Santa Brigida is a convent church dedicated to St
Bridget of Sweden
Bridget of Sweden, Bridgettines, OSsS ( – 23 July 1374), also known as Birgitta Birgersdotter and Birgitta of Vadstena (), was a Swedish Catholic Mysticism, mystic and the founder of the Bridgettines. Outside Sweden, she was also known as the ...
and the Swedish
national church
A national church is a Christian church associated with a specific ethnic group or nation state. The idea was notably discussed during the 19th century, during the emergence of modern nationalism.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in a draft discussing ...
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, ...
. It was also known as ''Santa Brigida a Campo de' Fiori'' since it was built on what was then part of
Campo de' Fiori
Campo de' Fiori (, ) is a rectangular square south of Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy, at the border between the ''Rioni of Rome, rioni'' Parione and Regola (rione of Rome), Regola. It is diagonally southeast of the Palazzo della Cancelleria and one ...
but is now the
urbanistically distinct
Piazza Farnese
Piazza Farnese is the main square of the Regola district of Rome, Italy.
History
The history and breadth of the square began in 16th century, when Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, future Paul III, bought several houses on the square to demolish t ...
.
History
A first building rose during the pontificate of
Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX (; ; c. 1350 – 1 October 1404, born Pietro Tomacelli) was head of the Catholic Church from 2 November 1389 to his death, in October 1404. He was the second Roman pope during the Western Schism.Richard P. McBrien, ''Lives of th ...
(1389–1404) but was later abandoned. In 1513, Peder Månsson, later (1524)
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of
Västerås
Västerås () is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 158,653, over 100,000 mo ...
in Sweden, erected a new church. It was officially granted to the Bishop of
Uppsala
Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Loc ...
by Pope
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 ...
(1534–1549).
It was restored in the early 18th century by Pope
Clement XI
Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721.
Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...
(1700–1721).
In 1828, Pope
Leo XII
Pope Leo XII (; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death in February 1829. ...
gave the convent and church to the Canons of
Santa Maria in Trastevere
The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere () or Our Lady in Trastevere is a titulus (Roman Catholic), titular minor basilica in the Trastevere district of Rome, and one of the oldest churches of Rome. The basic floor plan and wall structure of the ...
. They did not have the means to restore it, and gave it to the
Congregation of Holy Cross
The Congregation of Holy Cross (), abbreviated CSC, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in 1837 by Basil Moreau, in Le Mans, France.
Moreau also founded the Marianites of Holy Cross for women, n ...
, a French congregation, in 1855. They restored the church and the rooms of St Bridget in 1857–1858.
The next owner was a Polish branch of the Carmelite Order, to whom the convent and church was given in 1889. They held it until 1930, when it was returned to the
Bridgittine Order.
The paintings in the church were restored before the Bridgittine jubilee of 1991.
Exterior
The façade was constructed in 1705 and adorned with statues of ''St Brigid'' and her daughter ''
St Catherine'' by
Andrea Fucigna. Minor changes, such as the shapes of the windows, were made in the 19th century.
The design of the
neo-romanesque
Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...
bell-tower, added in 1894, is attributed to the architect
Raffaele Ingami who carried out much consolidation work for the convent at the time.
Interior
There are two marble holy water fonts. On the right-hand one may be seen the lily of the Farnese family, placed here when
Cardinal Odoardo Farnese was the protector of the convent, 1601–1626. The one on the left side has the arms of the Carmelite Order. Another protector was Cardinal
Virginio Orsini
Gentile Virginio Orsini (c. 1434 – 8 January 1497) was an Italian condottiero and vassal of the papal throne and the Kingdom of Naples, mainly remembered as the powerful head of the Orsini family during its feud with Pope Alexander VI (Rod ...
whose coat of arms can be seen on a marble bowl in the
sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, 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 us ...
.
In the early 18th century the church was embellished with six paintings ''Scenes from the Life of St Bridget'' by
Biagio Puccini
Biagio Puccini (1673–1721) was an Italian painter, active in his native Rome, but also in Tuscany, Umbria and the Marche in a late Baroque style.
He was born in Rome. He trained with Antonio Gherardi, but was influenced by Giacinto Brandi, G ...
, executed between 1702 and 1705.
[Chiara Coronato, in]
Un capolavoro del Settecento: i dipinti di Biagio Puccini nella chiesa parrocchiale a Casoli in Val di Lima
, 2005
Circa 1709–1711, Puccini also painted the large ceiling
fresco
Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
. In its centre is ''The Glory of St Bridget'' which is clearly influenced by the large marble
relief
Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
of ''The Glory of St
Catherine of Siena
Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa (25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), known as Catherine of Siena, was an Italian mystic and pious laywoman who engaged in papal and Italian politics through extensive letter-writing and advocacy. Canonized in 1461, ...
'' by
Melchiorre CafÃ
Melchiorre Cafà (1636–1667), born Melchiorre Gafà and also known as Caffà , Gafa, Gaffar or Gafar, was a Maltese Baroque sculptor. Cafà began a promising career in Rome but this was cut short by his premature death following a work acciden ...
from the 1660s.
There are three recently discovered memorial plaques in the church. They are not in their original positions. Two of them, one by the entrance to the Chapel of St Richard and one by the sacristy door, must have been in Bridget's room, and the third was probably placed on the façade until the new church was built in the 16th century.
Chapel of St Richard
Near the entrance are two doors. One leads to the Chapel of St Richard, the other to the new sacristy (1894). The chapel was built in 1894 on Neo-Gothic style by Raffaele Ingami. It is dedicated to an English
Bridgettine
The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Saviour (; abbreviated OSsS), is a Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta (Bridg ...
monk,
Richard Reynolds, who was martyred in London in 1535. He is considered the most important martyr of the order. The chapel was originally dedicated to ''Our Lady of Sorrows'', and an inscription from this period has been preserved on the altar. On the walls are eight paintings of scenes from the life of the ''Blessed Virgin'', made by
Eugenio Cisterna.
On the right-hand side is the cenotaph of Nils Karlsson Bielke (died 1765) by
Tommaso Righi. He was a descendant of one of St Bridget's brothers. After converting to Catholicism he lived in exile in Rome, and was made a senator. His place of burial is unknown.
Also on the right-hand side is the ''Altar of Our Lady''. The painting by
Virginio Monti, depicting ''Mary and the Holy Child'' in a classical landscape scene, was made in the 19th century. It is a copy of a lost original by
Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci ( , , ; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother Agostino Carracci, Agostino and cousin Ludovico Carracci, Ludovico (with whom the Ca ...
.
Opposite this altar is the ''Altar of St Catherine of Sweden''. It was redecorated in 1894. The painting, made in that year, is by Eugenio Cisterna, a pupil of Virginio Monti. It originally depicted ''St Bridget and St Teresa of Avila'', but when the church was given to the
Bridgettine Sisters in 1930, the figure of St Teresa was altered to represent St Catherine.
Chapel of St Catherine
In the crypt is the Chapel of
St Catherine, which was dedicated in 1972. It has 70 seats, and is used by the
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...
.
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
services are held on Sundays and Thursdays.
Convent
The church is part of the convent of the Bridgettine Sisters. The convent building was owned by
Francesca Papazurri, who became a close friend of St Bridget during the
Holy Year
A jubilee is a special year of remission of sins, debts and universal pardon. In the Book of Leviticus, a jubilee year is mentioned as occurring every 50th year (after 49 years, 7x7, as per Leviticus 25:8) during which slaves and prisoners would ...
of 1350. It was at that time known as the ''Palatium Magnum'', The Grand Palace. Bridget lived there for 19 years, and her rooms have been preserved. After Bridget's death, the house was donated to the order's mother house in
Vadstena
Vadstena () is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It bo ...
, and it was used as a hospice for Swedish pilgrims and clergy visiting Rome.
In the 16th century, the
Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
brought radical changes. The convent became a refuge for
Swedish Catholics who chose exile rather than conversion. Among those who lived here in this period was
Johannes Magnus
Johannes Magnus (a modified form of Ioannes Magnus, a Latin translation of his birth name Johan MÃ¥nsson; 19 March 1488 – 22 March 1544) was the last functioning Catholic Archbishop in Sweden, and also a theologian, genealogist, and histor ...
(1488–1544), the last Catholic Archbishop of Sweden.
Olaus Magnus
Olaus Magnus (born Olof Månsson; October 1490 – 1 August 1557) was a Swedish writer, cartographer, and Catholic clergyman.
Biography
Olaus Magnus (a Latin translation of his Swedish birth name Olof Månsson) was born in Linköping in Octo ...
arrived in 1549, and set up a printing press in the house. He published the revelations of St Bridget from this press in 1557. As the mother house in Vadstena was suppressed, a cardinal was made protector of the convent. During her exile from 1673 until her death in 1689,
Queen Christina of Sweden
Christina (; 18 December O.S. 8 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 8 December1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Monarchy of Sweden, Queen of Sweden from ...
was its protectress.
The building was restored by Pope Clement XI (1700–1721). Since then, only minor changes have been made to the exterior.
It is possible to visit the rooms of St Bridget and her daughter St Catherine, first abbess of the Bridgettine Sisters. The rooms contain relics of the two saints, and are decorated with paintings from the lives of the saints. Jewish artist
Édouard Brandon Édouard is both a French given name and a surname, equivalent to Edward in English. Notable people with the name include:
* Édouard Balladur (born 1929), French politician
* Édouard Boubat (1923–1999), French photographer
* Édouard Colonne (1 ...
is responsible for the artworks in the room of St Bridget. Chapels of St Bridget and St Catherine have been installed in their respective rooms.
External links
Interactive Nolli Map Website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brigida
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1513
16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy
National churches in Rome
Churches of Rome (rione Regola)