and 1256
Rebuilt in
the years 1750/51 by Girolamo Theodoli (1677/1766)
for Benedict XIV Lambertini (1740/58)
RIGHT ALTAR
“Mass of
St. Gregory” by Filippo Evangelisti (1684/1761)
MAIN ALTAR
“Martyrdom
of St. Marcellinus and Peter” by Gaetano Lapis (1706/76)
SS. LUCA E MARTINA
Via della Curia 2/Clivo
Argentario
Dedicated at the time of Pope
Honorius I (625/638) only to S. Martina,
martyred under Septimus Severus (193/211) on the ancient CURIA HOSTILIA
Rebuilt in
1256
Restored
with the rise of the floor in 1593 by Ottaviano Nonni aka Ottaviano Mascherino
(1524/1606), after it had been granted in 1588 to the Academy
of St. Luke founded in 1577 by Girolamo Muziano (1532/92)
So the
title of St. Luke was added
Restored
again in the years 1635/64 by Pietro Berrettini aka Pietro
da Cortona (1597/1669)
Works
completed in the years 1674/77 by Ciro Ferri (1634/89),
a pupil of Pietro da Cortona
“The pylons
strongly projecting, fronted by the double pillars, seem to have the wall
crushed in the middle, so that the warp seems to be the result of a compression
always going on. Absolutely different from any façade of any previous church,
it prepares the visitor for the understanding of the internal structure,
because the treatment of the wall and the articulation of the premises are
explained here in a different key. Cortona think in terms of flexibility of the
plastic mass of the walls, and through this he gets the dynamic coordination of
exterior and interior. To him can be assigned the honor of having erected the
first of the great highly personal and completely homogeneous churches of the
Baroque style” (Rudolf Wittkower)
From here
it used to begin the procession known as Candelora
(Candlemas) established by Gelasius (492/496) to replace the pagan festival of
the Lupercalia
Here are buried the artists Pietro Da Cortona,
Sebastiano Conca (1680/1764), Luigi Canina (1795/1856), G.B. Soria (1581/1651),
Lazzaro Baldi (about 1624/1703)
Design of
the area outside 1932 by Gustavo Giovannoni (1873/1947)
for the opening of Via dei Fori Imperiali
“In his
constructive architecture Cortona eliminated the figurative elements which made
such an integral part of his painted architecture. One can not imagine a
stronger contrast with the concept of the architecture by Bernini. For Bernini,
the very meaning of architecture conceived classically was summarized in
realistic sculpture. A similar sculpture would have hidden the wealth and
complexity of the work of Cortona. His effervescence here reaches its climax
with the absolutely unprecedented wildly undulating shapes of the coffers of
the dome. The personal design of these coffers found no imitators” (Rudolf
Wittkower)
PENDENTIVES
Sculptures “Symbols
of the Evangelists” 1730:
“St. Mark”
by Filippo Della Valle (1698/1768),”St. Matthew”
by Camillo Rusconi (1658/1728), “St. Luke” and “St.
John” by G.B. Maini (1690/1752)
On the
floor of the nave tomb of Pietro da Cortona
TO THE
RIGHT OF THE ENTRANCE
“Tomb of
the artist Giovanna Garzoni” by Mattia De Rossi (1637/95)
with maybe portrait of Carlo Maratta (1625/1713)
RIGHT END
SIDE
“Martyrdom
of St. Lazarus” by Lazzaro Baldi (about 1624/1703).
On the left there is his grave
In a niche
on the right relief “Ecstasy of St. Mary Magdalene” by Alessandro
Algardi (1598/1654)
MAIN ALTAR
“Recumbent
statue of St. Martina” 1635 by Niccolò Menghini (about
1610/55)
Above the
altar “St. Luke painting the Virgin Mary” by the Sienese Antiveduto Grammatica (about 1572/1626), maybe copy
from the original by Raphael now at Palazzo
Carpegna
LEFT END
SIDE
“Assumption
and St. Sebastian” 1740 by Sebastiano Conca (1680/1764).
On the right there is his grave
On the left
of “Tomb of Luigi Canina” by Pietro Tenerani (1789/1869)
LOWER
CHURCH
At the entrance
“Monument
of G.B. Soria (1581/1651)”
In the octagonal room
Stucco
relief on the altar “Dead Christ with the Virgin Mary and the Father” 1638/39
by Alessandro Algardi
Statues in
the niches “Cecilia”, “Agnes” and “Martina” by Cosimo
Fancelli (1620/88), “S. Eufemia” by Pompeo
Ferrucci (about 1566/1637)
In the church
“Altar of S. Martina” by Pietro da Cortona
Terracotta
in the chapel to the left of the corridor “Sts. Epifanius,
Concordio and a companion” 1634 by Alessandro Algardi
SS. ILDEFONSO E TOMMASO DI VILLANOVA
Via Sistina 11
1667/74
Giuseppe Paglia
Giuseppe Paglia was a Dominican friar native
of Sicily who had worked in S.
Maria sopra Minerva. In this church it is evident the influence of Francesco Borromini, whom
Giuseppe Paglia had met and admired
FAÇADE
1725 Francesco Ferrari
(active in Rome 1721/44)
Statues in
the niches and stucco decoration inside maybe by Antonio
Cometti
1st
CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Crowded
relief “Nativity” 1600 by Francesco Grassia (seventeenth
century)
2nd
CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Above the
altar “Immaculate Conception with Sts. Augustine and Monica” about 1700 maybe
by Juan Correa
1st
CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Above
the altar “Our Lady of Guadalupe” by Juan Correa
SS. GIOVANNI EVANGELISTA E PETRONIO DEI BOLOGNESI
Via del Mascherone 61
It was
known at the end of the twelfth century as S. Tommaso degli Spagnoli
(St. Thomas of the Spaniards)
In the
fifteenth century it was called S. Tommaso delli Muratori (St. Thomas of
the Builders) and in the sixteenth century S.
Tommaso della Catena (St. Thomas of the Chain), the headquarters of a
company whose brothers used to hit themselves with an iron chain
In 1581 it
was assigned the Confraternity of the Stigmata of the Nation of Bologna
The
reconstruction and the decor were entrusted exclusively to artists from Bologna
Begun in
1582 by Ottaviano Nonni aka Ottaviano Mascherino (1524/1606),
who also built the adjoining ORATORY
DOME
completed in about 1655
FAÇADE 1696/1700
Renovated
in 1805
It is the national church of people from Bologna
Monochrome
frescoes in the dome and “Cardinal Virtues” in the PENDENTIVES about 1725 by Pompeo Aldrovandini (1677/1735)
RIGHT ALTAR
“Death of
St. Joseph” by Giovan Francesco Gessi (1588/1649)
a pupil of Guido Reni
Here was
the tomb of Alessandro Algardi (1598/1654) with his portrait sculpted by
Domenico Guidi (1625/1701), unfortunately destroyed
MAIN ALTAR
“Madonna
and Child with Saints” by an unknown nineteenth century
artist instead of the picture
by Domenichino now in Palazzo Barberini
SS. GIOACCHINO E ANNA AI
MONTI
Largo Visconti
Venosta/Via Giovanni Lanza
1770/78 Giovanni Francesco Fiori (1709/84) the Roman architect
who had already built the adjacent MONASTERY 1749/60 for the Old Maids of S.
Francesco di Paola also known as Paolotte
During the
enlargement of the chancel in 1793 a silver wedding trousseau was found dating
back to the late Roman Empire. It was called Treasury of Secundo and Proiecta and now it is in the British
Museum
Now the
church is entrusted to the Centro Oratori
Romani (Headquarters of the Roman Oratories)
In the
monastery there is the Command of the Carabinieri Corps
MAIN ALTAR
“Mary with
Sts. Joachim and Anne” by an anonymous
eighteenth-century artist with the figure of Mary added by the purist Pio Bottoni (1883/1936)
LEFT ALTAR
Dating
back to the eighteenth-century inlaid with precious marble
SS. FABIANO E VENANZIO
Piazza di Villa
Fiorelli/Via Castrovillari - Tuscolano
1934 Clemente Busiri Vici (1887/1965)
It is the
church of the people from Camerino, in the Marche region, who live in Rome
A plaque on
the façade mentions August 15, 1943 when the church and its neighborhood were
bombed by the Allies, killing about 100 civilians
The
church was damaged in part. Pius XII Pacelli (1939/58) visited the church
immediately after the bombing
SS. DOMENICO E SISTO
Largo Angelicum 1
Mentioned
in the sources since the tenth century as S.
Maria Balneapolim
Church and
adjoining convent built for the Dominican Pope St. Pius V Ghislieri (1566/72)
for the Dominican Sisters originally in S.
Sisto on the Appian Way
FIRST PHASE
OF CONSTRUCTION
1574/78 by Domenico di Dario da Mezzana
Choir and
bell tower 1579/91 by Giacomo Della Porta (1533/1602)
SECOND
PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION
1606/36 Nicola Torriani (active in Rome about 1601/1636), who
was probably also the designer of the façade
Torriani
was supervised since 1628 by Carlo Maderno (1556/1629)
and from 1630 he worked with Orazio Torriani (about
1601/about 1657) who worked mainly on the interior decoration
COMPLETION
Interventions
1635/36 Francesco Peparelli (active about 1626
/d.1641), 1634/52 G.B. Soria (1581/1651) and
since 1651 Vincenzo Della Greca (1592/1661),
designer of the PORTAL and of the beautiful STAIRCASE, built in 10 years from 1654 to
1664 and finished by his son Felice Della Greca (1626/77)
It was an
innovative Baroque solution for Roman religious
architecture, originally framed by a portal demolished in late 1800s
“The idea of
this staircase full of fantasy probably derived from the Villa del Pigneto by Pietro da Cortona, but it was
here that a Roman architect built for the first time a Baroque staircase in an
urban setting, a prelude to the Port of Ripetta by Alessandro Specchi and to the grand
spectacle of the steps of Piazza di Spagna by De Sanctis” (Rudolf Wittkower)
The
construction of the church lasted about 90 years
Renovation
of the convent in 1932 by Tullio Passarelli (1869/1941)
FAÇADE
In the first order
“St.
Dominic” and “St. Sixtus” 1654 by Marcantonio Canini (1622/after
1669) who maybe also sculpted the statue of the “Virgin Mary of the Rosary” in
the niche above the portal
In the second order
“St. Thomas
Aquinas” and “St. Peter Martyr” 1636 by Stefano Maderno
(1560/1636)
VAULT
Frescoes “Apotheosis
of St. Dominic and patronage of Mary” and “Cardinal Virtues and Allegories of
the Church, Heresy, Religion and Obedience” in monochrome 1673/75 masterpiece
by Domenico Maria Canuti (1626/84) and Enrico Haffner (1640/1702) who did the drawings a quadrature (the geometrical frames)
COUNTER
FAÇADE
At the
sides of the window “Ecstasy of St. Dominic” and “Virgin Mary appears to St.
Dominic” also by Domenico Maria Canuti and Enrico Haffner
“This work
demonstrates the familiarity of Domenico Maria Canuti with the grouping of
figures and with the achievements relating to atmosphere and light reached by
Gaulli in the decoration of the Church of Gesu, in statu nascendi (just being conceived) at
the time. But Canuti also introduced the novelty of the squaring that framed
the entire ceiling. Rome acquired a kind of spectacular fresco of which neither
Cortona, nor Bernini made use of, a kind of fresco you'd expect to find in
Genoa” (Rudolf Wittkower)
In the
eaves of the roof are included iron gratings (two also in the external façade)
that were used by the nuns to watch unseen the religious ceremonies
FLOOR
Rebuilt in
the years 1849/52
1st RIGHT - CHAPEL OF MARY
MAGDALENE
“Alaleona
Altar” 1649/52 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598/1680)
according to a drawing in the Uffizi but executed by Ercole
Antonio Raggi (1624/86)
Marble
group of “Noli Me Tangere” by Ercole Antonio Raggi
2nd
RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. PETER MARTYR
Altar front
1709 by G.B. Contini (1641/1723) who also made the
other altar fronts in the rest of the church
Above the
altar “Killing of St. Peter Martyr” a copy of a lost painting by Tiziano
Vecellio (about 1490/1576) for Ss. Giovanni e Paolo in
Venice painted by one N. Senese, maybe Nicolò Nasini
or Niccolò Tornioli (1598/1651)
3rd
RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. DOMINIC or COSTAGUTI CHAPEL
Above the
altar “Vision of St. Dominic” about 1648 by Pier
Francesco Mola (1612/66), who maybe also painted the “Stories of S. Dominic”
in the vault
The vision
of St. Dominic is a miraculous event which took place in 1530 at Soriano when
the Virgin Mary and the Sts. Magdalene and Catherine of Alexandria appeared to a
monk urging him to put a portrait of S. Dominic on the altar
MAIN ALTAR
1640
amazing “Ciborium” maybe by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Tuscan terracotta
of the fifteenth century “Virgin Mary and Child” in place of the venerated Madonna Acheropita kept since 1931 in
the new Dominican Convent at Monte Mario
Frescoes on
the right “Battle of Muret Albigensian” 1639 by Pietro
Paolo Ubaldini (about 1614/1684)
Frescoes on
the left “St. Dominic and the miracle of fire” by the Belgian Louis Cousin aka Luigi Gentile (1605/67) who also did
the six paintings “Life of the Virgin Mary” at the sides of the altar
VAULT OF
THE PRESBYTERY
Frescoes “Virgin
Mary protecting the Dominican Order” and “Christ Appearing to St. Dominic and to
the Dominican nuns” also by Domenico Maria Canuti (1626/84)
and Enrico Haffner (1640/1702)
3rd
LEFT – ALTEMPS CHAPEL
Fresco
found in 1771 with “Madonna and Child” 1448/49 most likely by Benozzo di Lese aka
Benozzo Gozzoli (1420/97), maybe detached from S. Maria ad Balneapolim or from the
nearby Torre dei Conti
On walls
and ceiling frescoes “Stories of the Passion of Christ” maybe by Pietro Paolo Ubaldini (about 1614/about 1684)
2nd
LEFT - CHAPEL OF St. CATHERINE OF SIENA
Above the
altar “Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine of Siena with Jesus” 1650 by Francesco Allegrini (1587/1663)
1st
LEFT - CHAPEL OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY
Above the
altar “Virgin Mary and Child give the rosary to Sts. Dominic
and Catherine” by Giovanni Francesco Romanelli (1610/62)
from Viterbo, a pupil of Pietro da Cortona
Other
paintings maybe by Clemente Maioli (1634/73)
CHOIR OF THE
NUNS
Located
behind the altar, according to the scheme codified in 1577 by St. Charles Borromeo,
who wanted the cloistered nuns out of sight during ceremonies
Restored in 1749
ALTAR 1671 by Vincenzo
Della Greca (1592/1661)
Four large
murals on the walls maybe by G.B. Ricci
To the
right of the altar “St. Peter hands over the keys to St. Pius V” 1749 by Mattia Tome where it is visible the front of the
church with the steps by Vincenzo e Felice Della Greca
DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY - “ANGELICUM”
In the
annexed monastery formerly of the Dominican Sisters of Lombardy
CAPITULAR HALL
Built in
1668
“Cross
painted on board” of the first half of 1200s according to the iconography of
the Christus patiens by an unknown artist of the Lazio area
Triptych “Madonna
and Child Enthroned with Angels and Sts. Dominic and Aurea” and “Four Stories
of St. Aurea” in the side doors 1358 by the Sienese Lippo
di Vanni (active 1340/75)
It is his
only signed and dated work, from the church of St. Aurea on Via Giulia today Chiesa dello Spirito Santo dei Napoletani
“Crucifixion”
by Giovanni Lanfranco (1582/1647) formerly in
the Altemps Chapel
INTERNATIONAL
BOARDING SCHOOL St. THOMAS AQUINAS
On Via degli Ibernesi
Institution
of Dominican studies in the sixteenth century building converted in 1964 by Lucio Passarelli (1922) with his brothers Vincenzo (1904/85) and Fausto
(1910/98)
SS. COSMA E DAMIANO
Via dei Fori Imperiali 1
Merger of
the probable headquarters of the Praefectura
Urbis, of part of the complex of the TEMPLE
OF PEACE and of a hall of the so-called TEMPLE OF ROMULUS donated by
Amalusanta, the daughter of Theodoric (king of Italy 493/526), to Felix IV
(526/530) who adapted the old buldings as a church
Dedicated
to the twin brothers Cosmas and Damian who were doctors in juxtaposition and
antagonism with the nearby Temple
of Castor and Pollux on the other side of the Via Sacra
It was a
sanctuary for the faithful to invoke healing
The
so-called Temple of Romulus was the vestibule and the hall was illuminated by
not less than fifteen windows, five on each side, and five on the façade
It was
assigned since 1512 to the Third Regular Franciscan Order that still officiates
it to this day
Gregory
XIII Boncompagni (1572/85) brought here the relics of the two eponymous saints
1597/1602
construction of the side chapels for Clement VIII Aldobrandini (1592/1605) with
deletion of most of the mosaics over the apse
Restored in
the years 1626/32 by Orazio Torriani (about
1601/about 1657) (of whom, however, there is only one drawing) and Luigi Arrigucci (1575/after 1643) for Urban VIII
Barberini (1632/44)
The floor
was raised of 7 m (23 feet), and so the church was divided in two, the upper church and the lower
church, to avoid the frequent flooding caused by the floods of the Tiber River
In 1897
excavations were carried out in the Forum and the Basilica became inaccessible
from the Via Sacra
FAÇADE ON VIA DEI FORI IMPERIALI
1947 Gaetano Rapisardi (1893/1988)
RUINS OF A
LARGE ROOM TO THE LEFT OF THE ENTRANCE
Marble
floor of the Forum of Peace and brick wall with holes for the clamps to which were
hung the 151 plates of the Forma Urbis
CLOISTER
Frescoes “Deposition
from the Cross” and “Franciscan Stories” by Flaminio
Allegrini (1587/1663)
CEILING
“Glory of
Sts. Cosmas and Damian” 1632 by Marco Tullio Montagna (1594/1649)
WALLS ABOVE
THE CHAPELS
“Stories of
Sts. Cosmas and Damian” 1635 by Marco Tullio Montagna and
Simone Lagi
1st
RIGHT - CHAPEL OF THE CROSS
Fresco of
the thirteenth century separated from the lower church “Crucifix” where Christ is unusually dressed
in a long colobio, i.e. a tunic with
short sleeves or sleeveless used by the early Christian monks
In the
vault “Stories of the Passion of Christ” 1636 by G.B. Speranza
(about 1600/40)
2nd RIGHT - CHAPEL OF THE
VIRGIN MARY AND St. JOHN EVANGELIST
Above the
altar “Adoration of the Magi”
On the
right “Presentation of Christ in the Temple” 1638 and on the left “St. John Evangelist resurrecting a dead
man” 1618 all
works by Giovanni Baglione (1566/1643)
3rd
RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. ANTHONY
Remarkable “S.
Anthony of Padua” by Giovanni Antonio Galli aka
Spadarino (1585/about 1653)
4th
RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. FRANCIS
Above the
altar “S. Francis in Prayer” copy from an original by Girolamo Muziano
MAIN ALTAR
1638 Domenico Castelli (1582/1657) with worshipped “Madonna
and Child aka Madonna of the Health or Madonna of St. Gregory” of the last
quarter of the thirteenth century by an anonymous Roman
painter with Tuscan influences
TRIUMPHAL
ARCH
Mosaic “Revelation, mystic lamb and the seven
candlesticks, four angels, symbols of St. Luke and St. John” of the beginning of the sixth
century like the apse, although some scholars believe it dates to the time of
Sergius I (687/701) for the connection Agnus
Dei – Sergius I
Sergio I
was in fact the one who introduced the Agnus
Dei in the rite of the Mass
Below “Some
of the twenty-four elders offering crowns”
Probably at
the time of Clement IX Rospigliosi (1667/69) the arch was reinforced with a
stuccoed structure that wiped out the mosaics under the arch
APSE
Mosaic “Christ among Sts. Peter and Paul introducing
Sts. Cosmas and Damian, accompanied by S. Theodore and Felix IV with the model
of the church and the Phoenix in the top left corner” of the early sixth century, at the
time of Felix IV (526/530)
“To realize
this vast spaciousness the perspective mediation of the architecture is not needed
anymore, as in Santa Pudenziana, just the slice of color with the clear figures
on the deep blue background. The modulation of light and shade fades and
finally disappears: the figures of the mosaic of S. Pudenziana are still lit,
these are bright. The sense of space is not cancelled, space is conceived as
light and is made with colors. But the colors are symbolic, such as palm trees
that allude to the heavenly garden, the blue stripe that alludes to the Jordan
River: from the quality, from the sublimated substance of the colors emanates
‘spiritual’ light that fills the space, a space made out of light” (Giulio
Carlo Argan)
3rd
LEFT - CHAPEL OF Sts. ROSALIA and ROSA
Above the
altar “S. Rosalia”, on the walls “Stories of St. Rose” by an anonymous artist
2nd
LEFT - CHAPEL OF St. ALEXANDER
Above the
altar “Christ crucified” by an anonymous artist of the
seventeenth century, maybe Dutch
Walls and vault
“Conviction, glory and martyrdom of St. Alexander” about 1655 by Francesco Allegrini (1587/1663), son of Flaminio
1st
LEFT - CHAPEL OF St. BARBARA
Above the
altar “S. Barbara” about 1650 copy by an anonymous artist from the original by
Cavalier d'Arpino in S. Maria in Traspontina
On the
walls “Stories of St. Barbara” c. 1640 by an anonymous
artist influenced by Cavalier d'Arpino
SS. CELSO E GIULIANO
Vicolo del Curato 12
Consecrated,
according to tradition, by Celestine I (422/432) in the year 432 and dedicated
to the two martyrs of the fourth century from Antioch
It is
mentioned in the sources in 1008 as Ecclesia
Sancti Celsi
It was
rebuilt in the years 1509/35 to a design by Donato
Bramante (1444/1514), which however, was not carried out entirely
Rebuilt
again in the years 1733/43 by Carlo De Dominicis
(1696/1758) for Clement XII Corsini (1730/40)
“There is no
doubt that the masterpiece of De Dominicis is the church of Sts. Celso and
Giuliano (...). Taking advantage of the opportunity to design a completely new
structure, De Dominicis devised a transverse oval, with seven radiating
chapels. The plan is only superficially similar to the transverse oval used
three quarters of a century before by Bernini in S. Andrea al Quirinale: De Dominicis, increasing the size
of the chapels corresponding to the transverse axis and the longitudinal or
ritual axis, deliberately accentuates both these axises, resulting in a blend
of oval plan and elongated Greek cross in a way similar to that often
implemented by the architects of the late sixteenth century. On the other hand,
the conservatism of the spacial concept is mostly displaced by the dynamic
sensitivity of the tectonic structure and the happiness of ornamentation
applied” (John Varriano - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Treccani)
Restored
1868 by Andrea Busiri Vici (1818/1911)
1st
CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Marble urn of
the eighteenth century with the relics of Sts. Artemisia and Januaria
Above the
altar “S. Cornelius Pope among Sts. Artemisia
and Januaria” 1737 by Giuseppe Lapis
2nd
CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Above the
altar “Mary Magdalene” 1736 by Emanuele Alfani (active
1736/74)
3rd
CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
Above the
altar “Wooden crucifix” first half of the fifteenth century of the school of Lucca
Altar piece
“Lady of Sorrows” of the eighteenth-century
MAIN ALTAR
“Christ in
glory and Sts. Celsus, Julian, Marconilla (mother of Celsus) and Basilissa
(wife of Julian)” 1736/38 one of the first Roman works by Pompeo Batoni (1708/87)
On the
right “St. Celsus victorious over the pagan priests” 1735 by Francesco Caccianiga (1700/81)
On the left
“St. Julian resurrecting the dead” 1736 by Giacomo
Triga (1674/1746), a pupil of Benedetto Luti
3rd
CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Decoration
of the nineteenth-century in neo-Renaissance style
Above the
altar “Our Lady of the Graces” copy of the end of the sixteenth century of a
medieval painting
2nd
CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Above the
altar “Bishop Liborio” 1736 by Giuseppe Valeriano (1542/96)
1st
CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Above the
altar “Baptism of Christ” 1736/37 by Giuseppe Ranucci
This
was the baptistery chapel until 1930 and a plaque commemorates the baptism which
took place here of Eugenio Pacelli later to become Pope Pius XII (1939/58)
SS. CECILIA E BIAGIO
Vicolo del Divino Amore
12
1131 with a
dedication to St. Cecilia with no historical motivation
Reconstructed
1729/31 by Filippo Raguzzini (1680/1771) for Benedict
XIII Orsini (1724/30)
It hosted
the Confraternity of St. Blaise formed by second-hand dealers and mattress
makers until 1801
St. Blaise
was its patron and his name was added to the church
From 1802
also known as the CHIESA DELLA MADONNA
DEL DIVINO AMORE IN CAMPO MARZIO (Church of Our Lady of the Divine Love in
Campo Marzio) when Pius VII Chiaramonti (1800/23) assigned it to the
Confraternita del Divino Amore (Brotherhood of Divine Love)
Restored in
the years 1865/74
Caravaggio
lived in a house in the alley from 1603 until 1605
BELL TOWER
Maybe it
dates back to the first half of the twelfth century
VAULT
Frescoes “Virgin
Mary and Child” and “Sts. Cecilia and Blaise”
PENDENTIVES
“Cardinal
Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance” about 1870 all paintings
by Filippo Prosperi (1831/1913), a pupil of
Tommaso Minardi
RIGHT ALTAR
“St. Blaise free a child from a fish
bone that had lodged in his throat” 1730 by Sigismondo
Rosa pupil of Giuseppe Chiari
MAIN ALTAR
“Our Lady
of the Divine Love” early 1800s by Gioacchino Bombelli
ALTAR LEFT
“Ss. Cecilia and Valerian” about 1730 by Placido Costanzi (1702/59)
SACRISTY
Stone that
commemorates the place of the alleged home of St. Cecilia
Very
damaged fresco detached from the fourteenth-century church “Marriage of Sts.
Cecilia and Valerian between S. Tiburcio and Pope Urban”
SS. BARTOLOMEO E ALESSANDRO DEI BERGAMASCHI
Piazza Colonna
1562, renewed 1731 by Carlo
De Dominicis (1696/1758)
Restored
1836/39 by Giuseppe Valadier (1762/1839)
Restored
again 1902/04 by Giuseppe Sacconi (1854/1905)
“De
Dominicis had a vivid imagination and cleverly used the decorative vocabulary
of Borromini more than half a century after the death of the master. Along with
his contemporary Federico Raguzzini he worked on the formulation of the basic
themes of Roman rococo architecture, although in his later years he seems to
have rejected these decorative ways in favor of the more classical taste which
was then beginning to establish itself in Europe” (John Varriano - Dizionario
Biografico degli Italiani Treccani)
FAÇADE
1719 G.B. Contini (1641/1723)
Decorated
with paintings, stucco and gold in the years 1902/04 by Emilio Retrosi
VAULT
“Virgin
Mary and Sts. Bartholomew and Alexander” 1904 by Emilio
Retrosi
2nd
CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT
“Saints
from Bergamo refusing to worship idols” by Giovanni
Antonio Valtellina
3rd
CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Altar piece
with six different paintings of saints including “S. Anne with the Virgin Mary
in her arms” maybe by Marco Benefial (1684/1764)
2nd
CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Altar piece
“Beheading of St. John the Baptist” 1732 by Aureliano
Milani (1675/1749)
1st
CHAPEL ON THE LEFT
Wooden
sculpture “Christ at the Column” 1569 by Filippo Dal
Borgo
SACRISTY
“Beheading
of St. John the Baptist” by Girolamo Muziano (1532/92)
“Adoration
of the Magi” about 1550 by an anonymous Mannerist
artist
ORATORY
Two
paintings with the same subject:
“Apparition
of the Virgin Mary to Sts. Bartholomew and Alexander” about 1635 Giuseppe Puglia aka Bastaro (about 1600/36) and in
1574 by Durante Alberti (1538/1616)
SS. ANTONIO DA PADOVA EANNIBALE MARIA
Piazza
Asti 10
1965 Raffaele Boccuni
The BELL
TOWER is 47 m (154 feet) high
It is one
of the highest in Rome
S.
Annibale Maria di Francia (1851/1927) was the founder of the Congregations of
the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus and of the Daughters of Divine Zeal. He
was born and died in Messina, Sicily
SS. ANNUNZIATA DELLE TURCHINE
Via Sforza 5 - Sconsacrata
1670/76 Carlo Rainaldi
(1611/91)
It was
built for the nuns of the Order of SS. Annunziata delle Turchine (Most Holy
Annunciation of the Virgin Mary of the Deep Blue Nuns) so called for the color
of their attire
It has been
a military tailoring and now it is home to the National Presidency of the
Association of Italian Paratroopers
MONASTERY
Maybe
by G.B. Contini (1641/1723)
