Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Rome)

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Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Santa Maria sopra Minerva, facade

Denomination : Roman Catholic
Patronage : St. Mary
Consecration year : 1370
Rank: Basilica minor
Order : Dominican (OP)
Cardinal priest : Antonio Marto
Address: Piazza della Minerva, 42
00187 Roma

Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 52.9 "  N , 12 ° 28 ′ 41.5"  E

Santa Maria sopra Minerva ( Latin Basilica Sanctae Mariae supra Minervam ), completely Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva , is the only significant church in Rome (Italy) from the Gothic period and one of the main churches of the Dominican order . The basilica minor has been a titular church of the Roman Catholic Church since 1566 . It is located on the Piazza della Minerva in the Rione Pigna , a historic center of Rome, the Field of Mars southeast of the Pantheon . To the south borders the street Via di S. Caterina da Siena, named after the saintCatherine of Siena , whose tomb is under the main altar of the church. The church was built over the ruins of Saepta Julia and near a Roman Minerva temple, hence the name (Italian sopra / Latin supra "over").

Under Pope Nicholas III. The history of the development of the church building that exists today began around 1280; the interior was finally completed in 1453 and the facade in 1725 under Pope Benedict XIII. has been completed. Renovations in the baroque and 19th century gave the church its current appearance. It is the Holy Sepulcher of Popes Leo X , Clement VII , Paul IV , Benedict XIII. and Urban VII. , numerous cardinals and artists. Santa Maria sopra Minerva is also known for a large number of works of art, among others by Michelangelo , Filippino Lippi , Andrea Bregno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini . The church was the scene of two papal conclaves and important inquisition proceedings , such as the trials of Galileo Galilei , Luigi Pasquali , Giordano Bruno , Miguel de Molinos and Giovanni Mollio . The church and the adjoining monastery served the Dominican order as the general curia for a long time .

story

Historical topography

Topography Augustan period

At the beginning of the Roman Empire, the Saepta Julia columned hall was located on the site of today's church and former convent building . Behind this lay the sanctuary of the Egyptian goddess Isis , the Iseum Campense , and the Serapeum , a temple dedicated to the god Serapis . In the immediate vicinity stood the temple of the goddess Minerva Chalcidica , possibly a foundation of the general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus , which was rebuilt by Emperor Domitian . The name of the goddess Minerva was later incorporated into the name of the church, although the temple was actually outside the territory of the church. The small cella in the adjacent convent, which was preserved up to the 16th century, was therefore not part of the Minerva, but rather the Isis temple. The Egyptian obelisk in front of the church in the center of Piazza della Minerva was found in 1665 in the garden of the Dominican monastery. He probably came to Rome in the 1st century and stood at the entrance to the Temple of Isis. The first church to be founded east of the Pantheon can be traced back to the 8th century.

story

Around 750 Pope Zacharias left the area of ​​the temple of Minerva Chalcidica to the Basilian women who had fled Constantinople before the iconoclasts . They later moved to the neighboring new monastery Monastero di Campo Marzio , but kept the name of the domain Santa Maria sopra Minerva . This assignment was made in 1197 by Pope Celestine III. confirmed. Around 1266 the Dominican Order received the originally existing small church of Santa Maria in Minervio from the 9th century from the Pope together with other extensive possessions and land that were previously subordinate to the Benedictine Sisters from Campus Martius (Marsfeld). The strengthening of the Dominican Order in Rome was next to that of Pope Honorius III. The assigned branches on the Aventine and Via Appia need another space. They wanted them closer to the city so that they could better take care of the souls of the people living there. The parish and property rights did not come into force until 1275. The legate of Pope Gregory X and Dominican monk Fra Aldobrandini Cavalcanti negotiated the final donation of the church with all rights and thereby ended an ongoing legal dispute. In 1276 Pope John XXI confirmed . the right. The order used the transfer of ownership to establish a monastery and a studium conventuale immediately afterwards . The church, as large as it is today, was built from around 1280 onwards through funds from the Senate of the City of Rome and numerous donations from pious and famous personalities from the clergy and bourgeoisie. The final completion of the church building took until 1453.

It was essentially built in three phases:

I. Pope Nicholas III initiated the construction of the transept from 1280 . from the Roman noble family of Orsini. By around 1320 the connected campanile on the northwest side and the five chapels had also been completed. On the north and south sides of the nave, three side chapels were built adjoining the transept and vaulted. The nave was built up to the upper aisle . The nephew of Pope Latino Malabranca Orsini was prior of the Dominican Order in Santa Sabina and laid the foundation stone for Santa Maria Novella in Florence in 1279 , which in terms of architecture and spatial proportions is regarded as a model or parallel building of the church in Rome. His tomb is still in the passage (23) to the left of the main chapel of S. Maria sopra Minerva.
II. Until about 1340, in the second construction phase, the central nave was built, the yokes closed with an open roof and the facade was placed in front of it. The medieval building structures are z. Some of the construction phases have been preserved to this day, in the unplastered masonry above the vaults, the individual construction phases can be identified and separated from one another.
Inscription on the church facade
III. At the beginning of the 15th century and after the return of the Popes from exile in Avignon, the transept was raised and re-vaulted together with the nave. The measures were mainly financed by Cardinal Antonio Caetani , one of the richest cardinals in Italy from the noble family of the Caetani , through a will, as well as the Prefect Francesco Orsini. According to the large inscription on the church facade of the building is 1453 under Pope Nicholas V finished. The church must have been decorated with magnificent paintings. From the 15th century, the additions for the family chapels in the right aisle were built, with the exception of the Cappella Orsini (today Aldobrandini (10)), which was already there in the Middle Ages.

In the first half of the 16th century, the main choir chapel was redesigned to make room for the grave monuments of the Medici Popes Leo X and Clement VII . Since the Florentines did not have their own church in Rome until the completion of their national church San Giovanni dei Fiorentini , the tombs of the two Medici Popes made Santa Maria sopra Minerva the favorite church of the Florentines in Rome. This also explains the unusually high number of tombs of wealthy Florentine nobles in the church. The church probably underwent major changes from the second half of the 16th century, but little is known about this phase of construction, with the exception of the installation of the baroque windows in the upper storey and the transept. Until around 1560, the cloister of the convent bordered directly on the north wall of the basilica. In the course of the redesign of the cloister in the middle of the 16th century, the chapels in the left aisle were built. At the beginning of the 17th century the main choir had to be renewed and received a semicircular apse with three large windows.

The major restoration of the church took place between 1848 and 1855 under the pontificate of Pope Pius IX. who personally campaigned for the renovation of early Christian monuments. Substantial changes were made, especially inside the church. The convent did not try to preserve the Gothic style . Girolamo Bianchedi, an architect from the Dominican Order, drew up plans to transform the interior of the church back into the medieval church of the 13th century. Bianchedi submitted his designs to the Accademia di San Luca , which recommended restoration in the neo-Gothic style. The modifications carried out were essentially:

• In the main choir, the ribbed vault was drawn in and the oculi and biforic windows were inserted.
• The triumphal arch was given a pointed arch again and the crossing pillars were redesigned.
• The vault of the central nave from the 15th century was supplemented with ribs and shield arches in order to create the impression of a Gothic ribbed vault.
• The baroque windows in the upper storey were exchanged for oculi.
• Due to the moisture and to adapt to the new appearance, the floor was renovated.
• The painting of the church in neo-Gothic style as well as the furnishing with stucco marble were the last work undertaken.

On August 23, 1855, on the occasion of the inauguration of the main altar by Pope Pius IX. , The bones of St. Catherine from the Cappella Capranica under the main altar.

architecture

Who the architects and planners of the Gothic church of S. Maria sopra Minerva were can no longer be clearly proven today. The lay brothers Fra Ristoro da Campi and Fra Xistus, who are considered to be the architects of the Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, are mentioned in numerous publications . However, this theory, which emerged at the end of the 19th century, has become obsolete. According to current research, the same applies to the planning of the Florentine church. There is no doubt that the two Dominican churches of the Middle Ages are closely related, but there are many stylistic elements of the Roman building tradition that prove that the church was planned independently. Stylistic comparisons with contemporary architecture for the Mendicant Orders in Tuscany and Umbria allow conclusions to be drawn in the planning and conception of possible personalities involved as well as forms of art and architecture that shaped the Gothic church of S. Maria sopra Minerva in its uniqueness. It can be stated that this form of presentation, new for Rome, was deliberately designed for the rising mendicant order of the Dominicans in order to differentiate itself from the Franciscan order, which had the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli built in the tradition of the early Christian basilica.

Designs

The main ship

The type on which the church is based is, as in S. Maria Novella in Florence, a three-aisled, groin-vaulted basilica with a sweeping transept . The generous, hall-like impression of the space is essentially created by the six square central nave bays and the wide, pointed arched arcades that reveal the side aisles - a characteristic of the Italian Gothic style and a novelty in Rome at the time of construction. The transept, which was originally designed to be lower, looks like a compact space due to its three, almost equally large bays, to which the five choir chapels in the east open. The steep ribbed vault was built in the 15th century, which was an absolute peculiarity in Roman building history, because no large buildings had been vaulted in stone since ancient times. This, too, is based on the Gothic architectural style advancing from Northern Italy. For the choir with its five chapels - the side chapels are staggered in depth and closed flat, the main apse, however, broken polygonally - there is no model in 13th century Italy. In its high-Gothic design, it also represents a unique selling point of the Dominicans in Rome. The demarcation of the nave from the side aisles is reinforced by the half-columns on the pillars, which carry white column capitals. The capitals can be divided into five different types: Corinthian and composite capitals, palm capitals, figure and leaf capitals. A scientific investigation showed that medieval capitals have been preserved, but the majority were revised and probably also changed in the 15th century, but also in the 16th century (2nd half). The capitals of the crossing piers facing the central nave and the capitals of the main chapel were created in the great renovatio of 1848–1855, as were the gold-framed decorations. The column capitals from the different epochs:

  • Left aisle; Composite capital from the Middle Ages

  • Main nave; Corinthian capital from the 15th century

  • Left aisle; middle, Corinthian capital from the 16th century

  • Main nave; 19th century capital

facade

Engraving by Giovanni Battista Falda 1669

The renaissance facade, which was erected in 1453 and which showed parallels to the facade of the Franciscan church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli , remained largely unchanged in its basic structure until the 18th century. It was designed as a show facade with a raised central section and a typical Roman Cavetto finish (concave fillet finish) - three marble portals and three oculi interrupt the unadorned front to this day. The beginnings of the roofs are hidden behind it, the width of the central nave cannot be seen. The stylistically identical portals were built before 1458; According to the inscription in the lintel, the central portal was donated by Cardinal Domenico Capranica , and his descendant Andreas had it renovated in 1610. The oculi are one of the few stained glass windows from the 15th century that have survived. The coat of arms of Pope Pius V is still attached to the main portal to this day. On the left outer pilaster is the Orsini coat of arms . In 1725 the facade was given a flat pilaster structure, the upper gable-shaped end (Cavetto) was removed. Numerous engravings by Silvestro Peruzzi (1564/65), G. Franzini (1588), Antonio Tempesta (1593), Giovanni Battista Falda (17th century) and others. document the original appearance of the churches and their facade. On the right on the side wall of the facade, several high water marks are walled in, on which the water levels of the Tiber are indicated.

Church floor plan

Interior decoration

Transept right wing

Cappella del Crocefisso (13)

Cappella del Crocefisso

A part of the canopy of the Gothic main altar from the time the church was founded was probably used for the entrance, which was erected at its current location in 1663. The small rectangular chapel is closed by a barrel vault. The wooden crucifix above the altar that gives the chapel its name dates from the 15th century.

To the right of the Cappella del Crocefisso, the altar panel St. Lucia and St. Agata (12) by Girolamo Siciolante (ca.1550). The partially damaged painting is on top of an altar donated by Onesta Marsiliana (1550). To the left of the chapel, the polychrome marble grave monument to Emilio Pucci Pandolfi (14) , which Pope Clement VIII commissioned from Giacomo della Porta in 1595 for his friend, Knight of the Holy Sepulcher and Prefect of the Papal Fleet .

Carafa Chapel / Annunciation Chapel (15)

Carafa Chapel - funerary monument Pope Paul IV.

The chapel is dedicated to Saint Thomas Aquinas . Cardinal Oliviero Carafa , a patron of the Dominicans, had it built in honor of the saint at the end of the 15th century. He also commissioned the painting of the frescoes, which Filippino Lippi carried out between 1489 and 1492. The entrance arch with the dedicatory inscription to the Virgin Mary Annunziata and St. Thomas Aquinas is flanked by two putti from the school of Verrocchio . On the back wall, around an architectural structure, frescoes by Filippino Lippi cover the room, above the altarpiece the assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven, surrounded by angels playing music . In the right lunette the miracle of the cross . The four sibyls of Raffaellino del Garbo , a pupil of Filippino Lippi, are depicted in the spandrels of the ceiling : the Delphic, the Cumaean, the Tiburtine and the Hellespontic Sibyl. In the center of the back wall is the altar panel with the famous fresco by Filippino Lippi: St. Thomas Aquinas recommends Cardinal Carafa to the Virgin Mary . On the right wall, the fresco by Filippino Lippi depicts the triumph of St. Thomas over heresy - a complex iconographic structure depicting the victory of Divine Wisdom in the figure of St. Thomas Aquinas over erroneous belief. The saint in Dominican habit sits on a chair flanked by the personifications of grammar, rhetoric, theology and philosophy. At his feet, in the shape of an old man filled with impotent anger - the vanquished misbelief. In the background is a view of Rome (to the left the basilica and the palace of Lateran with the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius originally erected there), in the foreground the figures of the heretics defeated by the saint; the refuted writings lie on the ground. The grave monument Pope Paul IV - built in 1566 according to a design by Pirro Ligorio - is embedded in the left wall. In the course of the construction of the monument, access to the burial chamber was given.

  • Altar (wall)

  • St. Thomas recommends Cardinal Carafa

  • Triumph of St. Thomas

To the left of the Cappella Carafa is the grave monument for Guillaume Durand (16) : Guillaume Durand (1230 - 1296) was Bishop of Mende and an important jurist of canon law . The mosaic in the Gothic niche is by Giovanni Cosmato (1296): it depicts the Virgin Mary with child , Saint Privatus von Mende on the left and Saint Dominic on the right . Below is the tomb for Onofrio Camaiani († 1574).

Above, between the chapels Altieri and Capranica is located

The organ

which was built by the organ builder Ennio Bonifazi on behalf of Cardinal Scipione Borghese in 1630. Above the organ is a richly decorated choir stand by Paolo Maruscelli .

Choir chapels and high altar

The choir is designed in the form of a relay choir , which is rather rare for Italy , with 2 smaller chapels adjoining the main chapel on the right and left.

Main Choir Chapel (21)

The coat of arms of the Caetani family can be seen on the two pillars of the choir . The original Gothic choir was built in the first half of the 15th century by order of Cardinal Bartolomeo Vitelleschi. Around 1539 there was a complete redesign by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger on behalf of Duke Alessandro de 'Medici for the grave monuments of the two Popes from the house of Medici Leo X and Clement VII. The two elegant tombs show an identical architectural structure with three niches, the middle of which each contain the statue of the Pope and the side figures of prophets as well as three relief strips and a tympanum above the niches:

The grave monument for Pope Clement VII (right) comes from Antonio da Sangallo the Elder. J. (1541). The statue of the Pope is the work of Bartolomeo Lippi . The reconciliation of the Pope with Emperor Charles V can be seen on the reliefs .
The grave monument for Pope Leo X. (left) also comes from Antonio da Sangallo the Elder. J. (1541). The statue of the Pope is the work of Raffaello da Montelupo . The reliefs show the meeting of the Pope with Francis I by Baccio Bandinelli .

In 1614 Carlo Maderno renovated the room in a baroque style. The neo-Gothic shape of the ceiling dates from the 19th century. Several marble grave tablets are set in the floor at the back left, including the simple grave tablet for the important humanist in the time of the Italian Renaissance, Cardinal Pietro Bembo . Under the main altar (20) are the remains of St. Catherine of Siena , the patron saint of Italy, who died on April 29, 1380 near the church; her head was brought to Siena, where it is kept in a reliquary in the Basilica di San Domenico . The altar in its present form dates back to the 19th century. From 1857 it was redesigned in a neo-Gothic style based on a design by Giuseppe Fontana, decorated with the four cardinal virtues and angel heads by Francesco Podesti . The reclining figure of the saint (1430) can be seen in the glass shrine above the relics (Fig.) . It is attributed to the sculptor Isaia da Pisa . To the right of the main chapel in front of the right pillar is the statue of John the Baptist (19) by Giuseppe Obici (1858).

Cappella Capranica (18)

This chapel was only consecrated to the Annunciation, from 1579 to the Rosary Madonna. It has been under the patronage of the Capranica family since 1449. The remains of Catherine of Siena were kept here from 1430 to 1855. On the occasion of the upcoming anniversary of the Rosary Brotherhood , its member Angelo Capranica decided in 1573 to entrust the artist Marcello Venusti with the painting of the ceiling. After the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571, the mysteries of the rosary were chosen as the theme for the painting of the ceiling. The choice of this theme falls at a historical moment of particular importance: the beginning of a painting style, according to the guidelines of the Council of Trent . In 1586 Giovanni de Vecchi realized another cycle: The Stories of St. Catherine of Siena (Fig. 1) (Fig. 2) (Fig. 3) (Fig. 4) . The Mysteries of the Rosary are glorified on the ceiling , the painting The Crowning of Thorns by Carlo Saraceni dates from the 17th century, the sepia-colored painting The Madonna of the Rosary with Saints Domenicus and Catherine of Siena by Michelangelo Cerruti from the 18th century. On the right wall is the grave monument from 1466 for Cardinal Domenico Capranica by Andrea Bregno .

Cappella Ognisanti / Altieri (17)

This chapel is consecrated to All Saints (Ogni Santi) but also to the saints canonized by Pope Clement X : Luigi Beltrame, Rosa da Lima, Filippo Benizzi, Francesco Borgia and Gaetano Thiene. It has been under the patronage of his Altieri family since 1671, after being allocated by Pope Clement X. It was given its current form in 1671 at the instigation of Cardinal Camillo Massimi. On the side walls of the chapel, which are decorated with elegant marble, there are busts of members of the Altieri family, created by Cosimo Fancelli (1671), above in the lunette the fresco The Trinity by Giovanni Battista Gaulli . The oil painting on the altar Peter presents five saints to the virgin is by Carlo Maratta (1671).

To the left of the main choir chapel:

The risen Christ (22)

Michelangelo - The risen Christ

The statue of the risen Christ by Michelangelo is considered one of the most important works of the High Renaissance. It was created from 1519 to 1521 on behalf of the founder Marta Porcari. Christ is leaning on a cross, a reed and a sponge in his hand, his face looking in the opposite direction, standing on a rocky hill. The artistic representation of the naked male figure is of significant rank and indicative of Michelangelo's sculptural style. The bronze loincloth was not attached until after the Council of Trent . A council decree had called for stricter moral standards for works of art commissioned by the church.

Pass-through (23)

The chapel to the left of the main chapel was formerly the HI. Consecrated to Thomas Aquinas and under the patronage of the Rustici and Cenci families. Since the holy year 1600 it has served as a passage to the eastern church entrance and houses grave monuments from different centuries:

Grave monument for the Cardinals Latino Malabranca and Matteo Orsini , both nephews of Pope Nicholas III. , the founder of the church. Latino Malabranca Orsini laid the foundation stone for the Dominican Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence in 1279 , Matteo Orsini was a well-known donor of the church,
Grave monument for the Cardinal Domenico Pimentel (1653), designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini ,
Grave monument for Cinzio and Marcello Rustici (1488) from the Andrea Bregno school,
Grave monument for Cardinal Carlo Bonelli (1675), which is attributed to Carlo Rainaldi (on the back wall above the exit),
Grave monument for Agapito and Paolo Rustici (1488) from the Andrea Bregno school (back left),
Grave monument for Cardinal Michele Bonelli (1598–1611) designed by Giacomo della Porta ,
Tomb of the painter Fra Angelico by Isaia da Pisa (fig.) (1455) (to the left of the entrance pillar on the ground).

Cappella Frangipani / Maddaleni-Capiferro (24)

Benozzo Gozzoli - Madonna

This chapel, dedicated to St. Michael and Mary Magdalene , has been under the patronage of the Capodiferro and Maddaleni families since the 14th century; from the 15th century the Frangipani . Over the centuries, the room, which was once decorated with frescoes, has been modernized and lost its original appearance. The altarpiece Madonna and Child is the work of Benozzo Gozzoli (1449), which served as a processional standard until 1700 and was later mounted on a panel. The inscription on the marble slab under the altarpiece originally belonged to the neighboring grave of the painter Fra Angelico. The oil paintings to the right and left of the altar St. Francesca Romana and an Angel and St. Francis of Assisi (1620–34) are by Francesco Parone. On the left wall is the remarkable grave monument to the patrician Giovanni Alberini (1494), attributed to Agostino di Duccio or Mino da Fiesole . The sarcophagus shows an ancient relief of the fight of Hercules with the Nemean lion , which is an Attic original from the 5th century BC. Applies.

Transept left wing

Sacristy (25)

Andrea Sacchi designed the large sacristy room in its current form on behalf of Cardinal Antonio Barberini around 1637. Andrea Sacchi also designed the altarpiece The Crucifix and Four Saints (1640). The fresco in the center of the great vault, The Glory of Saint Dominic , is the work of the Roman artist Giuseppe Puglia (early 17th century), the fresco above the great door by GB Speranza recalls the two conclaves that took place in this room: 1431 the election of Eugene IV and in 1447 the election of Nicholas V. The walnut cabinets of the original furnishings from the 17th century with the Barberini coat of arms are still preserved on the walls. Behind the sacristy is the Chamber of Saint Catherine of Siena. In 1630, Cardinal Antonio Barberini had the walls of the death room of the saints at 14 Via Di Santa Chiara torn down and moved to the present location. On the walls there are still valuable frescoes by Antoniazzo Romano and his students: The Crucifixion, the Annunciation, Saints Onofrio and Jerome, Saint Augustine, the Descent from the Cross, John the Baptist and Saints Apollonia and Lucia .

  • Chamber of Saint Catherine; Annunciation

  • Chamber of Saint Catherine; crucifixion

Cappella San Domenico (26)

The largest chapel, consecrated to St. Dominic , originally replaced a smaller room built by the Alberini patrician family. Between 1649 and 1656, the Dominicans arranged for Martino Longhi to expand it . The eight black marble columns in the vestibule and on the sides of the altar still come from this construction phase. In 1725 Pope Benedict XIII. the complete renovation by the architect Filippo Raguzzini. The polychrome marble balustrade is remarkable. The frescoes on the ceiling are by Carlo Roncalli: Virtues (Faith and Hope) , Angels and Putti , The Glory of the Holy Spirit (1725). The altarpiece by Paolo de Matteis: Madonna shows the icon with St. Dominic between St. Caterina and Magdalena (1723–1726). On the right wall there is another Pope burial place: the mighty grave monument for Benedict XIII. by Carlo Marchionni and Pietro Bracci (1768). On the sides of the statue of the Pope, the purity (fig.) By Pietro Bracci (1700–1773) and the religion by Bartolomeo Pincellotti. Carlo Marchionni also made the relief on the front of the sarcophagus with the depiction of Benedict XIII. presided over the Provincial Synod in the Lateran of 1725. The group of statues Madonna and Child, John the Evangelist and John the Baptist with children on the left wall made of alabaster are by Francesco Grassia (1670).

Cappella San Giacinto (27)

On the side wall of the north transept is the altar of St. Hyacinth , commissioned by Andrea Cesi in 1580 and originally consecrated to the Madonna of the Rosary. Above the altar of the Polish Dominican saint is the altarpiece The Madonna appears to Holy Hyacinth ; a work by Ottaviano Leoni (1598). The grave monument (28) for Andrea Bregno was probably designed and made in 1506 by his student Luigi Capponi. It is one of the few artist tombs of this time. Dividers and other tools next to the inscription indicate the profession of the well-known Renaissance sculptor in Rome.

Chapels in the right aisle

Baptistery / Baptistery (4)

The chapel was originally dedicated to the Holy Crib and was under the patronage of the Caffarelli family. Cardinal Scipione Borghese had the octagonal room, which is closed off by a cap vault, rebuilt in the 17th century. The restoration of the chapel took place in 1724 based on designs by Filippo Raguzzini. The room did not get its current appearance until 1848. The frescoes on the diagonal walls of the chapel show the symbols of the four evangelists. In the center of the room is the baptismal font, a marble base from the 19th century with a metal lid. On the back wall is the oil painting Noli me tangere (Don't touch me) by Marcello Venusti (circa 1573–79).

  • The tomb of Virginia Pucci Ridolfi (3) , to the right of the side entrance, was built for his wife by the Florentine nobleman Giovanni Francesco Ridolfi, who had to leave Florence because of his connection to the Strozzi . It dates from 1540–1568 and is attributed to the French artist Nicolas Cordier .

Cappella Caffarelli (5)

In 1489 Prospero Caffarelli had this chapel built for his family; it was originally dedicated to St. Dominic, later to St. Luis Beltrán . It was decorated with paintings and stucco work by Cardinal Scipione Borghese . The chapel was last restored in 1999. In the dome you can see the fresco Episodes from the Life of St. Dominic by Gaspare Celio (1621). The oil painting Ecstasy by Luis Beltrán on the altar is by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (1673). The fresco on the left wall: Christ taking in St. Dominic by Gaspare Celio (1621).

Cappella Colonna (6)

The chapel is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the name of God. It was built in the middle of the 15th century by Cardinal Ubaldo Mezzacavalli and Sigismondo Teobaldi and later assigned to the Colonna and Sciarra families . The brotherhood of the Holy Name of God, to which St. Ignatius of Loyola also belonged, had its seat in this chapel for a long time. On the occasion of the canonization of Saint Rosa of Lima by Pope Clement X. in 1671, she was made the new patron saint and the chapel was restructured. Since then, valuable polychrome marble has adorned the walls, the floral patterns show a rose - an allusion to the saint. The altar painting by Lazzaro Baldi (1668) depicts Saint Rosa of Lima . The crucifix on the altar was owned by the saint. Also by Lazzaro Baldi are the frescoes in the dome, The Coronation of St. Rosa of Lima , the allegorical figures in the spandrels, the oil paintings on the two side walls, on the right, Christ appears, St. Rosa of Lima and, on the left, the Virgin appears from Lima praying the rosary .

Gabrielli Chapel (7)

The chapel is dedicated to St. Peter of Verona . It was built in the 15th century by the Apostolic Pronotar Falco Sinibaldi. It has been under the patronage of the Gabrielli family since 1548. The arches of the entrance and the pillars are decorated with grisaille frescos by Girolamo Muziano : the symbols of the evangelists; Prophets; Scenes from the life of Jesus and allegorical scenes (1550). The frescoes in the lunettes Sybilles and Prophets and on the right and left walls The Resurrection and the Adoration of the Shepherds are by Giovanni Battista Franco (circa 1550). The altarpiece Martyrdom of St. Peter is the work of Bonaventure Lamberti called il Bolognese (1690–93). A room (8) adjoins the Cappella Gabrielli, which was previously used as a passage to the side portal.

Cappella dell'Annunziata (9)

Cappella dell'Annunziata, altarpiece

Cardinal Juan de Torquemada had the chapel built in 1460 as the seat of the Brotherhood of the Annunciation , which he founded , the purpose of which was to provide poor girls with a trousseau. It is dedicated to the Apostle James the Elder . The altarpiece, tempera on wood by Antoniazzo Romano The Madonna Annunziata hands over the trousseau to the poor girls introduced by Cardinal Torquemada, making reference to the brotherhood. The painting is one of the most famous works by the Roman painter Antoniazzo Romano, executed around 1500, a few years after the cardinal's death. The frescoes to the right and left of the altar are attributed to Niccolò Stabbia : St. Hyacinth and St. Dominic (16th century). Around 1600 the room was redesigned in the baroque style by Carlo Maderno . The frescoes on the arch, in the vault and in the lunettes are by Cesare Nebbia : Stories of the Virgin, angels making music and the childhood of Jesus (1585 - 1614). The wall grave of the founder of the chapel Cardinal Juan de Torquemada is positioned to the left of the altar (d. 1468). On the left wall there is another burial place of a Pope: the grave monument for Pope Urban VII by Ambrogio Buonvicino (1613). Urban VII was a benefactor of the Brotherhood. The Pope died in 1590 after only 12 days of his pontificate and was buried in the chapel in 1606.

Cappella Aldobrandini (10)

Cardinal Matteo Orsini had this chapel built around 1340. At times the church was the house church of the noble Orsini family , as some family members held leading positions in the Dominican order and the family estates were located near the church between Sant 'Eustacchio and Monte Giordano. In 1587 the patronage of the chapel passed to the noble Roman family Aldobrandini . First the chapel of St. Catherine of Alexandria was consecrated, later to the Holy Sacrament. After Ippolito Aldobrandini was elected Pope Clement VIII , Giacomo della Porta was entrusted with the complete renovation. Giacomo della Porta carried out the work up to the height of the ledge, after his death Carlo Maderno completed the work. On the ceiling and in the spandrels the frescoes by Cherubino Alberti Triumph of the Cross and Angels with the Passion Tools (1605 - 1611). The altar painting Institution of the Eucharist is by Federico Barocci (1607). The marble statues of the apostles Peter and Paul to the right and left of the altar as well as the marble bust of Cardinal Silvestro Aldobrandini are works by Camillo Mariani (1600 - 1604). On the right wall the grave monument for Lesa Deti, the mother of Clemens VIII by Nicolas Cordier after a design by Giacomo della Porta (1611) and the fresco The Prophet Ezechiel by Cherubino Alberti (1605 - 1611). The caution and strength in the niches and the marble statue of Pope Clement VIII come from Ippolito Buzi , the marble statue of St. Sebastian in the niche on the right wall by Nicolas Cordier (1604-05). The grave monument for the father Clement VIII, Silvestro Aldobrandini, based on a design by Giacomo della Porta, was made by Nicolas Cordier (1611). The fresco of the Eritrean Sybille by Cherubino Alberti (1605–11) is on the left wall. The mercy and religion in the niches come from Nicolas Cordier and Camillo Mariani. The coat of arms of the Aldobrandini family crowns the entrance arch to the chapel.

Cappella di Raimondo di Peñafort (11)

The chapel was built on behalf of Cardinal Juan Diego de Coca († 1477) and was originally consecrated to the Apostles Paul and John the Baptist, and later to the Master of the Dominicans and Saint Raimondo di Peñafort . His tombstone is attached to the pilaster on the right at the entrance. The altar in polychrome marble adorned with precious inlays was consecrated again in 1727. The altar painting by Niccolò Magni d'Artesia depicts the Apostle Paul and St. Raimondo di Peñafort (17th century). On the right wall the grave monument for Cardinal Diego de Coca from the workshop of Andrea Bregno (approx. 1464). The fresco of Christ as Judge between two angels above the sarcophagus is attributed to Melozzo da Forlì . The grave monument for Bishop Benedetto Sopranzi on the left wall is also from the workshop of Andrea Bregno (1485).

Chapels in the left aisle

Cappella Pio V. (29)

The chapel was originally dedicated to St. Jerome . It was under the patronage of the Porcari, Millini and finally Braschi families . Around 1710 it was dedicated to Pope Pius V and subjected to a complete redesign. Pius V was the founder of the Holy League, which defeated the Ottoman fleet in the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571. The altarpiece of Pius V raises the cross over the defeated Turks is the work of Andrea Procaccini (1710–1720). The paintings on the side walls are attributed to Lazzaro Baldi: An angel shows Pius V the naval battle of Lepanto (right) - it was drawn up as a standard during the beatification ceremony in St. Peter in 1672 and The Assumption of Heaven of the Virgin (left, 1672–1699). The bishop's chair (faldistorium) of Pope Pius V is on display on the left .

On the second pillar is the grave monument for Maria Raggi (30) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini . Maria Raggi (1552–1600) was a Dominican nun from Chios . In 1584 she came to Rome, where she lived in the Palazzo Marini near the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Because of her pious life, she was about to be canonized after her death. The nun is depicted in ecstatic ecstasy. The expressive representation used by Bernini here is an absolute innovation in iconography.

Cappella Lante della Rovere (31)

Consecrated to the Apostle James the Elder, this chapel was built by the Brotherhood of Annunziata on the basis of a testamentary decree of Lucrezia Salviati (d. 1561). In the 19th century, the patronage passed to the Lante della Rovere family, who arranged for a total renovation. From the original equipment of the chapel only the altar structure and the altar panel St. James the Elder (oil on slate) from 1570 to 1580 by the painter Marcello Venusti remain. On the right wall the grave monument for Maria Colonna († 1840) with an angel of the resurrection and on the left the grave monument for Carlotta and Livia Lante della Rovere, both by Pietro Tenerani (1869–70).

The tomb for Ottaviano Ubaldino della Gherardesca (32) is a work from the Roman School (1622–1644). The putti that hold the garlands are one of the first works by the sculptor Giuliano Finelli , a collaborator of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The mosaic with the portrait of the deceased by Giovan Battista Calandra was added in 1644.

Pulpit (33)

The carved wooden reliefs from the end of the 15th century show St. Dominic, St. Thomas Aquinas, the rosary and the martyrdom of St. Pietro da Verona.

Giustiniani Chapel (34)

Attributed to Madonna Duccio di Buoninsegna

The chapel is dedicated to Saint Vincent Ferrer . It was built soon after 1570 at the instigation of Cardinal Vincenzo Giustiniani, Superior General of the Dominicans. Above the altar, the oil painting shows St. Vincent Ferrer at the Council of Constance by Bernardo Castello (approx. 1584). On the left the grave monument for Cardinal Vincenzo Giustiniani made of polychrome marble and on the right the grave monument for Giuseppe Giustiniani made of the same marble, created by the Roman School around 1600. A fragment of a fresco Madonna and Child has been preserved on the back wall . It is attributed to the school of Duccio di Buoninsegna . The very realistic portrait bust of the grave monument for Giovanni Vigevano (35) is the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1617–1618).

Cappella Grazioli (36)

This chapel was first under the patronage of the noble Maffei family from Verona. Marcantonio Maffei, who was promoted to cardinal in 1570, consecrated it to St. Sebastian . In 1596 it was taken over by the Brotherhood of the Holy Savior and renamed after it. The Grazioli Lante della Rovere family has been the patronage since the 19th century. The small altarpiece, a tempera painting of Jesus Christ, is reminiscent of the painting style of Perugino (1490–1510). Above the altar in the lunette the picture The Adoration of the Shepherds ; Roman school (1590-1610). On the sides of the altar there are two marble statues on the right of St. Sebastian ascribed to Michele Marini (around 1500) and on the left of St. John the Baptist by Ambrogio Buonvicino (1602–1603). On the side walls the grave monument for the humanist Agostino Maffei (right) and the grave monument for Benedetto Maffei (left) - both from the workshop of Andrea Bregno, Mino da Fiesole and Luigi Capponi (1494 and 1496).

Cappella Naro (37)

Donated by the Florentine merchant Giovanni Tornabuoni in the second half of the 15th century , it was transferred to the Naro family in 1588 and completely redesigned. It is dedicated to John the Baptist. The altarpiece of St. John and the frescoes in the dome, in the spandrels and on the front wall Four prophets between angels , four evangelists and the sermon of the Baptist are works by Francesco Nappi (around 1600). The tombs of the Naro family are located in niches on the right and left walls of the chapel. On the right the altar-like grave of Giovanni Battista Naro († 1644) and on the left the grave monument of Cardinal Gregorio Naro († 1634), which is ascribed to Gian Lorenzo Bernini. In round niches the busts of other members of the Naro family. The funerary monument made of polychrome marble for Raffaele Fabretti (38), a Roman patrician whom Pope Alexander VIII appointed canon of St. Peter and prefect of the archives of the Moles Hadriana ( Castel Sant'Angelo ), comes from Camillo Rusconi .

Cappella del Sacro Cuore (39)

The first chapel in the left aisle was consecrated to the Assumption of Mary in 1548 by Duke Visconti di Modrone. The future patron Vincenzo Maccarani dedicated it to the resurrection until it was consecrated to Saint Mary Magdalene and finally to the Sacred Heart. The altar painting Christ between St. Caterina da Siena and St. Margareta Maria Alacoque is by Corrado Mezzana (1922). The tomb for Vincenzo Maccarani (right) comes from the Roman School (1577); on the left side wall the marble bust of Girolamo Buttigella by Jacopo Sansovino (1515).

Tomb for Francesco Tornabuoni (40) by Mino da Fiesole (1480)
Grave monument for Cardinal Giacomo Tebaldi by Andrea Bregno and Giovanni Dalmata (1466)
Grave monument for Ambassador Diodisalvi Neroni (2) Andrea Bregno workshop (1482). Diotisalvi Neroni was a Florentine nobleman and diplomat who had to flee Florence because of his participation in the conspiracy against Piero de Medici .
Cloister ceiling frescoes

Convention

The monastery building was built around 1280-1330, renovated around 1559 and expanded in 1656 to form a large building complex. The detailed building history based on original sources is difficult to reconstruct, as the monastery archive was closed at the time of Napoleon. Parts of it have been rediscovered in the General Archives of the Dominican Order of Santa Sabina , in the Archivio Segreto Vaticano and in the Roman State Archives, but not researched. The building complex, which includes the church and monastery, is known to this day under the name insula sapientiae (Latin island of wisdom). The monastery was the seat of the Roman Inquisition . The weekly meetings took place in today's Sala Galileiana . The Popes' Hall was used for the official reception of the Pope on the occasion of a visit. The cloister is accessible from the Popes' Hall . The cloister of the Dominican monastery in its current form was last rebuilt in 1559-1566 by the architect Giudetto Giudetti. The frescoes are by the artists Giovanni Antonio Lelli, Giuseppe Puglia del Bastaro, Gianluigi Valesio, Giovanni Battista Ruggieri and Francesco Nappi. On the walls are the grave monuments to the cardinals Pietro Ferrici di Tarragona († 1478) from the school of Andrea Bregno and Cardinal Astorgio Agnesi († 1451) from Mino da Fiesole . After the annexation of the Papal States by the Kingdom of Italy in 1870, the monastery was nationalized. In 1930 the Dominicans got the cloister and the surrounding buildings back. The east wing now houses the library of the Italian Senate .

  • Mino da Fiesole - Tomb for Cardinal Astorgio Agnesi

  • Andrea Bregno - Tomb for Cardinal Pietro Ferrici

See also

Sources and literature

  • Mariano Armellini: Le chiese di Roma. Edizione del Pasquino, Roma 1891.
  • Marco Bussagli: Rome, Art & Architecture . Krönemann Verlag, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-8290-2258-1 .
  • Johannis Burchardi Diarium sive Rerum Urbanarum Commentarii (1483–1506) . Ernest Leroux, Paris 1884.
  • Jacob Burckhardt : The Cicerone . Alfred Kröner Verlag, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-520-13404-7 .
  • Filippo Coarelli : Rome. An archaeological guide. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-8053-2685-8 .
  • Amanda Claridge: Rome to Oxford Archeological Guide. Oxford University Press, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-19-954683-1 .
  • Hans-Joachim Fischer: Dumont Art Guide Rome . Dumont Kunstverlag, Cologne 2008, ISBN 978-3-7701-5607-8 .
  • 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. Edition Axel Menges, Stuttgart / London 1997, ISBN 3-930698-59-5 .
  • Anton Henze: Art Guide Rome . Philipp Reclam GmbH, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-15-010402-5 .
  • Arne Karsten, Philipp Zitzlsperger: Death and Transfiguration - Funerary Culture in the Early Modern Age . Böhlau Verlag, Cologne 2004, Weimar, ISBN 978-3-412-14303-9 .
  • JND Kelly: Reclam's Lexicon of the Popes . Philipp Reclam jun., Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-15-010588-9 .
  • Ursula Kleefischer-Jobst: The Roman Dominican Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva: A contribution to the architecture of the mendicant orders in central Italy . Nodus publications, Münster 1991, ISBN 3-89323-216-8 .
  • Klabund : Borgia , Chapter 20 - https://www.projekt-gutenberg.org/klabund/borgia/borg020.html
  • Mauro Lucentini: Rome. Paths through the city . Pattloch Verlag, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-629-01621-9 .
  • Pio-Tommaso Masetti: Memorie storiche della chiesa di Santa Maria sopra Minerva e de 'suoi moderni restauri. Tipografia di Bernardo Morini Roma 1855.
  • Michel de Montaigne : Diary of a trip to Italy . marixverlag, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-86539-053-6 .
  • Claudio Rendina: Le Chiese di Roma. Newton Compton Editori, Roma 2007, ISBN 978-88-541-0931-5 .
  • Gabriella Villetti: Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Roma: Notes dal cantiere (Strumenti) / Scuola di specializzazione per lo studio ed il restauro dei monumenti . Universita degli studi di Roma La Sapienza, Bonsignori 1994, ISBN 978-88-7597-258-5 .
  • Renate Wagner-Rieger: The Italian architecture at the beginning of the Gothic . 1957, 1980, T. 2, Graz.
  • Guida d'Italia, Roma . Touring Club Italiano 2006, ISBN 88-365-4134-8 .
  • Church guide: Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva . Padri Domenicani, 2001.
  • Descriptions on the chapels of Il Tridente , Soprintendenza per i Beni Culturali Artistici e Storici di Roma.

Web links

Commons : Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Rome)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual references and comments

  1. ^ [1] Diocese of Rome
  2. ↑ Clemens Bombeck: They too shaped Rome. At the graves of the saints and blessed in the Eternal City . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2004, ISBN 3-7954-1691-4 , p. 128.
  3. ^ Filippo Coarelli: Rome. An archaeological guide , p. 284 ff.
  4. ^ Mariano Armellini: Le Chiese di Roma , Edizione del Pasquino, 1891
  5. ↑ F. Gregorovius: Itinerario from the Einsiedeln Monastery , Volume 1, 2, pp. 689 ff.
  6. ↑ Memorie istoriche della chiesa di S. Maria sopra Minerva , p. 3 f.
  7. ↑ This is the name given to the church in the "Itinerario from Einsiedeln Monastery" for the first time.
  8. ↑ Stefano Orlandi: Necrologio di Santa Maria Novella , Florence 1955, vol. 2, p. 418 ff.
  9. ↑ Bull Nicholas III. from June 24, 1280 - Fontana 1670
  10. ↑ U. Kleefischer-Jobst: The Roman Dominican Church of S. Maria sopra Minerva , p. 9
  11. ↑ Francesco di Orsini, Count of Gravina and Conversano, Prefect of the blessed city (Rome), made use of his own resources to ensure that the half-interrupted work on the construction of the famous Church of St. Mary the Virgin sopra Minerva was completed for the salvation of his soul . In the year of the Lord 1453 In the pontificate of our Lord Pope Nicholas V.
  12. ↑ see F. Gregorovius: History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages , Chapter 366: "... so Torquemada had his reflections on the paintings in S. Maria sopra Minerva printed as early as 1467".
  13. ↑ Arne Karsten, Philipp Zizlsberger: Death and Transfiguration P. 296 f.
  14. ↑ U. Kleefischer-Jobst: The Roman Dominican Church of S. Maria sopra Minerva , p. 21 ff.
  15. ↑ Kleefisch-Jobst: p. 45
  16. ↑ Kleefisch-Jobst: p. 61
  17. ↑ Kleefisch-Jobst: p. 42
  18. ↑ ANDREAS CAPRANICA DOMINICI F RESTITVIT A D MD CX
  19. ↑ Inscription: PIUS V PONT MAX / EX ORD PRAED
  20. ↑ S. Grundmann: Architekturführer Rom , p. 97
  21. ↑ Inscription on the entrance arch: OLIVERIVS CARAPHA CAR NEAP FECIT
  22. ↑ Cardinal Carafa was not buried here, but in Naples
  23. ↑ According to the Legenda Aurea , the words Bene scripsisti de me Thoma were addressed to St. Thomas by a cross
  24. ↑ Inscription: † HOC EST SEPVLCRUM DOMINI GVLIELMI DVRANT EPISCOP.MIMETEN.ORD.PRAED
  25. ↑ IOHAN.FILIVS MAGISTRI COSMATI FECIT HOC OPVS
  26. ↑ 1444 elevated to cardinal by the antipope Felix V
  27. ↑ PIETRO BEMBO PATRITIO VENETO / OB EIUS SINGULARIS VIRTUTIS / A PAULO III PM / IN SM COLLEGIUM COOPTATO / TORQUATUS BEMBUS SP / OBIIT MDXLVII / VIXIT AN LXXVI M XII D XXXIII
  28. ^ Max Sauerlandt: Michelangelo; Cape. 3
  29. ^ Concilium Tridentinum, Canones et Decreta, Sessio XXV: Decretum de invocatione, veneratione et reliquiis sanctorum et de sacris imaginibus
  30. ↑ Clemens Bombeck: They too shaped Rome. At the graves of the saints and blessed in the Eternal City . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2004, p. 131.
  31. ↑ HIC IACET VENE PICTO FR IO DE FLO ORDINIS R DICATO 14LV
  32. ↑ NON MIHI SIT LAVDI QVOD ERAM VELVIT ALTER APELLES / SED QVOD LVCRA TVIS OMNIA CHRISTE DABAM / ALTERA NAM TERRIS OPERA EXTANT ALTERA CAELO / VRBS ME IOANNEM FLOS TVLIT ETRVRIAE MCCCCLV I gave all the fruit, oh Christ, whom I gave to yours. For there are works for the world and works for heaven. The city, the blossom of Tuscany, brought forth me, John.)
  33. ↑ Reclam's Lexicon of the Popes, p. 312
  34. ↑ This ritual was retained over many generations: see Michel de Montaigne, Diary of a Journey to Italy, p. 189 (Pope Gregor XIII. / See Klabund, Borgia, Chapter 20 (Pope Alexander VI ))
  35. ↑ He is buried in the cathedral in Barcelona
  36. ↑ Tobias Güthner: Florentine merchants and bankers in Rome . Dissertation at the Faculty of History and Art Studies at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich 2010. Pages 120 ff.
  37. ↑ Claudio Rendina: Le chiese di Roma , p. 259 f.
  38. ↑ This grave monument is in the diary (p. 56) of the papal master of ceremonies Johannes Burchard in connection with the visit of Alexander VI. Mentioned in the church in March 1493: Solium Pape positum fuit omnino ante memoriam et seputuram bone memori cardinalis Tirasonenesis ... ; it must have been in the main choir at the time.