Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller

Links to this page can be found in Book 7, Map C2, Day 4, View D5, Rione Ponte and Rione Parione.

The page covers:
The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
Today's view
S. Maria in Vallicella
Oratorio dei Filippini and Biblioteca Vallicelliana
Piazza dell'Orologio
Palazzo Boncompagni Corcos
Palazzo Capponi Stampa
Palazzo di Sora and Palazzo Caccialupi
Palazzo Cerri

The Plate (No. 137)

In 1756 Giuseppe Vasi published his seventh book of etchings which contained views of some of the most imposing churches of Rome. Their size and decoration were meant to visually show the importance of the religious order to which they belonged. This was true in particular for some orders founded in the XVIth century, e.g. the Jesuits (Chiesa del Gesù), the Theatines (S. Andrea della Valle), the Barnabites (S. Carlo ai Catinari) and the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri (S. Maria della Vallicella). These four churches were all built at a short distance from each other. After the opening of Corso Vittorio Emanuele in 1887 Chiesa del Gesù, S. Andrea della Valle and S. Maria in Vallicella are all situated in the same street.
The view is taken from the green dot in the 1748 map below. In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) Oratorio dei Filippini; 2) Palazzo Sforza Cesarini. 2) is shown in another page. The map shows also 3) Piazza dell'Orologio; 4) S. Maria in Vallicella; 5) Palazzo di Sora; 6) Palazzo Boncompagni Corcos; 7) Palazzo Cerri; 8) Palazzo Capponi Stampa; 9) Palazzo Caccialupi. The dotted line in the small map delineates the border among Rione Ponte (upper part), Rione Regola (left lower quarter) and Rione Parione (centre).

Today

The view in August 2009 (in the left lower corner Fontana della Terrina)

Piazza della Chiesa Nuova was enlarged in the 1880s by pulling down the buildings located on its southern side; this had no impact on the church and the adjoining oratory. In 1910 the square was embellished with a monument to Metastasio, an XVIIIth century poet and librettist, who was born in nearby Via dei Cappellari and in 1925 Fontana della Terrina was relocated from Campo dei Fiori to this square.

S. Maria in Vallicella

(left) Façade; (right) detail of the inscription making reference to Angelo Cesi, Bishop of Todi

Vallicella means small valley and it is a reference to a depression which existed at the time of Ancient Rome and which was thought to be an entrance to Hades, the Underworld. Excavations have identified the remains of Ara Ditis et Proserpinae, a platform with an altar dedicated to Dis (Pluto) and Proserpina. The depression was still noticeable in the XIIth century when a church built in this location was recorded as S. Maria in Vallicella. When in 1575 Pope Gregory XIII assigned the church to St. Philip Neri the building was almost buried in the ground, because floods had raised the level of the latter. It was therefore decided to build a new church on the site of the old one. For this reason the church became (and is) more commonly known as Chiesa Nuova. St. Philip Neri founded a congregation of Catholic priests and lay-brothers, whose members are commonly referred to as Oratorians, but in Italy for some time they were called Filippini, after the name of the founder (e.g. Monastero delle Religiose Filippine on the Esquiline hill).

(left) Lantern of the dome from the rear street; it was added in 1650 by Pietro da Cortona and it is similar to that the architect/painter designed at SS. Luca e Martina; (right) the dome seen from Castel Sant'Angelo

The construction of the new church was completed in 1606 and several architects were involved in its design (the façade is by Fausto Rughesi). Cardinal Pier Donato Cesi and after his death in 1586, his brother Angelo made significant donations. They had large possessions in Umbria and palaces in Rome near Via dei Coronari, S. Giacomo a Scossacavalli and Porta Cavalleggeri.

Interior

St. Philip Neri wanted the walls of the Chiesa Nuova whitewashed in keeping with the early austere "iconoclastic" tendencies of the Counter-Reformation, but by the mid of the XVIIth century the church was already very richly decorated, an indication of the prestige achieved by the Oratorians. The activity of painters, sculptors, stucco workers and craftsmen was coordinated by a religious member of the Congregation and by an architect.

(above) "Opus Sectile" tombs in the presbitery (see a similar tomb at S. Andrea al Quirinale); (below) tomb of Cardinal Girolamo Pamphilj; (right) detail of a tombstone with a typical "Memento Mori" symbol

Many important members and supporters of the Congregation, including Cardinals Pier Donato Cesi and Cesare Baronio chose to be buried inside the church. As a sign of modesty they did not want to be remembered by statues or busts, yet their very elaborate marble tombstone testified to their rank.
Cardinal Girolamo Pamphilj (1545-1610) was the first of seven cardinals of his family. He was a friend of St. Philip Neri and was at his deathbed. He testified twice during Neri's canonization process. He was a supporter of the Oratorians and at the same time his ecclesiastical career was supported by the Congregation. In June 1604 he was created cardinal by Pope Clement VIII. His tombstone was decorated with a dove, a heraldic symbol which became very common in Rome, after his nephew Cardinal Giovan Battista Pamphilj became Pope Innocent X in 1644.

(left) Interior of the Dome by Pietro da Cortona; (right) the Prophet Ezekiel and a reference to his book (21:30)

The dome represents the Eternal Father appeased by the sufferings of our Lord, who exhibits the instruments of his Passion and Death, while avenging angels await the command of God to execute his vengeance on a guilty world. In the spandrils are Isaias, Jeremiah, Ezechiel and Daniel.
Rev. Jeremiah Donovan - Rome Ancient and Modern - 1843
The decoration of the Chiesa Nuova was Pietro da Cortona's most extensive fresco commission, which occupied him intermittently for almost twenty years (1647-1666) and included the ceiling of the main nave. His team included some sculptors in charge of the elaborate stuccoes which framed his paintings. The choice of the subjects and of the quotations was decided by Father Gerolamo Bernabei.

(left) Main altar, a detail of which can be seen in a page dealing with the use of colour in Roman churches; (right) altarpiece by Peter Paul Rubens with a movable section (1608) (see another of his paintings in this church which portrays St. Gregory the Great - it opens in another window)

At the age of 23 Peter Paul Rubens left Antwerp and began a long period of study and work in Italy (1600-1608) where he visited Venice, Mantua, Genoa and Rome. His altarpiece at S. Maria in Vallicella was painted on slate and it had an opening to allow the viewing of a detached fresco portraying the Virgin Mary. The cover was painted on copper and it is removed during some celebrations. Rubens greatly enjoyed his Italian stay and he Italianized his name in Pietro Paolo. In 1612, out of his admiration for ancient Rome, he painted The She-wolf tenders Romulus and Remus which became the best known image of that legendary event.

(left) Annunciation by Domenico Cresti aka il Passignano (ca 1591), see another of his works at S. Maria Maggiore; (right) Crucifixion by Scipione Pulzone aka il Gaetano (1592)

Many chapels of the church were already decorated before the completion of the façade. Their altarpieces are a repertory of paintings of the late XVIth century. That by Passignano anticipates patterns, such as the illusionistic depiction of Heaven, which will prevail during the following century, while that by Pulzone is much more composed and the dark background helps the viewer focusing on the small number of subjects, a characteristic of many paintings by Caravaggio, e.g. Madonna dei Pellegrini.

Il Cavalier d'Arpino: (left) Coronation of Mary (1615) and two statues portraying St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist by Flaminio Vacca; (right) Presentation of Jesus to the Temple (1627)

The very rich decoration of the chapels for which were employed ancient columns and many fragments of marbles, similar to what occurred in other churches of Rome, was completed with altarpieces by il Cavalier d'Arpino. He was the leading painter at the turn of the XVIth century when he was commissioned the fresco decoration of the main hall of Palazzo dei Conservatori.

Chapels at the sides of the apse which are dedicated to: (left) St. Philip Neri; (right) St. Charles Borromeo

The chapel under the organ, to the left of the tribune, is dedicated to S. Philip Neri, whose body reposes beneath its altar: his portrait in mosaic is copied from that of Guido, in the convent, and the paintings, in the chapel, illustrative of the Saint's life, are by Cristoforo Roncalli. Donovan
The richly decorated chapel of St. Philip Neri was completed before his canonization in 1622.
Two very elaborate organs were built in 1700 above the two chapels and they can be seen in a separate page dealing with this topic.

Details of the Chapel of St. Philip Neri; it was paid for by a Florentine benefactor who employed artisans from that city where the technique of marble inlays was very advanced

On March 12, 1622 Pope Gregory XV, in the course of a series of very spectacular ceremonies, created five new saints: the ceremonies took place in S. Pietro, but also in other churches. Four of the five new saints were Spanish (St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Isidore the Labourer) and one Italian (St. Philip Neri). Most of the cost of the ceremonies was borne by Spain. Pasquino, the most vocal talking statue of Rome criticized the event by saying: Oggi il Papa ha canonizzato quattro spagnoli e un santo (today the Pope canonized four Spaniards and one saint).

(left) A wing of the courtyard; (right) sacristy

The next door opens into a corridor, that leads to the interior of the convent and to the sacristy. The lofty, spacious and well lighted sacristy is floored with marble and was erected by Paul Maruscelli. The bronze bust of Gregory XV., inside over its door, and the marble group of S. Philip Neri with an angel, at the opposite extremity, are well executed by Algardi. Donovan
On the 8th November 1644: We went into the sacristia, where, the tapers being lighted, one of the Order preached; after him stepped up a child of eight, or nine years old, who pronounced an oration with so much grace, that I never was better pleased than to hear Italian so well and so intelligently spoken. This course it seems they frequently use, to bring their scholars to a habit of speaking distinctly, and forming their action and assurance, which none so much want as ours in England.
John Evelyn's Diary and Correspondence

Oratorio dei Filippini and Biblioteca Vallicelliana

(left) Façade and side on Via dei Filippini; (right) detail of a window

The brethren of the Congregation of St. Philip Neri had for a considerable time planned to build an oratory next to their church of S. Maria in Vallicella. In conjunction with this idea, plans ripened to include in the building programme a refectory, a sacristy, living quarters for the members of the Congregation, and a large library. This considerable programme was, in fact, not very different from that of a large monastery. The Congregation finally opened a competition which Francesco Borromini won in May 1637 against, among them, Paolo Maruscelli, the architect of the Congregation. Borromini replaced him fortwith and held the office for the next thirteen years. Building activity was rapid: in 1640 the oratory was in use; in 1641 the refectory was finished, between 1642 and 1643 the library above the oratory was built and between 1644 and 1650 the north-west front with the clock-tower overlooking the Piazza dell'Orologio.
Rudolf Wittkower - Art and Architecture in Italy 1600-1750 - Penguin Books 1958

(left) Balcony of the library (upper tier), the niche is shown also in the image used as background for the page; (right) central window of the oratory (lower tier)

By request of the Congregation the façade was not faced in stone so that it would not compete with the adjoining church of S. Maria in Vallicella. Borromini, therefore, developed a new and extremely subtle brick technique of classical ancestry, a technique which allowed for finest gradations and absolute precision of detail. The main portion of the façade consists of five bays, closely set with pilasters, arranged over a concave plan. But the central bay of the lower tier is curved outward, while that of the upper tier opens into a niche of considerable depth. Crowning the façade rises the mighty pediment which, for the first time, combines curvilinear and angular movement. Wittkower
Oratorio dei Filippini was the second large commission received by Borromini (the first being S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane). You may wish to see Schwarzspanierkirche, a church in Vienna with a façade resembling that of the Oratorio and some details of St. Paul's Cathedral which show the influence of Borromini.

(left) Passage leading to the stairs with four ancient granite columns; (right) fresco portraying St. Philip Neri in a simple stucco frame along the stairs; there is also a stucco altarpiece by Algardi

February the 2nd 1659. It beginning to be night, wee went to the Chiesa Nova, where there is most incomparable Musicke every Sunday and holy day at Night, with the Organs and 4 Voyces, and wee heard here such sweete Musicke, that a man could not thinke his paines il spent, if he should come two thousand mile, if he were sure to be recompensed with nothing else, but to heare such most melodious voyces.
Francis Mortoft's Journal of his travels in France and Italy
Mortoft returned to the oratory of Chiesa Nuova to hear a famous castrato.

"Salone Borromini", the main hall of Biblioteca Vallicelliana, today a public library

The walls of the library were decorated by Borromini with a yellowish stucco and the hall had a wooden coffered ceiling. It received light from sixteen windows, including the balcony. The result was so pleasing that Borromini was asked by Pope Alexander VII to design the libraries of Archiginnasio della Sapienza (Biblioteca Alessandrina) and of the Augustinian Convent (Biblioteca Angelica). The hall was enlarged in 1665 by Camillo Asprucci to make room for more books and this addition can be noticed to the left of the façade.

(above) Upper part of the main hall with a stucco monument to Cardinal Cesare Baronio; (below) inscriptions in the sections of the library (Historici Ecclesiastici - History of the Church)

The monument was dedicated to Baronio as "Ecclesiasticae Historiae Pater" (Father of the History of the Church) because of his treatises on this subject. The library was enriched with manuscripts and rare books by members of the Congregation, including Virgilio Spada.
You may wish to visit Biblioteca Casanatense, the library of the Dominicans, and Biblioteca Corsini, a private library which was opened to the public in 1754.

1662 cupboard made for the books written by St. Philip Neri (notice the flaming heart, the symbol of the Congregation)

Piazza dell'Orologio

(left) Façade in Piazza dell'Orologio; (right) elaborate 1756 "madonnella" by Tommaso Righi and Antonio Bicchierari; (inset) mosaic copy of the covered image of the main altar

In 1647-1650 Borromini designed a small façade of the Filippini complex overlooking a square in Via dei Banchi Nuovi (a street named after Palazzo del Banco di S. Spirito). While the design of the lower part is very sober, the turret with the clock is characterized by concave and convex lines.
In his guide of Rome, Vasi mentions tre magnifici palazzi (three magnificent palaces) in Piazza dell'Orologio. The most famous one was Palazzo di Santo Spirito, designed by Borromini as headquarters for Banco di S. Spirito, the papal bank, at the request of Virgilio Spada, who was at the head of the bank. Eventually the offices of the bank were located in another palace by the same name and the palace was bought by the Spada. Unfortunately in the late XIXth century it was almost totally modified. You may wish to see it in a sketch by Borromini - it opens in another window.

Palazzo Boncompagni Corcos

(left) Façade; (right) details showing the dragon of the Boncompagni

The second palace Vasi had in mind is Palazzo Boncompagni Corcos. In the second half of the XVIth century the Jews living in the Papal State, in addition to laws forcing them to live in restricted areas in Rome and Ancona, had to face a strong pressure aimed at converting them. In 1582 Solomon Corcos, a rich Jew, abandoned his faith and became Gregorio Boncompagni after the name of Pope Gregory XIII Boncompagni. His heirs built in the XVIIth century an elegant palace in Piazza dell'Orologio. The palace is decorated with many dragons, the heraldic symbol of the Boncompagni and its interior has some fine paintings by Carlo Cesi.

The Chariot of Sun - ceiling by Carlo Cesi (ca 1660); it brings to mind a famous painting by Guido Reni

Palazzo Capponi Stampa

(left) Façade in Piazza dell'Orologio; (centre) detail of a window; (right) fountain in the courtyard

The third palace has various names, due to its many owners. Initially it belonged to the Orsini, who had a nearby palace/fortress, then it was acquired by the Capponi, an important Florentine family. Its elegant stucco decoration was added by the Stampa, a family from Milan, in the early XVIIIth century (you can see a detail of the portal in a page dedicated to the Laughing Masks of Rome).

Palazzo di Sora

(left) Palazzo di Sora with the original façade on the left and the modern one on the right; (right) detail of one of its corners which is decorated with the three classical orders

Palazzo di Sora was built at the beginning of the XVIth century and Vasi wrote that it was designed by Donato Bramante, but today this attribution is thought to be wrong. The palace was regarded as a sort of architectural summary because it was decorated with the three classical orders, similar to Colosseo. In 1579 it was bought by Pope Gregory XIII for his son Giacomo Boncompagni, Duke of Sora, a town in the Kingdom of Naples, not far from Casamari and very near the border with the Papal State; the full name of the palace should have been Palazzo Boncompagni di Sora, but it was shortened in Palazzo di Sora.
The palace stood exactly on the site where Corso Vittorio Emanuele was opened and only its northern section was spared; a new façade which follows the pattern of the old one was built along the new street.

Palazzo Caccialupi (left/right-above); (right-below) fragment of an ancient relief in a nearby house

Palazzo Caccialupi, a Renaissance house with a fine and decorated portal, is located in a narrow street behind Palazzo di Sora. It was built in ca 1488 by Giovanni Battista Caccialupi from San Severino who at that time and as reported by the inscription was avvocato concistoriale, i.e. he could plead a case in the highest court of the Papal State. He is best known for a number of repetitiones (lessons) on civil law which he delivered at the University of Siena where he taught for thirty years.

Palazzo Cerri

(left) Original façade in Via Larga; (right) details of the upper balcony (above) and of the cornice (below)

Palazzo Cerri, similar to Palazzo di Sora, lost nearly half of its original size and it was given a new façade opposite S. Maria della Vallicella. The original entrance is in what today seems a narrow street, but at the time was regarded as a large one and thus was called Via Larga. As a matter of fact if one looks at the 1748 map the street is larger than the other ones. It was opened in 1627 to facilitate the access to the church from Via del Pellegrino. The design of the palace is generally attributed to Francesco Peparelli. You may wish to see its laughing masks. The most important member of the Cerri family was Cardinal Carlo Cerri (1610-1690). You may wish to see his portrait by Jakob Ferdinand Voet at the National Gallery of London - it opens in another window.

Next plate in Book 7: Chiesa di S. Maria Maddalena.
Next step in Day 4 itinerary: Chiesa di S. Tommaso in Parione.
Next step in your tour of Rione Ponte: Chiesa dei Santi Celso e Giuliano.
Next step in your tour of Rione Parione: Chiesa di San Tommaso in Parione.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:

Piazza dell'orologio della chiesa nuova Tre magnifici palazzi corrispondono su questa piazza, che prende il nome dall'orologio della casa dell'oratorio di s Filippo Neri, eretto con graziosa architettura del Cav. Borromini. Chiesa di s. Maria in Vallicella, detta nuova Perchè da s. Filippo Neri fu l'anno 1575. edificata di nuovo e con magnificenza la chiesa, che dicevasi in Vallicella, e anticamente ad puteum album; ancor seguita a dirsi Chiesa Nuova. Fu eseguita col disegno di Martin Lunghi, e poi fu ornata di stucchi dorati e pitture da Pietro da Cortona, il quale dipinse a fresco la volta, la cupola, e la tribuna. Tutte le cappelle sono ornate di marmi, colonne, e pitture insigni; onde ne daremo conto particolare. Il ss. Crocifisso nella prima cappella a destra, è di Scipione Gaetani; il Cristo al sepolcro nell'altra, del Caravaggio; l'Assunzione, del Muziani; lo Spirito santo è di Vincenzo Fiammingo, e l’Assunzione nella quinta cappella, di Aurelio Comi. La coronazione della ss.Vergine nella crociata è del Cav: d'Arpino, e le due statue, di Flaminio Vacca; il s. Carlo nell'altra è di Carlo Maratti, ed il laterali, quello a destra è dello Scaramucci, e quello incontro è di Gio. Bonatti. Il quadro nell'altare maggiore ove è l'antica immagine di s. Maria in Vallicella è di Pietro Paolo Rubens, di cui sono ancora i due laterali; il tabernacolo adorno di pietre preziose, ed angioli fatti di metallo è disegno di Ciro Ferri. Il san Filippo Neri nella cappella, che siegue, ove si custodisce il corpo del Santo è di Guido Reni, e le altre pitture sono del Pomarancio; il quadro però nell'altra cappella interna, è del Guercino. La Presentazione della ss. Vergine al tempio nella cappella della crociata è di Federico Baroccio, e le due statue, di Gio. Antonio Paracca. La statua di s. Filippo nella nobilissima sagrestia, e il busto di metallo sopra la porta sono insigni opere dell'Algardi, e le pitture nella volta sono del Cortona, il quale dipinse ancora la volta della cappella superiore. La ss. Nunziata nella cappella dopo la sagrestia è del Cav. Passignani, e la Visitazione di s. Elisabetta nell' altra è del Baroccio; in questa cappella s. Filippo spesso celebrava Messa. La Natività del Signore nell'altra cappella è di Durante Alberti; l'adorazione de' Magi è di Cesare Nebbia; e la presentazione al tempio è del Cav. d'Arpino. I1 quadro sopra la porta maggiore è di Monsù Daniele; Gesù Cristo, che scaccia i venditori dal tempio, e l'Arca del testamento, sopra gli archi della nave sono del Peroddi; la Giuditta, e la ss. Concezione sono del suddetto Daniele; Gesù Cristo, che dà le chiavi a s. Pietro, e l’adorazione del vitello sono del Passeri; la Rachele e la Maddalena, di Giuseppe Ghezzi; la manna, e la comunione degli Apostoli, del suddetto Daniele; la creazione di Adamo, ed il giudizio universale del detto Ghezzi; e la creazione degli Angioli, e la caduta di Lucifero, in ovati sono di Lazzaro Baldi. La nobilissima casa di questi Preti Filippini fu eretta col disegno del Borromini, il quale seppe ritrovarci tutti i comodi con magnificenza, fra' quali il cortile, e la cappella, ovvero oratorio, destinato per le solite orazioni ed esercizi spirituali, ed in alcuni tempi per composizioni sagre cantate in musica. Il quadro dell'altare è del Vanni da Siena, e le pitture nella volta sono del Romanelli. E poi celebre la stanza, in cui abitò e morì s. Filippo Neri, conservandovisi il letto, ed utensilj domestici entro alcuni armarj. Palazzo di Sora Nell'uscire dalla descritta chiesa si vede a sinistra questo palazzo colla piccola piazza del medesimo nome. Fu già de' Conti Fieschi eretto col disegno di Bramante Lazzari; ora però lo possiede il Duca di Sora Principe di Piombino.