Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo

Santa Maria del Popolo (Latin: Sanctae Mariae de Popolo ), completely Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, is a Roman Catholic church in Rome. It is located in Piazza del Popolo in Campo Marzio district, right next to the Porta del Popolo.

The basilica minor since the April 13, 1587 one of the Roman titular churches of the Roman Catholic Church and since March 24, 2006 the former secretary of Pope John Paul II, the current Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, assigned.

Architectural History

On the occasion of the capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, Pope Paschal II built a first chapel, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Since the construction is to be financed by donations of the people of Rome, he got the nickname " del Popolo " ( the people), who passed on the adjacent square. Previously the square was subjected to an exorcism, because to have been buried according to a legend at the same location of the Emperor Nero and his spirit should still haunt there.

1213-1227 was the chapel of Gregory IX. elevated to the rank of a church and expanded. In 1250 the church was given to the Augustinians of Tuscia and finally in 1472 to the Augustinians of the Lombard Congregation. This left the church in the years 1472-1480 according to the plans of the architect Baccio Pontelli and Andrea Bregno in the Lombardic style, rebuilt in the form of a basilica with three naves. In the years 1655 to 1660 it was remodeled to designs by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. In particular, the facade dates back to his design. From 1479 chapels were added which entail numerous artworks by rank.

The southern side facade was redesigned in 1811 and 1822 by Giuseppe Valadier to the church fit into the symmetric north side of the Piazza del Popolo.

The chapels of the Church

1 The Chapel della Rovere was established from 1488 for Cardinal Domenico della Rovere. The tomb of Domenico and his brother Cristoforo della Rovere, nephew of Francesco della Rovere, was designed by Andrea Bregno 1501. Opposite him built Francesco da Sangallo the tomb of Giovanni da Castro 1506. The altarpiece and the decoration of the vault with scenes from the life of Saint Jerome come by Pinturicchio ( 1488-1490 ).

2 Cybo Chapel, also originally painted by Pinturicchio, was redesigned in the years 1682 to 1687 by Carlo Fontana for Cybo family.

3 The chapel Basso della Rovere was founded in 1484 by Cardinal Girolamo Basso della Rovere and dedicated to St. Augustine. The painting comes from students of Pinturicchio ( 1489-1491 ).

4 The Costa Chapel with frescoes by Pinturicchio in the year 1489 was also originally of della Rovere family, but was acquired in 1488 by the Portuguese Cardinal Giorgio Costa. His tomb created in 1508 a student Bregnos.

5 The Chapel Montemirabile, originally built for the Bishop Giovanni Montemirabile 1479, was rededicated in 1561 to baptistery.

6 The Chigi Chapel: Agostino Chigi, the banker three popes, one of the richest businessmen of his time was given in 1507 by Pope Julius II, the rights of patronage for the chapel in the left aisle. In 1512 he commissioned Raphael with the architectural design. Bramante's plan for the layout of the new St. Peter's was the inspiration for this design: a central building with a Greek cross in plan, one of four beveled, the entire weight-bearing pillars supported and exposed with windows Tambour supported dome. The chapel is one of the architectural masterpieces of Raphael. The building itself was 1513 - 1514 Started by Lorenzetto, a pupil of Raphael - Parts of the decoration were completed by 1516. Other pieces of equipment developed until the mid-16th century. Its present appearance was the only chapel in the middle of the 17th century, the harmonious, wide space is defined by the two pyramids of colored marble, right the grave laying of Agostino Chigi (d. 1520) and his brother Sigismondo Chigi the left (d. 1526) determined. They are part of the program designed by Raphael image that combines the Christian tradition with the ideas of Plato's " Timaeus ". The furnishings of the chapel, including the pyramidal tombs and mosaics on the dome also go back to the designs of Raphael. Lorenzetto, led on behalf of Raphael, after his death (1520 ), working out. From him the sculptures were " Jonas, spewed from the fish " ( 1519 ) and the "Elijah" ( 1523 ) and the bronze relief on the front of the altar "Jesus and the Samaritan Woman ". The dome mosaic with "God as the creator of the firmament " in the center, including allegorical representations of the sun and the then known seven planets were executed by the Venetians Luigi de Pace in 1516. The wall elements of the drum are decorated with scenes from Genesis, created by Francesco Salviati in fresco technique. The altarpiece " The Birth of the Mother of God " (oil on stone ) comes from 1526 Sebastiano del Piombo. On the initiative of Fabio Chigi, was elected in 1655 to Pope Alexander VII, Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1652 -1656 takes a reorganization of the chapel in the prevailing taste of the Baroque front and completes the equipment. Among other things, he created the two sculptures " Habakkuk and the Angel " and " Daniel in the Lion's Den ", as well as the marble reliefs on the two pyramids..

7th The Mellini chapel is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Tolentino. The altarpiece is by Agostino Masucci. The dome was painted by Giovanni Mannozzi 1623-1624.

8 In the Chapel of the Holy Crucifix crucifix of the 14th century hangs. The decoration of the chapel was made by the Flemish artist Pieter van Lind on behalf of the Cybo family.

9 The theodolites chapel has been decorated by Giulio Mazzoni.

10 are the pictures of Caravaggio Crucifixion of Saint Peter ( San Pietro di Crocefissione ) and conversion of Paul ( Conversione di San Paolo ) from the years 1601 and 1602 in the Cerasi Chapel.

11 The Capella Maggiore contains the tomb of Cardinal Ascanio Maria Sforza. It is the first three-axle Arc de Triomphe monument, erected in Rome and put all previous monuments in the shade. It was built by the sculptor Andrea Sansovino commissioned by Pope Julius II. Tomb is the stone which has become an expression of realpolitik of Julius II, although he was in opposition to the Cardinal from the Sforza family, he needed the Sforza family However, as an important ally in his fight against the French troops in northern Italy. With the generous gesture with which he endowed the cardinal 's grave, he documented that he recognized the Sforza family as ruler of Milan and wanted to secure in this way their allegiance. In the vault of the chapel, the fresco of Mary Coronation of Pinturicchio.

Santa Maria del Popolo - Stifter church of the Popes

Santa Maria del Popolo is an unusually richly decorated church. The Church of St. Augustine won for the popes since the second half of the 15th century more and more important as a center of spiritual and temporal representation. Among the popes, particularly promoted this church, Sixtus IV, Innocent VIII and Alexander VI include .. The art historian Philipp Zitzlsperger has also described in his essay on Cardinal Ascanio Maria Sforza, that the foundation system in the context of Santa Maria del Popolo during their rule was not only a measure of the ratio between donors and the Augustinian convent, but also a measure of the ratio between donors and Pope. In addition to papal grants the Augustinian monastery of Santa Maria del Popolo also learned foundations from the coffers of other Roman elites. According to the investigations of Zitzlsperger but the klienteläre relation to the Pope fraction was crucial for a commitment in Santa Maria del Popolo. Donations to the church were future investments, which were only made ​​if a return thereof, such as a papal benevolence was to be expected. This can also prove the donation behavior of Vannozza de'Catanei that. Mistress of Alexander VI and was the mother of Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia. During the pontificate of Alexander VI. counted them to the generous benefactors of this church. Her grave, which was also in the church is gone today. With the election of Julius II, who belonged to the Italian della Rovere family, it ended abruptly. The election of the pope dominated the conveyance of this church. For historians can be inferred from the discharge and the circles from which flowed the donations on klienteläre bond to the pope therefore today.

Organ

In the church is an organ of the company Spevi. The purely electric instrument has 18 stops on two manuals and pedal. The disposition is as follows:

• Pairing: Normal Couplers: II / I, I / P, II / P
• Suboktavkoppeln: II / I, I / I, II / II,
• Superoktavkoppeln: II / I, I / I, II / II, I / P, II / P