Santa Caterina Dei Funari
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Santa Caterina dei Funari is a
church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
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, ...
in
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 ...
, in the
rione A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed a ...
of Sant'Angelo. The church is mainly known for its façade and its interior with frescoes and paintings.


History

The church is located where the Castro Aureo of the
Circus Flaminius The Circus Flaminius was a large, circular area in ancient Rome, located in the southern end of the Campus Martius near the Tiber River. It contained a small race-track used for obscure games, and various other buildings and monuments. It was "bu ...
was located, built by Gaius Flaminius in 221 B.C. Prior to the 13th century, the seats of the surrounding semi-ruined amphitheater were used to dry the wares produced by the string- and rope-makers (''funari''), hence, the name of the church. Originally a small church dedicated to Santa Rosa di Viterbo was adjacent. The original church was a three-naved basilica, called "Santa Maria Dominae Rosae in Castro Aureo","Church of Santa Caterina de' Funari", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
/ref> named for the first time in 1192 in a document of
Pope Celestine III Pope Celestine III (; c. 1105 – 8 January 1198), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 March or 10 April 1191 to his death in 1198. He had a tense relationship with several monarchs, including Emperor ...
."Chiesa di Santa Caterina dei Funari", Religiana
/ref> It was rebuilt in the 9th century with a single nave and dedicated to St
Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria, also spelled Katherine, was, according to tradition, a Christian saint and Virginity, virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a ...
and later also called Santa Caterina dei Funari. In 1534
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 ...
granted this church to St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
. He established in this church the Conservatorio di Santa Caterina della Rosa to provide for the education of poor and homeless girls. A few years later the Company became a
Confraternity A confraternity (; ) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most common among Catholics, Lu ...
. Sponsored by Cardinal Federico Cesi, they decided to rebuild the church and name it "Santa Caterina dei Funari". It was built by Guidetto Guidetti between 1560 and 1564, together with Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Ottavio Mascherino (1524-1606). The adjoining convent was demolished in 1940 and never rebuilt.


Façade

The
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 rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...
façade shows the influence of other Renaissance churches on the Lombard architect Guidetto Guidetti. In particular, he relied considerably for his design on that of the church of
Santo Spirito in Sassia Church of the Holy Spirit in the Saxon District (Italian language, Italian: ''La chiesa di Santo Spirito in Sassia'') is a 12th-century Titular church, titular church in Rome, Italy. It is in ''Borgo Santo Spirito'', a street which got its name fr ...
, built by his teacher
Antonio da Sangallo the Younger Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (12 April 14843 August 1546), also known as Antonio Cordiani, was an Italian architect active during the Renaissance, mainly in Rome and the Papal States. One of his most popular projects that he worked on des ...
. The careful ornamentation contrasts sharply with the austere architectural arrangement in two sections or storeys, interrelated by lateral scrolls. The sections are divided by
pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s with slightly modified
Corinthian capital The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...
s. The lower section consists of five bays with six pilasters, three on each side of the entrance. The space between each pair of pilasters is filled by an empty hemispherical niche. Above and underneath each niche is a framed rectangular panel, and the higher panel is in each case surmounted by a
festoon A festoon (from French ''feston'', Italian ''festone'', from a Late Latin ''festo'', originally a festal garland, Latin ''festum'', feast) is a wreath or garland hanging from two points, and in architecture typically a carved ornament depicti ...
. Within its surrounding pilasters, the
aedicula In religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a Niche (architecture), niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns an ...
r entrance is flanked by two Corinthian columns which support an
architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...
(with the dedication DIVAE CATHARINAE VIRG. ET MART.- "Saint Catharine, virgin and martyr") and above this a triangular
pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
. The top of each of these two capitals is adorned with
cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (; ), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. In Greek, it was called the " horn of ...
s and
cherub A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...
's heads. The festoon over the pediment carries two iconographical symbols of martyrdom: a palm branch and a sword, the latter being the instrument of the saint's martyrdom. The other festoons contain a wheel, her intended instrument of martyrdom. The upper section or storey consists of three bays flanked by a
volute A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an ...
on each side. The middle bay is filled by a
rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...
within a quadrilateral frame with a rose in each corner. Above the rose window stands the escutcheon of the Cesi family flanked by ornamental ribbons. The remaining two other bays each contain once more an empty hemispherical niche, above each a framed rectangular panel. The spaces between the capitals and below the pediment are filled by four ornamented oval
cartouches file:Birth and Throne cartouches of pharaoh Seti I, from KV17 at the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. Neues Museum.jpg, upalt=A stone face carved with coloured hieroglyphics. Two cartouches - ovoid shapes with hieroglyphics inside - are visible at the ...
. The façade is surmounted by a triangular pediment with four
acroteria An acroterion, acroterium, (pl. akroteria) is an architectural ornament placed on a flat pedestal called the ''acroter'' or plinth, and mounted at the apex or corner of the pediment of a building in the classical style. An acroterion placed ...
in the form of identical vases and in the middle an iron cross. This façade would become a model for the design of the façade of the Church of the Gesu by
Giacomo della Porta Giacomo della Porta (1533–1602) was an Italian architect and sculptor. Most likely born in Genoa or Porlezza, Italy, his work was inspired by famous Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola. He started in his car ...
, built a decade later. The façade bears the inscription FEDERIC CAESIVS EPISC CARDINALIS PORTVEN FECIT M.D.LXIIII (“Federico Cesi, Cardinal Bishop of Porto built 1564”).


Interior

The groundplan of the church's interior has a single nave, defined by half-columns with Corinthian capitals along the walls, with a vaulted ceiling and lunettes in the upper part. There are three semi-circular chapels on each side. The austere interior contrasts with a wealth of decoration executed by important artists from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The altarpiece '' Saint Margaret of Antioch'' (1600) 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 ...
in the chapel of Santa Margherita depicts the saint. The same artist also painted the altarpiece "St. Barbara" in the first chapel on the right. The Ruiz chapel, the second chapel on the right has an altarpiece (a Deposition) painted by Girolamo Muziano. Together with the third chapel on the right side, it was designed by Vignola but finished by Mascherino. The altarpiece in the third chapel (the
Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...
) is ed by Scipione Pulzone 598 The altarpiece in the third chapel on the left depicts the story of S. Giovanni" by Marcello Venusti.Scannelli, Francesco. ''Il microcosmo della pittura'', Cesena (1657); p. 186
/ref> The altarpiece above the main altar shows a "Glory of St. Catherine" by
Livio Agresti Livio Agresti (1508–1580), also called Ritius or Ricciutello, was an Italy, Italian painter of the late Renaissance or Mannerism, Mannerist period, active both in his native city of Forlì and in Rome, where he died. He was one of the members of ...
. In the apse Raffaellino da Reggio frescoed some monochrome friezes of putti and of Saints Romanus, Augustine, Sisinius and Saturninus, while several of the decorations in the sanctuary (scenes from the live of St. Catherine and a panel) are by
Federico Zuccari Federico Zuccaro, also known as Federico Zuccari and Federigo Zucchero ( July/August 1609), was an Italian painter, draughtsman, architect and writer. He worked in various cities in Italy, as well as in other countries such as Spain, France, t ...
.


References


Sources

* Barbara J. Sabatine, The church of Santa Caterina dei Funari and the Vergini miserabili of Rome, Ph; Diss., University of California, Los Angeles 1992. * ''S. Caterina dei Funari, La storia del Monastero e della Chiesa'', Rome, (booklet published by the Conservatorio di S. Caterina della Rosa).


External links


The façade of Santa Caterina dei Funari
*
Chiesa di S. Caterina dei Funari
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Caterina Dei Funari C 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Caterina Funari