San Giovanni in Oleo
San Giovanni in Oleo is an oratorio in Rome . In its current form, it essentially dates from the early 16th century and has the "character of a precious jewelry case".
location
The oratory is in the XIX. Roman Rione Celio on Via di Porta Latina about 25 meters west of Porta Latina .
Building history
According to legend, the small building was built on the spot where the apostle John suffered and survived a martyrdom in boiling oil, hence the name. This is said to have occurred during the reign of Emperor Domitian , i.e. at the end of the 1st century, but the first reports about this event only come from the early 3rd century. The area in which the oratory is located was built on with mausoleums in ancient times . It can therefore be assumed that the current building was also built on an ancient predecessor. Benedikt Adam, a French prelate and auditor at the Sacra Rota , had the structure built in 1509. It is attributed to Donato Bramante , although this is controversial. The building was restored and supplemented by Francesco Borromini in 1658 on behalf of Pope Alexander VII ; the last restoration was carried out in 1716.
Basic structure
The oratory was laid out as an octagonal central building. Originally, the building did not have a dome, but ended above the entablature , only Borromini added the roof in its current form in 1658.
Exterior
The surfaces of the octagon are made of plastered brickwork and rise above a low travertine base . On each of the edges of the octagon there are articulated pilasters with simple capitals . The flat dome rises above the cornice in the form of a "sloping stone cone". The base of this roof shape is formed by a palmette crown, decorated with acanthus cups , rosettes and palmettes . The construction is crowned in the form of a knob made of rosettes and a band of acanthus leaves underneath.
Portals
Except for the portals, the building has no other decorations in its external structure. In the lintel of the western portal is the inscription of the founder Benedikt Adam with the year of construction 1509 and the reference to the pontificate of Pope Julius II at this time. The heraldic symbols of the Chigi family are placed above the east portal, and an inscription in the lintel indicates that the (Chigi-) Pope Alexander VII was the commissioner of the restoration in 1658.
Interior
The interior of the building was designed by Francesco Borromini. The frescoes were done by Lazzaro Baldi . The building is usually not accessible. Interested visitors can contact the porter of the Rosmini College in Via Porta Latina, 17 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Grundmann; Architectural Guide Rome, p. 130
- ↑ a b c Rosendorfer; Church Guide Rome, p. 109
- ↑ a b Wundram (Ed.): Reclams Art Guide, Italy. Volume V. Rome and Latium , p. 186
literature
- Manfred Wundram (Ed.): “Reclams Art Guide, Italy. Volume V. Rome and Latium ” , Reclam, Stuttgart 1981. ISBN 3-15-008679-5
- Stefan Grundmann (Ed.): Architectural Guide Rome. Menges, Stuttgart / London 1997, ISBN 3-930698-59-5 .
- Herbert Rosendorfer: "Kirchenführer Rom" , 3rd edition, Edition Leipzig, Leipzig 2005. ISBN 3-361-00485-3
Web links
Coordinates: 41 ° 52 ′ 35.8 " N , 12 ° 30 ′ 7.7" E