The Church of Santi Domenico e Sisto is one of the

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary des ...

es in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy in the care of the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Order of Preachers The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

, better known as the Dominicans. It is located at No. 1 Largo Angelicum on the

Quirinal Hill The Quirinal Hill (; la, Collis Quirinalis; it, Quirinale ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Pala ...

on the campus of the

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy O ...

, of which it is the University Church. As a titular church it has been held by Cardinal José Tolentino Mendonça since 5 October 2019.

History

Exterior

The first church at the site, '' Santa Maria a Magnanapoli'', was built sometime before the year 1000. The present church was built at the order of Dominican

Pope Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...

. Construction on the church began in 1569 and on a convent for Dominican nuns in 1575. The original plan was the work of

Giacomo della Porta Giacomo della Porta (1532–1602) was an Italian architect and sculptor, who worked on many important buildings in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica. He was born at Porlezza, Lombardy and died in Rome. Biography Giacomo Della Porta was ...

though during the long construction period that stretched until 1663 several other architects were involved. The lower part of the church was designed by Nicola Torriani, and the upper part by Torriani or Vincenzo della Greca. Della Greca constructed the Baroque

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

façade in 1646, with his brother Felice. The façade contains four statues. The two upper statues representing Saint Dominic (1170–1221) and Saint

Pope Sixtus II Pope Sixtus II ( el, Πάπας Σίξτος Β΄), also written as Pope Xystus II, was bishop of Rome from 31 August 257 until his death on 6 August 258. He was martyred along with seven deacons, including Lawrence of Rome, during the persecutio ...

(r. 257–258) are by Marcantonio Canini. The two lower statues depict St.

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wit ...

and Saint

Peter of Verona Peter of Verona (1205 – April 6, 1252), also known as Saint Peter Martyr and Saint Peter of Verona, was a 13th-century Italian Catholic priest. He was a Dominican friar and a celebrated preacher. He served as Inquisitor in Lombardy, was kille ...

, were sculpted by

Stefano Maderno Stefano Maderno (''c.'' 1576 – 17 September 1636) was one of the greatest Roman sculptors of the early 17th century. Biography Information about Maderno's life is scarce and often contradictory. He was long supposed to have been a brothe ...

. The exterior double staircase built in 1654 is the design of architect

Orazio Torriani Orazio Torriani (or Torrigiani) (1578-1657) was an architect and sculptor who worked in Rome. Career In 1602 Torriani rebuilt the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda within the ''cella'' of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. In 1624 he built ...

Interior

In 1649 Gian Lorenzo Bernini made designs for this church including the high altar and the first chapel on the right upon entering. The altar of this chapel and the

sculpture group Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

'' Noli me tangere'' were executed by Bernini's pupil

Antonio Raggi Antonio Raggi (1624–1686), also called ''Antonio Lombardo'', was a sculptor of the Roman Baroque, originating from today's Ticino. Biography He was born in Vico Morcote on the Lake Lugano. His mentor in Rome for nearly three decades was Gian ...

on the designs by Bernini. The ceiling painting of the ''Apotheosis of St Dominic'' was produced in 1674 by

Domenico Maria Canuti Domenico Maria Canuti (5 April 1625– 6 April 1684) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna and Rome. He was a major painter of fresco decorations. His ceiling decorations showed a mix of Bolognese and Roman infl ...

, with ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' framing by

Enrico Haffner Enrico Haffner (August 1640 – 1702) was an Italian painter of quadratura during the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna. Biography Enrico was born to a Swiss father, who was a mercenary Swiss guard for the Papacy, stationed in Bologna; En ...

. The altarpiece in the third chapel on the south side, by

Pier Francesco Mola Pier Francesco Mola, called Il Ticinese (9 February 1612 – 13 May 1666) was an Italian painter of the High Baroque, mainly active around Rome. Biography Mola was born at Coldrerio (now in Ticino, Switzerland).''Ecstasy in the Wilderness: Pi ...

, depicts St Dominic's Vision. In the second chapel on the north side is Francesco Allegrini's 1532 ''The Mystical Marriage of St Catherine''. In the third chapel on the north side is the 1460 ''Madonna and Child'' by

Benozzo Gozzoli Benozzo Gozzoli (4 October 1497) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. A pupil of Fra Angelico, Gozzoli is best known for a series of murals in the Magi Chapel of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, depicting festive, vibrant processions ...

, a pupil of

Fra Angelico Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his '' Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent".Giorgio Vasari, ''Lives of the Artists''. Pengu ...

University church

The church has functioned as the university church for the

since the Dominicans were able to re-acquire the convent complex from the Italian government in 1927 after its expropriation from the Order in 1870 due to the Laws of suppression of religious orders. The church is used to celebrate the solemn inauguration of each academic year, the feast of St.

and the official closing of the academic year. It closes during the university's summer break except for the feast of St. Dominic on 7 August. Other than during public functions, visits need to be arranged by prior appointment.

Depictions in culture

The church has been the subject of or appeared in numerous works of art.

Antonio Canaletto Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Painter of city views or ...

made a pen and ink study with grey wash and black chalk, today in the collection of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, described as depicting "the Church of SS Domenico e Sisto, Rome; with a sweeping double staircase to the entrance, in the foreground a man bowing to two approaching ladies." In 1906, American painter John Singer Sargent completed an oil painting of the exterior staircase and balustrade of the church. Sargent described the ensemble as "a magnificent curved staircase and balustrade, leading to a grand façade that would reduce a millionaire to a worm". Sargent used the architectural features from this painting later in a portrait of

Charles William Eliot Charles William Eliot (March 20, 1834 – August 22, 1926) was an American academic who was president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909the longest term of any Harvard president. A member of the prominent Eliot family of Boston, he transfor ...

, President of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Sargent also made several preliminary pencil sketches of the balustrade and staircase. The Church as also been depicted by

Ettore Roesler Franz Ettore Roesler Franz (11 May 1845 – 26 March 1907) was an Italian painter and photographer. He was among the most prolific Italian watercolorists and vedutisti of the late nineteenth century. Biography He was born to a family of German ance ...

and

Eero Saarinen Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer noted for his wide-ranging array of designs for buildings and monuments. Saarinen is best known for designing the General Motors ...

. The Church and stair feature in the 1950 film ''

Prima comunione ''Father's Dilemma'' ( it, Prima comunione) is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Alessandro Blasetti. It won an award at the Venice Film Festival. Details * The voice of the narrator is Alberto Sordi. When Sordi worked on the film he had ju ...

'' by director Alessandro Blasetti.

Notes

References

Nyborg
*http://www.romeartlover.it/Vasi149.htm

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santi Domenico E Sisto Domenico e Sisto Roman Catholic churches completed in 1663 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 1663 establishments in Italy Domenico e Sisto