The Convent of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, also called Convent of Aracoeli and formerly known as ''Convent of Santa Maria in Capitolio'', was a historic monastic complex of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

origin in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, which first belonged to the

Order of Saint Benedict The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

and then to the

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

. Located on the

Capitolium A ''Capitolium'' (Latin) was an ancient Roman temple dedicated to the Capitoline Triad of gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. A ''capitolium'' was built on a prominent area in many cities in Italy and the Roman provinces, particularly during the ...

, next to the basilica of the same name, it was demolished in 1886 during the construction of the

Vittoriano The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (), also known as the Vittoriano or for synecdoche Altare della Patria ("Altar of the Fatherland"), is a large national monument built between 1885 and 1935 to honour Victor Emmanuel II, the first king ...

, after a history of more than a millennium. In the same period, another Franciscan convent was built next to the staircase, bearing the same name but much smaller than the historical one. The only remnant of the convent is the 16th-century loggia located on the right side of the basilica at the end of a staircase, with the portico giving access from the basilica.

History

Origin

The convent arose in the templar area which also included the Temple of Jupiter Capitoline, and probably dates back to the 6th century. It was built on the ruins of a former imposing complex of monuments that was destroyed by the

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

in the 5th century. Gradually, these ruins were replaced by the Basilica and the Convent of Aracoeli, which were built by reusing some of the same construction material. Starting from the 10th century, the

Rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of th ...

was observed at the convent. In the 13th century,

Saint Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty, he ...

may have found refuge in the convent during his stays in Rome. For this reason, as well as for its central position within the city, a few years after the Saint's death, the convent became the main Roman seat of the nascent Franciscan order of Friars Minor. In 1250,

Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV (; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universities of Parma and Bolo ...

entrusted the complex, including the adjoining basilica, to the Franciscans. From this moment on, the institution maintained an increasing cooperation with the Municipality of Rome, which was based in the adjacent Piazza del Campidoglio. In 1310, the Franciscans opened a '' studium'', which operated as a university institute from 1421 to 1444. In 1444, with

Pope Eugene IV Pope Eugene IV (; ; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 March 1431 to his death, in February 1447. Condulmer was a Republic of Venice, Venetian, and a nephew ...

, the convent changed from the

Conventual Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

to the Observant Minors; in 1517, it became the Generalate of the latter, a role it held until the definitive demolition of the convent in 1886. Nonetheless, the institution always maintained the connotation of a center of culture and teaching, since it was the seat of a seminary for novices and a hospice for scholars.

16th-century expansions

The convent was gradually expanded to include three cloisters. In 1535, the papal villa commonly called Tower of Paul III (named for the Pope who ordered its construction:

Paul III Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...

) was built close to the edifice. Another addition was the elevated walkway called ''Arco San Marco'', which connected the convent with Palazzetto San Marco (now Palazzetto Venezia), part of Palazzo di San Marco (now

Palazzo Venezia The Palazzo Venezia (; "Venice Palace") or Palazzo Barbo, formerly Palazzo di San Marco ("Saint Mark's Palace"), is a large early Renaissance palace in central Rome, Italy, situated to the north of the Capitoline Hill. Today the property of the ...

). Monastery activities included hospitality and care of the sick. Since the Middle Ages, it also housed a vast library, which by the 19th century contained over 17,000 volumes, including manuscripts. This rich library, re-founded in 1733 and called ''Bibliotheca Aracoelitana'' (or ''Evoriana'', from Évora, Portugal, the city of origin of its founder, the Franciscan José Ribeiro da Fonseca) was open to the public.

French invasion and demolition

In 1798, during the first French invasion, the convent was deconsecrated and used as a stable; with the advent of the

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of mi ...

government (1810–1815), it became the seat of the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca () is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its first ''principe'' or director; ...

for a short time. In 1873—soon after the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

, when many religious orders were suppressed and several ecclesiastical buildings and assets confiscated—the Italian State expropriated the complex and used it as the headquarters of the traffic police. Finally, in 1886, the monastery was almost entirely demolished to make way for the

, thereby ending a more-than-millennial history.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{coord missing, Italy Demolished buildings and structures in Rome Buildings and structures demolished in 1886