Santa Maria del Priorato
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Patronage : | St. Mary |
| Consecration day : | |
| Address: | Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta 00153 Roma |
Santa Maria del Priorato , formerly called Santa Maria in Aventino , is a church in Rome . It is the priory church of the Sovereign Order of Malta and is the only building in which Giovanni Battista Piranesi has worked as an architect ; he is also buried in the church.
location
The church is located in the (not publicly accessible) park of the seat of the Grand Master of the Maltese on the Aventine in the XII. Roman Rione Ripa almost immediately on the Tiber at the level of the Ponte Sublicio bridge .
History and building history
The church was completely renovated from 1765 by Piranesi on behalf of the Order of Malta. The seat of the Grand Master of the Maltese was not yet in Rome at that time, only the Grand Priory of Rome of the Order was located here, after which the church was named. The client was Cardinal Giovanni Battista Rezzonico , at that time Grand Prior of the Order of Malta and nephew of Pope Clement XIII. Piranesi not only designed the facade and the interior of the church, but also the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta itself, on which the entrance to the church is located, was designed and built using the figure program of an ancient burial ground. In the course of this work, the well-known so-called Holy Keyhole was created; it allows a view through an arcade right onto the dome of St. Peter's Basilica .
Piranesi, a trained architect, but until then more famous for his vedute engravings, was faced with a double challenge: the place and in particular the Order of Malta had a double function in religious and profane-military terms. In ancient times, the weapons of the victorious Roman generals were cleaned on the Aventine. The military and religious moments merged here. Piranesi chose a mediating way, recognizable by the large central stucco decoration of the ceiling of the church.
Exterior
The facade of the church is the earliest of the dawning classicism in Rome. It is initially modeled on an ancient temple front; a pair of wide pilasters each support a flat triangular gable . The pilasters are continuously fluted and with composite capitals provided. The central part of the facade is dominated by the round window above the portal. Grundmann sees here a reminiscence of a so-called Striegelsarcophagus , instead of the window the medallion of the deceased would have been attached here in antiquity. Other antique elements are the all-round meander frieze and the candelabra on each side of the portal.
Interior
The basic structure of the church is a hall with barrel vaults and a semicircular apse , the arcades open in blind niches between the pillars, which are preceded by fluted pilasters with composite capitals.
The interior of the church is kept in classical white. Above the cornice, windows and niches break through the vault, on the left side with windows, on the right side they had to be dispensed with because of the subsequent development of the site in the southeast. The windows and niches are preceded by round medallions of various apostles decorated with flower garlands.
The unusual high altar , also designed by Piranesi, represents a globe. It stands free in the apse and is illuminated by the apse windows behind it.
The theme of the ceiling stucco of the church is the - mentioned above - dual function of the order and the church in military and religious terms. The stucco contains both military and Christian elements. As a metaphor for Christian martyrdom, Piranesi chose palm branches, possibly based on Borromini .
Visiting opportunities
Like the rest of the Order of Malta, the church is usually not accessible. It is possible to contact the city palace of the Maltese in Via Condotti 68 in the morning ; you must bring your ID.
inside view
altar
Grand Master's Cathedra
literature
- Marco Bussagli (Ed.): Rome - Art & Architecture . Könemann, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-8290-2258-1 .
- Stefan Grundmann (Ed.): Architectural Guide Rome. Menges, Stuttgart / London 1997, ISBN 3-930698-59-5 .
- Herbert Rosendorfer: Church leader Rome . 3rd edition Edition Leipzig, Leipzig 2005, ISBN 3-361-00485-3 .
- Manfred Wundram (Ed.): Reclams Art Guide, Italy. Volume V. Rome and Latium . Reclam, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-15-008679-5 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Bussagli (Ed.): Rom - Art & Architecture , p. 590.
- ↑ Grundmann (Ed.): Architekturführer Rom , p. 276.
- ^ Rosendorfer: Kirchenführer Rom , p. 183.
Coordinates: 41 ° 52 ′ 59.9 " N , 12 ° 28 ′ 38.6" E