San Carlo ai Catinari, also called Santi Biagio e Carlo ai Catinari ("Saints Blaise and Charles at the Bowl-Makers") is an early-

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

style church in Rome,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It is located on Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, 117 just off the corner of Via Arenula and Via dei Falegnami, a few blocks south of the church of

Sant'Andrea della Valle Sant'Andrea della Valle is a minor basilica in the rione of Sant'Eustachio of the city of Rome, Italy. The basilica is the general seat for the religious order of the Theatines. It is located at Piazza Vidoni, at the intersection of Corso Vit ...

. The attribute ''ai Catinari'' refers to the presence, at the time of its construction, of the many makers of wooden basins (Italian ''catini'') who worked in the area. The church was commissioned by the Order of the

Barnabites , image = Barnabites.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = One version of the Barnabite logo. "P.A." refers to Paul the Apostle and the three hills symbolize the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. , a ...

and funded by the

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

ese community in Rome to honour their fellow Milanese St.

Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...

(Italian: ''San Carlo''). It is one of at least three Roman churches dedicated to him, including

San Carlo al Corso Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso (usually known simply as ''San Carlo al Corso'') is a basilica church in Rome, Italy, facing onto the central part of the Via del Corso. The apse of the church faces across the street, the Mausoleum of Augustus o ...

and San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (San Carlino).

History

The Barnabites in Milan had had close ties to Cardinal Borromeo. He had helped draft the order's constitutions, and they had assisted in ministering during the plague of 1576. When their little church of San Biagio all'Anello in Rome had become too small, they purchased adjoining land and constructed a larger one. Borromeo had been canonized in November 1610. Construction began in September 1611 making this the first church in Rome dedicated to him. In 1618 S. Biagio's was razed, and the new name was formally conferred on the parish.

Architecture

The main design was by Rosato Rosati between 1612 and 1620, at the private expense of Cardinal Giambattista Leni. The travertine façade was designed by

Giovanni Battista Soria 220px, Façade of Santa Caterina a Magnanapoli in Rome, with the Torre delle Milizie">Rome.html" ;"title="Santa Caterina a Magnanapoli in Rome">Santa Caterina a Magnanapoli in Rome, with the Torre delle Milizie behind. Giovanni Battista Soria (1 ...

and construction occurred in 1635–38. The dome is one of the largest in the city. Annunciazione - Lanfranco (Catinari)

Interior

The interior has yellow ''scagliola'' pilasters. The pendentives of the cupola are frescoed with the ''Cardinal Virtues'' (1627–30) by

Domenichino Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoem ...

who designed the stucco decoration in the dome and probably the other main vaults. Giovanni Giacomo Semenza had originally been given the commission and threatened to sue. Shortly after finishing the work, Domenichino left for Naples. Cropper, Elizabeth
''The Domenichino Affair: Novelty, Imitation, and Theft in Seventeenth-century Rome'', Chap 5, Yale University Press, 2005
/ref> The pavement is of inlaid marble. In the choir is the fresco of ''S. Carlo Borromeo in Glory''; executed in 1646–1647, this is the last painting by

Giovanni Lanfranco Giovanni Lanfranco (26 January 1582 – 30 November 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Biography Giovanni Gaspare Lanfranco was born in Parma, the third son of Stefano and Cornelia Lanfranchi, and was placed as a page in the ho ...

. Directly behind the high altar is the oil painting of ''S. Carlo carrying the Holy Nail in Procession during the Plague'' by

Pietro da Cortona Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...

. The high altar itself was designed by Martino Longhi the Younger. On the entrance wall are frescoes by Gregorio and Mattia Preti, showing episodes from the ''Life of Saint Charles'' (1642). To the right of the High Altar is an architecturally inventive late-

chapel designed by Antonio Gherardi and built 1695–1700. The view upwards is through an oculus surrounded by angels in the centre of a dark shallow dome, to a rectangular light-filled room above illuminated by windows which are not visible from below. In addition, he painted the altarpiece of ''S. Cecilia'' in the chapel. Gherardi also designed the equally inventive Avila Chapel in Santa Maria in Trastevere. The first chapel on the right has an ''Annunciation'' (1624) by Lanfranco; in the second chapel, there is a ''Martyrdom of San Biagio'' by

Giacinto Brandi Giacinto Brandi (1621 – 19 January 1691) was an Italian painter from the Baroque era, active mainly in Rome and Naples. left, 250px, ''Christ in Gesthemane'', Pinacoteca Vaticana left, 250px, Dome of the church of San Carlo al Corso ...

. The second chapel on the left has an altarpiece depicting the ''Death of Saint Anne'' by

Andrea Sacchi Andrea Sacchi (30 November 159921 June 1661) was an Italian painter of High Baroque Classicism, active in Rome. A generation of artists who shared his style of art include the painters Nicolas Poussin and Giovanni Battista Passeri, the sculptors ...

. Adjoining this chapel, on the southwest pier is a monument of Cardinal Gerdil, a Barnabite theologian buried in the church. The third chapel was designed by Paolo Maruscelli with frescoes of the ''Persian Martyrdoms'' (1641) by Giovan Francesco Romanelli and lunettes by

Giacinto Gimignani Giacinto Gimignani (1606 – December 9, 1681) was an Italian painter, active mainly in Rome, during the Baroque period. He was also an engraver in aquaforte. Biography Gimignani was born in Pistoia, where his father, Alessio (1567–1651) wa ...

. The passage behind the High Altar has canvases depicting ''St. Charles in Prayer'' (1620) by

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religi ...

and ''St. Charles'' by Andrea Commodi, as well as a ''Miracle of St. Blaise'' (1669) by Cerrini. The bronze crucifix in the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually locate ...

is attributed to

Alessandro Algardi Alessandro Algardi (July 31, 1598 – June 10, 1654) was an Italian high-Baroque sculptor active almost exclusively in Rome, where for the latter decades of his life, he was, along with Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona, one of the majo ...

and ''Christ Derided'' (1598) by

Cavalier D'Arpino Giuseppe Cesari (14 February 1568 – 3 July 1640) was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called ''Cavaliere d'Arpino'', because he was created ''Cavaliere di Cristo'' by his patron Pope Clement VIII. He was much patroniz ...

. The church contains some notable

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s, including the skull of St.

Febronia of Nisibis Phebronia of Nisibis, also known as Phebronia of Sebapte, was a nun at Nisibis (modern-day Nusaybin, Turkey). She suffered persecution under Diocletian, who offered her freedom if she renounced her faith and married his nephew, Lysimachus, who had ...

, moved here from the old church of St. Paul after the latter was demolished for the construction of Palazzo Chigi. This relic, kept together with two other skulls of saints, is visible in the fenestella confessionis altar.

References

"San Carlo ai Catinari" at www.romecity.it

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlo Ai Catinari, San Carlo Catinari Baroque architecture in Rome Roman Catholic churches completed in 1638 1638 establishments in Italy Churches of Rome (rione Sant'Eustachio) 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy