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Santa Maria in Vallicella Church, Rome

Santa Maria in Vallicella Church, Rome

The Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella in Rome, also known as the Chiesa Nuova is a beautiful Catholic church in the center of the city. Nowadays, the old medieval building impresses visitors with a majestic Baroque façade. In addition, the masterpieces of famous Italian artists are inside the church.

Church history

There is a small hollow of the land of natural origin in the church’s location. Even in the days of ancient Rome, the locals considered this place an entry point into the underworld. In the 13th century, a church was built here called Santa Maria in Puteo albo, due to the nearby white marble well. It was dedicated to the birth of the Virgin Mary. In 1535 one of the frescoes depicting the Madonna began to bleed and became an object of worship. Later, in 1574, it was separated and is still kept in the sacristy. A year later, in 1575, Pope Gregory XIII recognized the official congregation of the Oratory, founded in 1551 by Philip Neri. The church was given to the society, and its restructuring immediately began.

In 1577 the main part of the building was constructed according to the project of the artist Master of Città di Castello. The works on the temple were carried out until 1605 and were funded by various Catholic cardinals. Famous Carlo Maderno and Giacomo della Porta are mentioned among the architects. Over the next century, the building underwent a number of changes: a large staircase appeared in 1614, a dome was rebuilt in 1650, and a bell tower was erected in 1666. In 1895, during the restoration, the marble floor was completely redone.

After the World War I, the façade and the square in front of the church were reconstructed. The last restoration dates back to 2006. By the way, during the secondary construction the church was called New, and this name stuck and has survived to this day.

Architecture and interior

The façade of the building was made in the Baroque style and has 3 entrances. The central one is framed by a pair of semi-columns and two pairs of columns. There are bas-reliefs in the form of scrolls with inscriptions above each entrance. On the second level of the façade there are 2 niches with statues of Saints Jerome and Pope Gregory the Great.

From the inside, the building has a plan of the Latin cross. The only large nave is surrounded by chapels in the side aisles, 5 on each side. On the walls of the nave, above the arches, there is a series of 15 frescoes depicting the salvation of mankind. The back-façade has embossed decorations by Ercole Ferrata.

The dome and apse are decorated with frescoes by one of the best Baroque artists Pietro da Cortona. The main altar was made at the end of the 16th century. Several paintings of the great Peter Paul Rubens are on it, as well as on the walls of the presbytery.

In the chapels of the church there are paintings and frescoes of other famous Italian artists: Giuseppe Cesari, Federico Barocci, Carlo Saraceni, Giovanni Lanfranco and Guido Reni. Among other things, there is a richly decorated sarcophagus of the saint who founded the congregation of the Oratory in the chapel of Philip Neri.

How to get there

The Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella is located in the center of Rome, in the Campo Marzio area ​​, on Via del Governo Vecchio, 134. Its façade opens onto a small neat square with a Monument of Pietro Metastasio and the Terrina Fountain. There are also museums of ancient sculpture and criminology nearby. On the same square there is a bus stop Chiesa Nuova, and routes 40, 46, 62, 64, 190F, 916, 916F, N5, N15, N20 go to it.

Opening hours: every day from 7:30 to 12:00 and from 16:30 to 19:00. Phone number for information and booking of excursions (+39) 06 6875289.

Free admission.

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