Quirinal
The Quirinal ( Latin Collis Quirinalis , Italian Colle Quirinale ) is one of the seven hills of classical Rome .
geography
The maximum height of the Quirinal is about 57 m. Together with the neighboring Viminal (which, like the Quirinal, was not referred to as mons "mountain", but as collis "hill") it formed the tribe of Collina ; in Augustan times the two hills became part of the 6th region (Alta Semita) .
The central square at the Quirinal is the Piazza del Quirinale adjacent to the Palazzo del Quirinale .
history
According to legend, there was a Sabine settlement on the Quirinal , where King Titus Tatius lived after the peace between the Romans and the Sabines. The Sabines had erected altars here in honor of their god Quirinus , which gave the hill its name. Here is an old residential area of the Roman upper class. The magnificent villas were built here because the air on the hill was healthier than in the then very swampy Tiber Valley . The monumental sculptures of the Dioscuri , Castor and Pollux date from Roman times . In addition to the temple for Salus , a temple of Serapis and a temple of Fortuna Euelpis were located on the hill .
The hill is dominated by the Quirinal Palace from the 16th century, the former summer residence of the Popes , which was later the residence of the Italian kings until 1946 and which today serves as the official residence of the President . That is why the name Quirinal was also used as a synonym for the Italian government. The foreign ambassadors were at the "Quirinal", which makes a distinction to the Vatican clear.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini built the church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale here between 1658 and 1670 . The baroque style is peculiarly realized, because the church presents a transverse oval structure in the floor plan, which means that the axis from the altar to the entrance is the shorter. The dome is also oval. The interior is very elegant thanks to the color scheme in light old rose, light gray, white and gold.
On the northeast side of the Quirinal Palace complex, Francesco Borromini built a very small, inconspicuous church, the San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, from 1634 to 1641 . It was built without a fee. Due to the size of its floor plan, this church has space on the area of a crossing pillar of St. Peter's Basilica . She belongs to the order of the Trinitarians , whose founder St. Charles Borromeo was. The Romans also affectionately call it S. Carlino because of its small size . With its corner, it is part of the four fountains that represent the river gods Tiber and Arno and the goddesses Juno and Diana . In the western extension of Piazza Barberini is the Palazzo Barberini with part of the important art museum "Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica" (National Gallery of Ancient Art) and the Istituto Italiano di Numismatica (Italian Institute for Numismatics).
The National Church of the Catholics of the United States of America is also located on the Quirinal. She is St. Consecrated to Susanna, who is also named after her, and stands at the place of her martyrdom. The church belongs to the monastery of the Cistercians .
To the west of the Piazza della Repubblica , in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, there is another art object attributable to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the scene of the “Rapture of St. Theresa of Ávila ”. The church itself was built by Carlo Maderno after 1605 . The front left side chapel in particular gives us a good insight into the high baroque period.
The church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri emerged from the central part of the Baths of Diocletian . Michelangelo began building it in 1563, but died a year later.
literature
- Filippo Coarelli : Rome. An archaeological guide. Verlag von Zabern, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-8053-2685-8 , pp. 240-254.
Web links
Coordinates: 41 ° 54 ' N , 12 ° 29' E