Santa Maria in Aracoeli

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Santa Maria in Aracoeli

SMiA stairs and facade.JPG

Denomination : Roman Catholic
Patronage : St. Mary
Consecration year : 1517
Rank: Basilica minor
Order : Franciscan (OFM)
Cardinal priest : Salvatore De Giorgi
Parish : San Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio
Address: Scala dell'Arce Capitolina 12
00186 Roma

Coordinates: 41 ° 53 '38 "  N , 12 ° 29' 0"  O Santa Maria in Aracoeli ( lat. : Sanctae Virgin de ara coeli , dt. : Saint Mary from the sky Altar ), official name Santa Maria in Ara Coeli al Campidoglio is a church in Rome . It is the regional church of the city of Rome. This lastRoman church, builtas a basilica , has a high symbolic importance due to its location in the city's political and religious center, which has been important since ancient times, its history connected with legends and its use in the Middle Ages as a city parliament and court. The Franciscan Church is also known by its previous name, Santa Maria in Capitolio . Numerous graves of members of Roman noble families, including the Orsini, Savelli, Mattei, Cenci, important cardinals, as well as the architects Giacomo della Porta and Giovanni Fontana can be found in the church interior of the former monastery church. The Bufalini Chapel with its frescoes by the painter Pinturicchio from the 15th centuryis of particular importance in terms of art history.

location

The church is located in the X. Roman Rione Campitelli on the Capitol Hill between the national monument on the north side and the Palazzo Nuovo on the south side. It can be reached via the steep, characteristic Scalinata di Aracoeli directly from Piazza d'Aracoeli and from Capitol Square via another staircase to the south side entrance.

history

Ancient and early medieval history

Due to excavations, the temple of Juno Moneta , the wife of the supreme Roman god Jupiter and patron of the city of Rome , was found at the site of today's church . This was on the occasion of the victory of the Romans over the Aurunker from 345 BC. Was built. During the 3rd century BC The mint was built next to it.

The first, historically verifiable church building, to which a monastery with Greek monks was attached, goes back to the time of Pope Gregory the Great (6th century). The founding of the Church by St. Helena , the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, cannot yet be proven. In a medieval codex around the year 883, the care of the church by Benedictine monks is mentioned. When the Roman Senate was reinstated in 1143, the Roman people chose Capitol Hill, which was the center of Rome in ancient times, as the seat of the conservators (executive) and the senators (judiciary). The church and the monastery took on a new meaning due to this close connection to the city government. In the 12th century, the monks built a church that roughly occupied today's transept and was oriented in a north-south direction, with the apse in the north.

Takeover by the Franciscan order

In 1249 the church was handed over to the Franciscan order by Pope Innocent IV . Under the patronage of the Senate and some noble families such as the Savelli, the Franciscans began building the current three-aisled basilica from 1251, based on a design by Arnolfo di Cambio . A master builder Aldus is documented as the building master, whose grave slab can still be seen on the 5th column. Construction lasted until around 1287.

South side of the church with the loggia entrance Paul III. to the monastery (1561)

At the end of the 13th century, the first family chapels were built next to the choir. They are the first verifiable examples of patronage chapels in churches. They were followed by numerous others, who gradually surrounded the entire church, so that the church expanded into a five-aisled basilica. The Bufalini Chapel was frescoed by Pinturicchio in the 1480s depicting the life of St. Bernardine of Siena , a preacher venerated by the Franciscans, who often visited this church. It is one of the great art treasures in this church. In 1348 the staircase, the Scalinata di Aracoeli, was built . Under Pope Leo X , the church was given title church status in 1517 . The south side of the church faces the Capitol Square , to which the side portal still leads via stairs. Alexander Farnese had in his time as Pope Paul III. (1534–1549) built a loggia as an entrance to the monastery and cloister, similar to a narthex . At the same time he chose the monastery with its gardens to be the seat of his summer residence and had a huge tower built by the builder Jacopo Meleghini from Ferrara, changing the monastery buildings and gardens. The "Torre di Paolo III" passed under Pope Sixtus V , a Franciscan, in the possession of the order, who used it until 1885 as the residence of the Father General of the Franciscans. From 1895 the Franciscan Hartmann von An der Lan-Hochbrunn still worked as organist at this church.

The builder Giacomo della Porta was commissioned from 1572 to 1584 to further expand the church, to raise the nave and the triumphal arch to the transept and to insert the carved and gilded coffered ceiling. This was donated by the Admiral and Viceroy of Sicily Marcantonio Colonna on the occasion of the victory in the sea ​​battle of Lepanto against the Turks, in which he had participated. The chapels underwent numerous renovations in the 17th and 18th centuries, and in 1752 the church was given an organ. After the French occupation of Rome in 1799, the church was profaned until 1815 . The monastery was converted into a barracks. From 1886 to 1888, the largest part of the monastery, the sacristy and the Paul III tower had to be built for the construction of the national monument for King Victor Emmanuel II. to be demolished.

Katarina Kosača-Kotromanić was a nun in this Franciscan monastery.

Legends

Vision of Augustus and the Tiburtine Sibyl in: Schedelsche Weltchronik , 1493

Founding legend

According to legends of the early Middle Ages, recorded in the Mirabilia Urbis Romae , the foundation of the Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli is said to go back to a prophecy of the Tiburtine Sibyl . The Roman Emperor Augustus was supposed to erect an altar in honor of an unknown deity who would save the world. Also in the Legenda Aurea of the Dominican monk Jacobus de Voragine there is a detailed description of the erection of the Ara Coeli - the altar of heaven - by Emperor Augustus. In the writings of the historiographer Timothy of Byzantium , also recorded in the Legenda Aurea, there is a similar description of the questioning of the oracle and the erection of an altar by Augustus.

The founding legend of the church about the sky altar and a miraculous image of Christ, which is in the church, play a central role in the novel The Miracles of the Antichrist by Selma Lagerlöf .

Legend to Santo Bambino

The church has a miraculous Christ Child who is worshiped in its own chapel. Legend has it that the Santo Bambino in Jerusalem was carved by a Franciscan from the wood of an olive tree from the Garden of Gethsemane . Since the religious did not have the necessary paint to finish the work, an angel appeared and finished the work by hand. Also on the way to Rome a miraculous event is reported - on the sea voyage there was an eerie storm and the precious treasure fell into the sea, but it swam after the ship and reached the port of Livorno all alone and unscathed, from where it was taken to Rome brought.

Another legend tells that the Princess Borghese secretly had a copy of the Santo Bambino made. When her cousin, Cardinal Scipione Borghese became seriously ill, the baby Jesus was brought to him at her request - since the miraculous healing of a member of the Torlonia family , the baby Jesus could be sent to the bed of the sick to heal well into the 20th century. She exchanged the Bambino and kept the real one. However, he left the palace at night unnoticed and hurried back to the Franciscan monastery near Santa Maria in Aracoeli, where he was brought back to his original place by the monks with a solemn escort. The fact is that there is a copy of the statue in the Church of San Giovanni near Giulianello - a gift from Cardinal Scipione Borghese.

architecture

Santa Maria in Aracoeli and Capitol; Engraving by GB Piranesi; 1751

The large three-aisled pillar basilica has preserved the image of the 13th century despite the valuable furnishings of later centuries. A row of side chapels adjoins both side aisles, resulting in a five-aisle structure of the nave. The short transept does not extend beyond the side walls, despite the chapel extensions. The central nave continues in a straight end of the choir, to which side choirs have been added according to the customs of the mendicant and Cistercian churches. Ancient columns, different in their stylistic appearance as well as in the type of stone, support the high wall that opens in narrow windows.

facade

The Romanesque, simple brick facade with the raised middle section and the Roman Cavetto finish is designed as a show facade and takes its shape from the architecture of the nave. The strict structure is emphasized by the main portal, which forms the central axis and decorated with round arches, and the two windows above. Over the two side portals with the evangelists Luke and John in the ogival tympana there are 2 oculi made of white marble. On December 27, 1412, the first public clock in Rome was installed in the facade, which was moved to the tower of the Senator's Palace in 1806 . In front of the main portal there are several grave slabs, u. a. that of the humanist Flavio Biondo . Numerous engravings and drawings by Van Heemskerck 1532, Giovanni Battista Falda (17th century), Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778), and others. a. document the original appearance of the church and its facade.

stairway

The steep staircase, with 124 marble steps from Piazza d'Aracoeli to the west facade of the church, was built by Lorenzo di Simeone Andreozzi in 1348 while the Popes were in exile in Avignon. It was the thanks of the Roman population, who financed it with donations, to the Blessed Mother of Aracoeli for being saved from the plague . An inscription on the facade (fig.) To the left of the main portal reminds of the construction of the stairs. The tribune Cola di Rienzo made his speeches to the Roman people from the stairs and is said to have inaugurated them. His monument, erected in the 19th century, is between the Aracoeli stairs and the Cordonata stairs that lead to the Capitol. In 1888 the city of Rome restored and repaired the stairs.

inner space

Layout

The main ship

Main nave

The main nave is divided into three naves by two rows of columns. The 22 columns are spolia from ancient buildings in the forums and the Palatine.

  • The floor (fig.) Of the church consists of large rectangular slabs of white marble framed with strips of mosaic. It is a masterpiece of the famous Roman stonemasons' guild of Cosmati from the 13th century. Numerous grave slabs from the 14th and 15th centuries were set in the floor of the church, especially in the side aisles. In 1560 Pope Pius IV ordered the removal of both these plates and the Schola cantorum from the nave. The change in the pattern on the floor of the main nave, from the height of the pulpit to the steps to the triumphal arch, still reveals the location of the former Schola cantorum . Many of the grave slabs in the floor of the aisles are still preserved. The flooring in the center of the transept is particularly rich with large porphyry slices .
  • The ceiling, made by Flaminio Bolangier on behalf of Pope Pius V from 1572 to 1578 and painted by Cesare Trapassi, is decorated with symbols of seafaring and shows the coats of arms of Pope Pius V, Pope Gregory XIII. and in the center SPQR , the emblem of the Roman Senate. The inscription made of golden mosaic (fig.) On a blue background above the triumphal arch tells about the victorious naval battle of Lepanto in 1571. Weapons captured by the Turks are worked into the ceiling.
  • On the inner wall above the main portal there is a splendid inscription (fig.) Of the Roman Senate for Pope Urban VIII in marble and stucco based on a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1636).
  • Inside to the right of the main portal ( a ) the grave monument for Cardinal Louis D'Albret / Lebretto (ill.) (Around 1465), one of the earliest works by Andrea Bregno in Rome.
  • Next to it on the wall is the grave slab originally embedded in the floor of the Cappella dell'Ascensione for Giovanni Crivelli (Fig.) († 1432), on which Donatello has immortalized himself as a sculptor at the top left .
  • To the left of the main portal ( b ) the grave monument for Lodovico Grato Margani (fig.) By a pupil of Andrea Sansovino (16th century).
  • On the walls of the Gaden there are a number of frescoes by various artists: Giovanni Odazzi (1686–91) Adoration of the Epiphany , Flight into Egypt, Prophet David ; Giuseppe Passeri Death of the Virgin, Assumption of Mary and Fra 'Umile da Foligno The Immaculate Conception, The Birth of the Virgin, Presentation in the Temple, Annunciation, Visitation, Adoration of the Shepherds, the Prophet Isaias.
  • On the shaft below the capital of the third pillar ( d ) is the Latin inscription A CVBICVLO AVGVSTORVM (literal translation: to the consecrated room), the exact meaning of which has not yet been clarified. (Fig.) This column presumably comes from the Auguraculum , which was on the Arx . A hole at eye level, drilled diagonally through the shaft of the column, was probably used to observe certain celestial phenomena, e.g. B. of bird flight.
  • On the 4th column on the left ( e ) the altar of the Madonna del Rifugio (fig.) From the 15th century.
  • On the 5th column on the left ( f ) the fresco Saint Luke (fig.) From the 14th century. On the floor below the very worn grave slab of Magister Aldus, the builder of the church (Fig.) .
  • On the 7th column on the left ( g ), the pulpit made of walnut (fig.) With the coat of arms of Pope Urban VIII. The design is by Gian Lorenzo Bernini .
  • On the fourth column on the right ( n ) the altar of St. Jacob of the Mark (fig.) , A pupil of St. Bernardine of Siena. The painting shows St. Jakob von der Mark in adoration before the chalice and the cross (around 1687).

Transept

The transept consists of the left wing, the Cappella di Santa Elena, the central part in front of the three apses and the right wing, the Cappella di San Francesco. The central part still preserves large sections of the old floor from the 13th century (Fig.) , A cosmatic work of marble, porphyry and serpentine. It is assumed that today's transept roughly corresponded to the footprint of the old basilica.

  • Opposite the main altar on the crossing pillars are two ambones with a cosmatic work from the 13th century. The one to the east of the Cappella di Santa Elena is signed as a work by Lorenzo di Tebaldo. On the inside it shows an eagle between two twisted, small columns (fig.) .
  • On the eastern crossing pillar above the ambo ( l ) is the grave slab of Queen Katarina of Bosnia (Fig.) .

Choirs

Choir chapel and main altar
  • Main choir chapel (13) - The high altar was built in 1725 by Pope Benedict XIII. inaugurated. The altar icon Maria Hagioritissa, the Madonna di Aracoeli, from the 6th century (in other sources dated to the 11th century) is highly venerated by the Roman people. The frescoes in the stucco frame on the ceiling of the choir were commissioned by Flaminia Margani between 1565 and 1568 by Nicolò Martinelli , called Trometta da Pesaro. It shows the legend of the prophecy of the Tiburtine Sibyl to the Emperor Augustus and the consecration of the heavenly altar by the Emperor . On the left wall is the grave monument to Cardinal Giovanni Battista Savelli (1489) by Andrea Bregno and Luigi Capponi. In the dome of the apse, before the church was rebuilt in the second half of the 16th century, there was a fresco by Pietro Cavallini The Madonna and Child surrounded by the sun and below the emperor Octavian to whom the Tiburtine Sibyl shows Jesus Christ whom he adores . This work, which Vasari called Cavallini's best in Rome, was removed in the course of the redesign. The famous Madonna of Foligno by Raphael stood on the altar in the apse until 1565 .
  • Cappella di San Gregorio, left apse (12) - The chapel is dedicated to Saint Gregory . The construction of the chapel goes back to Cardinal Tommaso Orsini in the 14th century, whose family temporarily held the patronage rights of the chapel. The altarpiece The Virgin with Saints Gregory and Francis is by Giovanni Giacomo Sementi (17th century). The missionary Johannes von Triora († 1816), who worked in China, is buried under the altar. On the left the tomb for Giovanni Battista Milizio (fig.) († 1507), which is attributed to Andres Bregno's pupil, Luigi Capponi.
  • Cappella del Santissimo Sacramento (Fig.) , Right apse (14) - also called Cappella dell'Immacolata or Cappella di San Francesco Solano . The chapel was built by Antonio Gherardi in 1675 . On the altar is the wooden statue of Immacolata, a work of the Neapolitan School (around 1722). The frescoes in the chapel and anteroom are by Giuseppe Ghezzi from the 18th century: the death of St. Francesco Solano and two legends of the saint .
  • Cappella di Santa Rosa da Viterbo (15) - The chapel is only accessible through the Cappella del Santissimo Sacramento. It is dedicated to Saint Rosa of Viterbo . On the left wall is the rest of a 13th century mosaic (fig.) Showing the Madonna with the Child and saints .

Left wing

Aedicule in the Chapel of Saint Helena
  • Cappella di Santa Elena or Cappella Santa (10) - The chapel dedicated to St. Consecrated to Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, is formed by the left arm of the transept of the church. In the previous Romanesque church from the 12th century, the main altar with the icon of the Madonna di Aracoeli was located in the place of the aedicula , which is now on display on the main altar of the basilica. In the center of the chapel is the free-standing, octagonal aedicule ( i ), originally built in 1605 by the Bishop of Cavaillon Jérôme II. Centelles, destroyed by the Napoleonic troops in 1798 and reconstructed in 1833 for the Archbrother of the Gonfalone who held the patronage. According to legend, the aedicula stands above the heavenly altar (Ara Coeli) of Emperor Augustus. The altar in the aedicule consists of a large porphyry tub. Underneath, through small windows, a marble altar decorated with cosmatic work (fig.) Is visible, in which a sandalwood box with the bones of St. Helena should be located. It bears the inscription going back to the founding legend: LUMINIS HANC ALMAM MATRIS QUI SCANDIS AD AULAM • CUN (c) TARUM PRIMA QU (a) E FUIT ORBE SITA / NOSCAS QUOD C (a) ESAR TUNC STRUXIT OCTAVIANUS • HANC ARA (m) C (a) ELI SACRA PROLES CUM PATET EGG. On the front wall ( k ) is the tomb of Matteo d'Acquasparta (Fig.) . Cardinal Matteo d'Acquasparta († 1302) was one of the central figures of medieval Franciscanism and is immortalized as such by Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy . The tomb is a Gothic aedicula, the execution of which Giovanni da Cosma and the fresco in the niche, Madonna and Child accompanied by the hll. Matthew and Francis is attributed to Pietro Cavallini. To the left of it ( j ) the statue of Pope Leo X (fig.) By Domenico Aimo da Varignana (1514).
  • Chapel of Santo Bambino (11) - In the chapel (next to the left apse accessible through the passage) is the famous Santo Bambino - the Holy Child , who enjoys great veneration among the population due to its miraculous healing powers and is the destination of numerous pilgrims. The original was stolen on February 1, 1994 and has been missing ever since. In place of the original, a copy is now set up, which in turn is covered over and over with votive offerings. During the Christmas season, the Santo Bambino is brought daily from the chapel to the large nativity scene set up in the Cappella della Trasfigurazione .

Right wing

  • Cappella di San Francesco (16) - The chapel, which is consecrated to the founder of the Franciscan Order, Saint Francis of Assisi , forms the right end of the transept. It is also known as the Cappella Savelli , after the founding family, whose coat of arms can be seen on the outer wall (Fig.) . The burial places of this family are also located here (Fig.) . It owes its current appearance to the renovation by Filippo Raguzzini, Pope Benedict XIII. Commissioned in 1727. The altarpiece by Francesco Trevisani depicts the ecstasy of Francis . The two pictures on the sides are also from Trevisiani. On the left the heavily restored grave monument for Luca Savelli (1295), the father of Pope Honorius IV , is attributed to the Arnolfo di Cambio workshop. One side of an ancient sarcophagus with garland-bearing genii was used as a relief . Opposite to the right is the tomb for Giovanna Aldobrandeschi, the mother of Pope Honorius IV (Fig.) . The Pope's Gisant comes from his tomb in the old St. Peter's Church and was founded in 1788 under Pope Paul III. moved to this sarcophagus.

Left aisle

The statue of Pope Paul III stands between the second and third chapels of the aisle . (Fig.) ( C ) which was originally installed in one of the halls of the Conservator's Palace. Next to the steps to the transept is the grave slab (1529) for Felice de Fredis (Fig.) ( H ), the discoverer of the Laocoon group.

  • Cappella di San Francesco Solano (1) - It is dedicated to Saint Francesco Solano , a missionary in South America. The chapel was built between 1550 and 1551 by order of Pope Paul III. built by Marchese Gregorio Serlupi. The altarpiece The Glorious Madonna was made by Marzio di Colantonio Ganassini (17th century). The frescoes on the walls and in the vault were made between 1551 and 1555 by Nicolò Martinelli, called Trometta da Pesaro, and depict allegories of the Immaculate Conception .
  • Cappella della Trasfigurazione (2) - Chapel of the Transfiguration - The chapel was built by the Armentieri family around 1578. The altarpiece The Transfiguration of Christ and the image in the vault of God the Father are by Girolamo da Sermoneta. A large Christmas crib with wooden figures from the 18th and 19th centuries has been set up in this chapel every year in Advent from December 8th since 1883. During this time, a priest fetches the famous Santo Bambino from his chapel (11) every day and places it in the crib.
  • Cappella di San Antonio di Padova (3) - The chapel is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua . It was built around 1479 by order of the Paluzzi and Albertoni patronage families and renovated in 1572 by Giacomo della Porta . Above the altar is the framed fresco The Saint Between Two Donors (Fig.) By Benozzo Gozzoli , created between 1454 and 1458. The fresco in the vault The Paradise comes from Nicolò Martinelli, called Tometta di Pesaro (16th century). On the side walls there are pictures of the legend of Saint Anthony of Girolamo Muziano and a pupil (16th century).
  • Cappella di Santa Anna (4) - also Cappella dell 'Annunziata (Annunciation). The chapel was built in the 15th century by order of Antonio Colapace. The side walls were painted with frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli , which were removed during renovations in 1743. The altarpiece The Rapture of Blessed Caterina Sforza (18th century) is by Francesco Trevisani .
  • Cappella di San Paolo Apostolo (5) - is dedicated to the Apostle Paul. The chapel was built in the middle of the 15th century. built on behalf of Niccolò della Valle. It was originally much larger and also included the neighboring Cappella dell 'Ascensione . Around 1585 the room was divided into two chapels. In the 17th century it was painted by Cristoforo Roncalli , known as Pomarancio, with the legends of the Apostle Paul . The altarpiece is by Girolamo Muziano . On the left wall is the tomb of the humanist Filippo della Valle († 1498).
  • Cappella dell 'Ascensione (6) - Chapel of the Ascension of Christ - The chapel was created by separating it from the Cappella di San Paolo Apostolo . It was set up from 1582 to 1584 by order of Vittoria della Tolfa Orsini († 1582). The founder is also buried here with her husband Camillo Orsini († 1583). Martino Longhi the Elder (17th century) created her busts on the side walls . The altarpiece of the Ascension (16th century) is by Girolamo Muziano .
  • Cappella di San Michele Arcangelo (7) - Dedicated to the Archangel Michael, the Clarissess Donna Mattia Tibaldeschi donated this chapel to Pietro Ognisanti in 1483. The altar was erected by Carlo Rainaldi from 1660 to 1672 . The altarpiece shows the Archangel Michael (17th century). The decoration of the chapel is by Giovan Battista Boncori .
  • Cappella di Santa Margherita da Cortona (8) - The chapel was consecrated to Margaret of Cortona on the occasion of her canonization in 1729 and given its present form by the Boccapaduli family. On the altar is the picture Die l. Margareta , the frescoes Conversion and Death of Saint Margaret (1729–1732) on the walls are by Marco Benefial . The floor is a marble work by Cosmati.
  • Cappella della Madonna di Loreto (9) - The chapel has been consecrated to the Virgin Mary since 1598. The chapel from the 13th century, which was also called Cappella Colonna after its clients , was originally a passage to the cloister of the convent. It was redesigned in 1613 by Onorio Longhi . The altarpiece with the Madonna of Loreto is by Marzio di Colantonio Ganassini, painted in the 17th century. The frescoes on the walls and in the vault: legends about the Madonna also date from the 17th century.

Right aisle

On the wall next to the side exit is the grave monument for Antonio di Saluzzo (fig.) ( M ), the general and general procurator King Francis I († 1528) by Giovanni Antonio Dosio (1575). The statue of Pope Gregory XIII stands between the second and third chapels of the right aisle . (Fig.) ( O ) by Pietro Paolo Olivieri. The statue was moved from the Conservator's Palace to the church in 1876.

Fresco by Pietro Cavallini
  • Cappella di San Pasquale Baylon (17) - The chapel is dedicated to St. Paschal Baylon . It was founded by the Capodiferro family. A fundamental renovation in the 17th century hides the originally Gothic architecture of the room. Remains of frescoes from the old chapel are still preserved on the side walls. The recently uncovered fresco on the front wall from the 13th century. Mary with the child between John the Baptist and John the Evangelist is attributed to Pietro Cavallini. The paintings on the sides are by Daniel Seiter .
  • Atrium to the side portal (18) - also called Cappella della Madonna , has been the atrium to the side exit, which leads to the Capitol Square, since 1564.
    Mosaic over the side portal
    The mosaic above the side portal outside Mary with the child between two angels from the 13th century is attributed to Jacopo Torriti or the school of Pietro Cavallini. Alessandro Mattei had it transferred to the bezel from another location in 1564. On the left in the atrium, the tomb for Cardinal Pietro Manzi (1504) (Fig.) , Bishop of Cesena by Andrea Sansovino . On the right side the tomb for Francesco di Zanobi Bracci (fig.) , Called Cecchino († 1545) the foster son of Michelangelo's close friend Luigi del Riccio. It is not certain whether the tomb is based on a design by Michelangelo .
  • Cappella di San Diego d'Alcalà (19) - The chapel is dedicated to St. Didakus (Spanish: Diego). The Gothic architecture dates from the 13th century. On the altar of St. Diego (fig.) By Giovanni de Vecchi from the 16th century. On the side walls the legends of San Diego by Vespasiano Strada and in the lunette the legends of San Diego by Avanzino Nucci , both from the 17th century.
  • Cappella di San Pietro D'Alcantara (20) - The chapel was consecrated by the Mandolini family in 1669 to Saint Peter of Alcantara , the Franciscan reformer from Spain. In 1675 it was rebuilt by Giovan Battista Contini . On the altar is a group of sculptures Ekstaste by Petrus von Alcantara by Bernini's student Michel Maille . On the side walls ovals with sculptures of St. Reiner and St. Stefanus , by Michel Maille., In the vault the glory of the saint - from the 17th century.
  • Cappella di San Matteo (21) - Until 1564, this was the side exit of the church to the Capitol. This was converted into a chapel by Giacomo del Duca for the Mattei family between 1564 and 1565 . The altarpiece of St. Matthew and the Angel with Our Lady of Loreto comes from Girolamo Muziano (16th century). Muziano also designed the depictions from the life of Matthew . Numerous marble coats of arms have been inserted into the floor.
Transfiguration of St. Bernardine
  • Cappella del Crocefisso (22) - The chapel was built by Cardinal Gabriello Rangoni in the 15th century. The crucifix on the altar by Fra Vincenzo da Bassiano dates from the 17th century. On the right wall, the painting Transfiguration of the Lord by Girolamo Siciolante da Sermoneta is from 1573. On the left is the front of a Roman sarcophagus with an inscription from the 15th century. The marble floor in the style of Cosmati dates from the 15th century.
  • Cappella di San Bonaventura (23) - The chapel was built by the Delfini family, who also held the patronage. The picture behind the altar by Giovanni de'Vecchi, painted on a slate plate, shows the repentant Jerome (fig.) (C. 1572). The altarpiece of St. Bonaventure with the Virgin and Angels is from 1875. The depictions of saints in the lunettes of the chapel were also originally by Giovanni de'Vecchi. However, due to their poor condition, they were painted over by Ludwig Seitz between 1843 and 1908 . In the chapel there are the tombs of Mario Delfini (1584) and Gentile Delfini (1559).
  • Cappella della Pietà (24) - The builder of the chapel was Maurizio Morelli, who gave it to Paolo Mattei in 1585 on condition that it be furnished. The chapel was named after the altarpiece The Pietà by Marco Pino da Siena (around 1570). On the side walls, frescoes by Cristoforo Roncalli , known as Pomarancio, depict the Passion of Christ . On the sides are the tombstones of Paolo Mattei (1590) and his wife Tuzia Colonna.
  • Cappella Bufalini (25) - The chapel is dedicated to St. Consecrated to St. Bernard of Siena . In 1484, the patronage family Bufalini commissioned Pinturicchio to decorate the chapel. The famous frescoes tell of the life of the penitential preacher and reformer of the Franciscan order. The saint is said to have made his fiery speeches in front of thousands of believers on the steps leading to the basilica. The frescoes wererestoredby Vincenzo Camuccini in the 19th century.

The monastery

Loggia Paul III.

From the atrium (18) in the right aisle, the side portal and stairs lead to the loggia, which formed the entrance to the Aracoeli convent. This loggia was built under Pope Paul III. Created in 1554 by Nanni di Baccio Bigio or Jacopo Meleghino. The first mention of a Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria in Capitolio appears in a privilege granted by the antipope Anaklet II. 1130-38, in which Abbot John is granted the monastery of Our Lady to his confreres and his successors . The area described in this privilege encompassed the entire Capitol Hill. In 1249 the monastery was handed over to the Franciscans by Pope Innocent IV . Of the once important building complex, only the Loggia Paul III is today. left over to Capitol Square.

See also

literature

  • Casimiro Romano (OFM): Memorie Istoriche della chiesa e convento di S. Maria in Araceli di Roma. 1736 (first edition); Tipografia della RCA, Rome 1845.
  • Mario Armellini: Le chiese di Roma dal Secolo IV al XIX , Edizioni del Pasquino, Roma 1891
  • Walter Buchowiecki: Handbook of the Churches of Rome. The Roman sacred building in history and art from early Christian times to the present , 2nd volume, Vienna 1967.
  • Marco Bussagli (Ed.): Rom - Art & Architecture , Könemann, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-8290-2258-1 .
  • Daria Colonna, Paolo Galeotti (eds.): Roma Sacra, 15th Itinerario , Elio de Rosa Editore, Pozzuoli 1999.
  • Ferdinand Gregorovius : History of the city of Rome in the Middle Ages , Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich 1988, ISBN 3-423-05960-5 .
  • Stefan Grundmann (Ed.): Architectural Guide Rome , Menges, Stuttgart / London 1997, ISBN 3-930698-59-5 .
  • Frank Kolb : Rome, the history of the city in antiquity , CH Beck, Munich 1995, ISBN 3-406-39666-6 .
  • Richard Krautheimer : Rome. Destiny of a City 312 - 1308 , CH Beck, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-406-30575-X .
  • Brigitte Kuhn-Forte: Handbook of the Churches of Rome , Brothers Hollinek publishing house, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-85119-266-4 .
  • Mauro Lucentini: ROM ways through the city , Pattloch Verlag, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-629-01621-9 .
  • Ulrich Nersinger: Life in the Rome of the Popes , Volume I, Verlag nova & vetera, Bonn 2005, ISBN 3-936741-35-2 .
  • Willy Pocino: LE CURIOSITÀ DI ROMA , Newton & Compton, Rome 1985, ISBN 88-541-0010-2 .
  • Holly Marguerite Rarick: Pinturicchio's Saint Bernardino of Siena frescoes in the Bufalini Chapel, S. Maria in Aracoeli, Rome: An observant commentary of the late fifteenth century , Case Western Reserve University, 2000.
  • Claudio Rendina: Le Chiese di Roma , Newton & Compton, Rome 2007, ISBN 978-88-541-0931-5 .
  • Claudio Rendina: I PALAZZI STORICI DI ROMA , Newton & Compton, Rome 2005, ISBN 88-541-0444-2 .
  • Manfred Wundram (Ed.): Reclams Art Guide, Italy. Volume V. Rome and Latium . Reclam, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-15-008679-5 .
  • Guida d'Italia - Roma , Touring Club Italiano, Milano 2007, ISBN 88-365-4134-8 .
  • LA GRANDE GUIDA DEI RIONI DI ROMA , Newton & Compton, Rome 2001, ISBN 88-8289-388-X .
  • Thomas Blisniewski : Emperor Augustus and the Sibyl of Tibur. A picture of the Master of Glorification Mariae in the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum - Fondation Corboud , in: Kölner Museums-Bulletin. Reports and research from the museums of the City of Cologne (3) 2005, pp. 13–26

Web links

Commons : Santa Maria in Aracoeli  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Diocese of Rome
  2. ^ Frank Kolb: Rome, the history of the city in antiquity , p. 143.
  3. ^ Treccani Dizionario Biografico
  4. ↑ † HIC REQVIESCIT MAGISTER ALDUS MVRATOR QVI FVIT FVNDATOR ET PRINCIPALIS SVPER OPVS ISTIVS ECCLESIAE CVIVS ​​ANIMA REQVIECAT IN PACE. AMMEN ORATE PRO EO. Casimiro Romano: Memorie Istoriche , p. 399
  5. ↑ Ulrich Nersinger: Memories of the tower of Paul III. - https://de.zenit.org - accessed April 20, 2016
  6. ^ Kotromanić, Katarina | Hrvatska enciklopedija. Retrieved September 4, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Emperor Octavian - Augustus - after he had brought the world under the power of Rome, was in such favor with the senators that they wanted to worship him as god. But since the emperor knew that he was mortal, in his wisdom he did not want to claim the designation of an immortal. But because they urged him, he called the Sibyl - she was a prophetess - and wanted to find out through her prophecy whether someone would be born in the world who would be greater than himself. As Augustus - just on the feast of his birth Our Lord - had arranged a consultation on the matter and the Sibylle was solely responsible for giving oracles in the Emperor's chamber, a golden circle appeared around the sun in the middle of the day and in the middle of the circle a most beautiful virgin with a boy on her lap . Then the Sibyl pointed to the apparition, and when the emperor was amazed, he heard a voice that said to him: “This is the altar of heaven - ara Coeli”, and the Sibyl said: “This boy is bigger as you, therefore, worship him! ”The room was later consecrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin and is therefore still called S. Maria in Aracoeli to this day . Since the emperor realized that this boy was taller than himself, he offered him incense and refused to be called God in future. (from U. Nersinger: p. 153ff.)
  8. ↑ U. Nersinger: p. 155
  9. ↑ U. Nersinger: p. 159
  10. ↑ U. Nersinger: p. 161
  11. ^ Reclam Art Guide Rome: p. 200
  12. ^ Claudio Rendina: Le Chiese di Roma , p. 229.
  13. ↑ The plague epidemic of 1348 in Florence is in Boccaccio's Decameron described
  14. ↑ Commemorative plaque on the facade: † MAGISTER LAVRENTIVS SIMEONI ANDREOTII KAROLI FABRICATOR DE ROMA DE REGIONE COLVMPNE FVNDAVIT PROSECVTVS EST ET CONSVMAVIT VT PRINCIPALIS MAGISTER HOC OPVS SCALARVM INCEPTVM ANO DOM. CCCXLVIII THE XXV OCTOBRIS
  15. ↑ Inscription to the right of the main portal: SCALAM ARACAELITANAM VETVSTATE DILABENTEM GRADIBVS QVA REPARATIS QVA RENOVATIS RESTITVIT. AN CHR MDCCCLXXXVIII VRB COND MMDCXLI
  16. ↑ Casimiro Romano: Memorie Istoriche, page 53.
  17. ↑ Daria Colonna: Roma Sacra , p. 40.
  18. ↑ … OPVS DONATELLI FLORENTINI
  19. ↑ TCI Guida d'Italia - Roma, p. 436.
  20. ↑ Laurentius cum Jacobo filio suo [h] uius operis magister fuit
  21. ^ Medioevo, Roma
  22. ^ Treccani, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Vol. 71
  23. ^ Giorgio Vasari, Le Vite 1568
  24. ↑ Casimiro Romano, Memorie Istoriche, page 44
  25. ↑ a b Daria Colonna: Roma Sacra , p. 45
  26. ^ Medioevo Roma
  27. ↑ Inscription on the base: HIERONYMVS • CENTELLES • R • EPISC • CAVALLICEN • ARAM • DEO • ET • BEATE • VIRGINI • ORNAVIT • SEPVLCRVM • SIBI • FECIT • ANNO • DOM • MDCV (Hieronymus Centelles, Bishop of God for Cavaillon has the altar and decorated the Holy Virgin; a tomb made for himself in the year of the Lord 1605)
  28. ↑ Casimiro Romano, Memorie Istoriche, page 263
  29. ↑ Klaus Bartels - Rome's speaking stones: Those who climb up to this blessing courtyard of the Mother of Light / who was the first of all to be laid out in the world, / may you recognize that Caesar Octavianus built this altar back then / as the holy offspring of Heaven revealed himself to him
  30. ↑ Danta Alighieri: Paradise, XII, 124 - Ma non fia da Casal né d'Acquasparta, / là onde vegnon tali alla scrittura, / ch 'uno la fugge, e l'altro la coarta.
  31. ^ Richard Krautheimer: Rome. Fate of a City 312 - 1308 , p. 237.
  32. ↑ Casimiro Romano, Memorie Istoriche, page 173
  33. ↑ Casimiro Romano, Memorie Istoriche page 370 ff.
  34. ↑ Information board of the FEC next to the chapel
  35. ↑ Casimiro Romano, Memorie Istoriche , page 360 ​​ff.
  36. ↑ a b Daria Colonna: Roma Sacra , p. 47.
  37. ↑ Casimiro Romano, Memorie Istoriche, page 339
  38. ↑ Casimiro Romano, Memorie Istoriche, page 318
  39. ↑ a b Daria Colonna: Roma Sacra , p. 46.
  40. ↑ Casimiro Romano, Memorie Istoriche, page 306
  41. ↑ Casimiro Romano, Memorie Istoriche p. 291
  42. ↑ Daria Colonna, page 42
  43. ↑ a b Daria Colonna: Roma Sacra , p. 43.
  44. ^ Medioevo, Roma
  45. ↑ a b Daria Colonna: Roma Sacra , p. 42.
  46. ↑ a b Daria Colonna: Roma Sacra , p. 41.
  47. ↑ U. Nersinger: p. 158
  48. ↑ Casimiro Romano, Memorie Istoriche page 670 totum montem Capitolii in integrum