Chiesa di piazza del popolo caravaggio biography

Church in Rome, Italy

The Parish Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo (Italian: Basilica Parrocchiale Santa Maria del Popolo) is a titular church and a minor basilica in Rome run by the Augustinian order. It stands on the north side of Piazza del Popolo, one of the most famous squares in the city. The church is hemmed in between the Pincian Hill and Porta del Popolo, one of the gates in the Aurelian Wall as well as the starting point of Via Flaminia, the most important route from the north. Its location made the basilica the first church for the majority of travellers entering the city. The church contains works by several famous artists, such as Raphael, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Caravaggio, Alessandro Algardi, Pinturicchio, Andrea Bregno, Guillaume de Marcillat and Donato Bramante.

History

Legendary founding

The well-known foundation legend of Santa Maria del Popolo revolves around the evil memory of Emperor Nero and the cleansing of the area from this malicious legacy by Pope Paschal II. As the story goes, after his suicide Nero was buried in the mausoleum of his paternal family, the Domitii Ahenobarbi, at the foot of the Pincian Hill. The sepulchre was later buried under a landslide and on its ruins grew a huge walnut tree that ″was so tall and sublime that no other plant exceeded it in any ways.″ The tree soon became the haunt for a multitude of vicious demons harassing the inhabitants of the area and also the travelers arriving in the city from the north through Porta Flaminia: ″some were being frightened, possessed, cruelly beaten and injured, others almost strangled, or miserably killed.″

As the demons endangered an important access road of the city and also upset the entire population, the newly elected pontiff, Paschal II, was seriously concerned. He ″saw the flock of Christ committed to his watch, becoming prey to the infernal wolves.″ The Pope fasted and prayed for three days and at the end of that per

Side chapel of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome

The Cerasi Chapel or Chapel of the Assumption (Italian: Cappella Cerasi, Cappella dell'Assunta) is one of the side chapels in the left transept of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. It contains significant paintings by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci, two of the most important masters of Italian Baroque art, dating from 1600 to 1601.

History

Precursor: Foscari Chapel

Before the present-day edifice another funerary chapel on the same spot was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was built by Pietro Foscari, the Cardinal of Venice. Johann Burchard notes in his diary that the cardinal died on 11 August 1485. "His body was then transferred to the city, and given over for burial in a chapel of the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which he had built for himself", states Burchard. This construction obviously correlated to the general rebuilding of the basilica by Pope Sixtus IV which began in 1472. The Cardinal of Venice was an influential person in the Roman court and Italian politics. It seems an obvious choice that he built himself a chapel in the Pope's favourite church in a very prominent position in the left transept. The construction might have begun in 1476.

The chapel was covered by a barrel vault with a depth equal to the 15th century arch of the papal chapel. According to the will of the patron, the sarcophagus, which was due to host his remains, was placed at the center of the edifice. Due to its particular placement and visibility the sarcophagus was decorated on all four sides. This arrangement was markedly different than the Florentine type wall tombs of the basilica. Probably it was modelled after the tomb of Pope Sixtus IV by Pollaiuolo or even more after other 15th century sculptural works in the city of Siena. This sepulchral monument is the only remaining vestige of the demolished chapel. Now it is placed in t

Santa Maria del Popolo
A bit of History

This Minor Basilica, like many churches in Rome, is also associated with a founding legend: Its high altar supposedly stands where once a walnut tree grew, around which evil spirits roamed. These malevolent spirits guarded the tomb of Nero, which was located beneath this tree. When Pope Paschal II (1099 – 1118) heard of this, he fasted and prayed. On the third day, Mary appeared to him, instructing him to cut down the tree and build a church on that spot. The demons vanished from this place.

In 1231, Pope Gregory IX had a larger church built on this site and entrusted it to the Franciscan order. It was during this time that the name “del Popolo” emerged. There are different explanations for this name:

• The people built and financed this new construction, or
• The name originates from the poplar tree (Populus) that once stood at the chapel’s location.

Variant 1 seems to be the more plausible one. Pope Gregory IX bequeathed the “miraculous image of Mary” to the church, which he had brought from the Lateran Palace to this altar.

But that’s not all: In 1472, under Pope Sixtus IV, there was another change. The old church building was demolished, and a new church was erected, this time with an adjoining monastery. Why? The city gate Porta del Popolo became increasingly important for representation, as many travelers arrived here. Therefore, the church had to be upgraded accordingly.

And finally, in 1655-1660, Bernini carried out the redesign of the facade and the interior – the contemporary taste, or simply Pope Alexander VII, demanded something new.

Our tour begins in the San Luigi dei Francesi Church, a short distance from Piazza Navona. In the chapel at the end of the left nave, there are three pieces by Caravaggio, together they make up the Cycle of Saint Matthew. The paintings sum up the life of the apostle in three episodes: the Calling of Saint Matthew, The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew. The scene of the Calling leads us in the half-light into a room populated by tax collectors intent on counting money, disrupted by a divine light Jesus Christ, on the right, has just raised his arm to indicate the future saint and calls him to join the group of the apostles. The painting of Saint Matthew and the angel distinguishes itself for the direct and intense relationship between the Evangelist and the messenger sent by God who came down to inspire him in the writing of the Scripture. The depiction of the Martyrdom in the last painting of the cycle is violent and dramatic.