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Santa Maria in Vallicella, also called Chiesa Nuova, is a church 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, ...
,
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, which today faces onto the main thoroughfare of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the corner of Via della Chiesa Nuova. It is the principal church of the Oratorians, a religious congregation of secular priests, founded by St Philip Neri in 1561 at a time in the 16th century when the Counter Reformation saw the emergence of a number of new religious institutes such as 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 ...
, the
Theatines The Theatines, officially named the Congregation of Clerics Regular (; abbreviated CR), is a Catholic order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men founded by Archbishop Gian Pietro Carafa on 14 September 1524. Foundation The order wa ...
, and the
Barnabites The Barnabites (), officially named as the Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (), are a religious order of clerics regular founded in 1530 in the Catholic Church. They are associated with the Angelic Sisters of Saint Paul and the members of the Ba ...
. These new congregations were responsible for several great preaching churches built in the Centro Storico, the others being
Sant'Andrea della Valle Sant'Andrea della Valle is a titular church and minor basilica in the rione of Sant'Eustachio of the city of Rome, Italy. The basilica is the seat of the general curia of the Theatines and is located on the Piazza Vidoni, at the intersection ...
(Theatines),
San Carlo ai Catinari San Carlo ai Catinari, also called Santi Biagio e Carlo ai Catinari ("Saints Blaise and Charles at the Bowl-Makers"), is an early-Baroque style church in Rome, Italy. It is located on Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, 117 just off the corner of Via Arenu ...
(Barnabites), and The Gesù and
Sant'Ignazio The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius (, ) is a Latin Catholic titular church, of deaconry rank, dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, located in Rome, Italy. Built in Baroque style between 1626 and ...
(Jesuits).


History

By tradition, St. Gregory the Great built the first church on the site. By the 12th century, it was dedicated to ''Santa Maria in Vallicella'' ("Our Lady in the Little Valley")."Santa Maria in Vallicella", Churches of Rome
/ref> In 1575, Pope Gregory XIII recognised Neri's group as a religious Congregation and gave them the church and its small attached
convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
. St. Philip Neri, helped by Pier Donato Cardinal Cesi and
Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...
, had the church rebuilt, starting in 1575. When Pierdonato died, his brother Angelo Cesi, Bishop of Todi, continued his family's patronage. Initially the architect was Matteo di Città di Castello, but he was replaced later by Martino Longhi the Elder. The nave was completed in 1577, and the church was consecrated in 1599. The facade, designed by Fausto Rughesi, was completed in 1605 or 1606. The Cesi
heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...
is still evident in the church.


Interior

The ground plan follows the
Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...
design of churches established at the ''Gesù''; a single main nave with transepts and side chapels, leading towards the High Altar. Neri had intended that the interior be plain with whitewashed walls but it was filled by patrons with various artistic works, mainly during the period from 1620 to 1690, including masterworks by some of the principal artists of those decades in Rome. It is renowned for its altarpieces by Barocci,
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 ...
's ceilings, and the
Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of clas ...
altarpiece on an unusual slate, canvas and copper support.
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 ...
's decorations include the 'Trinity' in the dome (painted 1647–1651). The prophets 'Isaiah', 'Jeremiah', 'Daniel' and 'Ezechiel' in the four pendentives were painted in 1655–56 and 1659–60 along with his fresco of the 'Assumption of the Virgin' adorning the apse. There is an implied visual continuum between the dome and the apse frescoes aided by the fact that there is no dome drum; the assumpting Virgin (in the apse) raises her eyes towards Heaven and the Father (in the dome) extends his hand as if bestowing His blessings upon her. Cortona's nave vault fresco of the 'Miracle of the Madonna della Vallicella' was executed in 1664–65. This is clearly set within an elaborate gold frame, a ''quadro riportato'', and is painted with a Venetian influenced view of '' di sotto in su'' (from below to above). His designs for the vault decoration around the painting, with elaborate white and gilt stucco work incorporating figurative, geometrical and naturalistic elements, were carried out by Cosimo Fancelli and Ercole Ferrata. The walls of the nave and transept, as well as the presbytery ceiling, have canvases of ''Episodes of the Old and New Testament'' are by Lazzaro Baldi, Giuseppe Ghezzi, Daniele Seiter, Giuseppe Passeri, and Domenico Parodi.


Chapels

The first altarpiece on the right is a ''Crucifixion'' by Pulzone with a ceiling fresco painted by Lanfranco. The third altarpiece is an ''Ascension'' by Girolamo Muziano, the fourth, a ''Pentecost'' by Giovanni Maria Morandi; the fifth, an ''Assumption'' by Cerrini. In the transept is a ''Coronation of Mary'' by the Cavaliere d'Arpino, who also painted the first altarpiece (''Presentation in the Temple'') on the right. In the right presbytery, is the Spada family chapel completed in 1593 by Rainaldi. Inside, a ''Madonna and Child with Saints Carlo Borromeo and Ignatius of Loyola'' (1675) was painted by Maratta. In the central presbytery, the bronze ciborium was designed by
Ciro Ferri Ciro Ferri (1634 – 13 September 1689) was an Italian Baroque sculptor and painter, the chief pupil and successor of Pietro da Cortona. Biography He was born in Rome, where he began working under Cortona and with a team of artists in the extens ...
in 1681. '' Madonna della Vallicella'' with side panels showing ''Saints Domitilla, Nereus and Achilleus'' and ''Saints Gregory the Great, Maurus and Papias'' (1606–08) is one of the few works painted by
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...
created specifically for a Roman commission. Commissioned for 300 scudi by Monsignor Jacopo Serra (a Genoese-born partner in the Pallavicini Bank and the brother of Maria Di Antonio Serra, whose portrait Rubens painted in 1606), when installed the altarpiece is said to have caused a 'stir' among observers in Rome, who were generally unaccustomed to the Flemish painterly style. In the left transept is a ''Presentation of Mary to the Temple'' (1593–94) by Federico Barocci. He completed two altarpieces that were highly admired in his time, including one in the ''Chapel of the Visitation'' (1583–1586). The sacristy was begun in 1621 based on architectural plans by Mario Arconio and completed by Paolo Maruscelli in 1629. In the sacristy is a marble sculptural group of ''S. Filippo with an Angel'' by Alessandro Algardi. The wall frescoes are by Francesco Trevisani and the ''Benediction by Christ'' by Cerrini with the ceiling frescoed with ''Angels carrying the instruments of the Passion'' (1633–34) 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 fifth altarpiece on the left is an ''Annunciation'' by the Passignano; the fourth, a ''Visitation'' by Barocci with the ceiling frescoed with ''Saints'' by Saraceni. In the third ''Adoration by the Shepherds'' by Durante Alberti and the vault frescoed with a ''Saint'' by Cristofano Roncalli. The second altarpiece is an ''Adoration by the Magi'' by
Cesare Nebbia Cesare Nebbia (c.1536–c.1614) was an Italian Mannerism, Mannerist painter from Orvieto. Biography Nebbia was born in Orvieto. He trained with Girolamo Muziano, with whom he helped complete a flurry of decoration that was added to the Cathe ...
; the first, a 'Presentation to the Temple'' by d'Arpino. In 1635 Alessandro Salucci worked on decorations in the Chapel of the Presentation of Our Lady. Salucci painted frescoes on the vault, depicting the story of Hannah,
Elkanah Elkanah ( ''’Ĕlqānā'' "El (deity), El has purchased") was, according to the Books of Samuel, First Book of Samuel, the husband of Hannah (biblical figure), Hannah, and the father of her children including her first, Samuel. Elkanah practiced ...
and the young
Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...
. Salucci's frescos were painted over the decorations made by Domenico de Coldie in 1590. One painting that did not stay in its intended chapel is worth recording;
Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...
's altarpiece of the ''
Entombment of Christ The burial of Jesus refers to the entombment of the body of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus after his crucifixion before the erev Shabbat, eve of the sabbath. This event is described in the New Testament. According to the Gospels, canonical gospel ...
'' was commissioned by Alessandro Vittrice, nephew of one of Saint Philip's friends, and depicted the entombment in a radically naturalistic format, foreign to the grand manner found in the remaining altarpieces. The original is in the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
Pinacoteca. A copy by a Flemish painter now takes its place. Neri is buried in the chapel to the left of the choir, which is dedicated to him, in a tomb decorated with
mother-of-pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother-of-pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer. It is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...
. Designed by
Onorio Longhi Onorio Longhi (1568–1619) was an Italian architect, the father of Martino Longhi the Younger and the son of Martino Longhi the Elder. Born in Viggiù, Lombardy, Longhi began as assistant for his father, and inherited the latter's commission a ...
in 1600, the first octagonal part of the chapel has a central vault painting of St. Philip by Roncalli, and an altarpiece of ''The Virgin Appearing to St Philip Neri'' by
Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian Baroque painter, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious works, but al ...
(now a mosaic copy). In the inner and more removed part of the chapel, Cortona added a lantern to let in more light and the dome was redecorated, perhaps by Ciro Ferri.Merz, 2008, p. 122 Adjacent to the church is the
Oratorio dei Filippini The Oratorio dei Filippini (Oratory of Saint Philip Neri) is a building located in Rome and erected between 1637 and 1650 under the supervision of architect Francesco Borromini - in his Francesco Borromini, distinctive style. The oratory is adjac ...
designed by the Baroque architect
Francesco Borromini Francesco Borromini (, ), byname of Francesco Castelli (; 25 September 1599 – 2 August 1667), was an Italian architect born in the modern Switzerland, Swiss canton of Ticino
who with his brick
façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
created a marked contrast to the conventional travertine façade of the church.


Cardinal-Priests

Since the 1946 consistory of
Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
, the church has been used as a
titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...
. * Benedetto Aloisi Masella (18 February 1946 – 21 June 1948) * Francesco Borgongini Duca (12 January 1953 – 4 October 1954) *
Paolo Giobbe Paolo Giobbe (10 January 1880 – 14 August 1972) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Dataria, Papal Datary in the Roman Curia from 1959 to 1968, and was elevated to the Cardinal (Cat ...
(15 December 1958 – 14 August 1972) * James Knox (5 March 1973 – 26 June 1983) * Edward Bede Clancy (28 June 1988 – 3 August 2014) * Ricardo Blázquez Pérez (14 February 2015 – present)


See also

*
Oratorio dei Filippini The Oratorio dei Filippini (Oratory of Saint Philip Neri) is a building located in Rome and erected between 1637 and 1650 under the supervision of architect Francesco Borromini - in his Francesco Borromini, distinctive style. The oratory is adjac ...
*
History of early modern period domes Domes built in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries relied primarily on empirical techniques and oral traditions rather than the architectural treatises of the time, but the study of dome structures changed radically due to developments in mathemat ...


References


Bibliography

* Ian Ferguson Verstegen, ''Federico Barocci and the Oratorians: Corporate Patronage and Style in the Counter-Reformation'' (Kirksville, Mo. USA: Truman State University Press, 2015). * Alba Costamagna, Anna Gramiccia, Daria De Angelis, ''La festa del colore: Rubens alla Chiesa Nuova'' (De Luca Editori d'Arte, 2005) ollana di studi e ricerche della Soprintendenza speciale per il Polo museale romano, 2 * Costanza Barbieri, Sofia Barchiesi, Daniele Ferrara, ''Santa Maria in Vallicella: Chiesa Nuova'' (Roma: Fratelli Palombi, 1995). * Paolo Montorsi, Carlo Molteni, Mario Colli, ''La Chiesa Nuova: la facciata, il restauro : 1595-1995 celebrazione Filippine'' (Roma: Gestedil, 1994). * Antonella Pampalone, ''La Cappella della famiglia Spada nella Chiesa Nuova: Testimonianze documentarie'' (Roma: Ministero per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali, Ufficio Centrale per i Beni Archivistici, 1993). * Francis Haskell, ''Patrons and Painters: A Study in the Relations Between Italian Art and Society in the Age of the Baroque'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980), pp. 68–76.


External links


Description on Roma 2000 websiteParish website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria In Vallicella 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Maria Vallicella Baroque architecture in Rome Roman Catholic churches completed in 1599 Religious organizations established in the 1590s 1599 establishments in Italy Churches of Rome (rione Parione) Church buildings with domes