Login

Santa Maria del Popolo

Works of Great Art Masters

The Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome, built on the north side of the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, boasts an amazing art collection. The Chigi Chapel of the Church was designed by Raphael and is decorated with two sculptures of Bernini. Famous paintings by Caravaggio, Pinturicchio, and others can also be seen in the church.

Around Piazza del Popolo, there are three churches named after the Virgin Mary, of which the Santa Maria del Popolo is the most prestigious. Behind its unassuming walls, it houses masterpieces by Raphael, Bernini, Caravaggio and others.

In 1099, to expel the evil spirit of Roman Emperor Nero, the Pope ordered the construction of a church at the burial place of Nero, which was completely renovated in 1477 and is now the Parish Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo (Italian: Basilica Parrocchiale Santa Maria del Popolo).

The Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome is constructed in Renaissance Style and its nave is decorated with columns and angels. The Main Altar houses the icon of Madonna del Popolo, Octagonal Dome with beautifully painted frescoes and eight arched glass windows for additional light.

To the left of the main altar, in the Cerasi Chapel, there are Two Famous Paintings by Caravaggio, Crucifixion of St. Peter and Conversion on the Way to Damascus. Situated between them is the altarpiece Assumption of the Virgin by another Italian painter, Annibale Carracci.

Caravaggio's Paintings

The church hall is flanked on each side by four chapels, mostly built at the expense of the nobility of the time, for which well-known painters were hired to paint the frescoes. The second one on the left is called Chigi Chapel and was designed by Raphael, who designed the plan, the pyramidal tombs and the frescoes of the dome for the chapel. After Raphael’s passing, Gian Lorenzo Bernini completed the follow-up works, which contain sculptures of Habakkuk and the Angel and Daniel and the Lion.

Manywhere Trivia:
In the film Angels and Demons, professor Robert Langdon entered the Chigi Chapel of Santa Maria del Popolo which represents Earth. By the direction of the angel’s finger in Bernini’s sculpture here, he found his next target, St. Peter's Square, Vatican, which represents Wind.

The Della Rovere Chapel on the right side of the hall is named after the Roveres, an Italian noble family, and features the altarpiece “The Adoration of the Child with St Jerome” by Italian painter Pinturicchio. The chapel also contains the tombs of two cardinals.

The Cybo Chapel opposite the Chigi Chapel, also has a round vault. The walls of the chapel are covered with precious marble tiles, an example of 17th-century Roman architectural art.