Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri was designed by Michelangelo and is the only Renaissance style church in Rome.
The temple, located very near Piazza della Repubblica, is one of the most surprising and unique in the city thanks to its ruined façade that contrasts with its vast and sensational interior.
The site where Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri was erected was where the Baths of Diocletian had been founded, an impressive demonstration of the glory of the Roman Empire until, in an intent to conquer Rome, the Goths cut the water supply of all the aqueducts of the city, and the baths had to be abandoned.
When neglected, the baths were taken over by bandits and courtesans until the Renaissance, when the grounds were bought by the French cardinal Jean du Bellay, who commissioned the construction of a beautiful villa and its gardens.
A Sicilian priest suggested building a church on the site of the Baths of Diocletian, in honour of all the Christian slaves who died while building the baths.
Several decades later, in 1560, the priest’s efforts were rewarded by Pope Pius IV who commissioned Michelangelo to transform the baths into a church.
The interior of the church is remarkable and completely unpredictable from looking at its bare façade. With an impressive dimension, the temple is beautifully decorated with vast frescoes on its walls and enormous coloured marble columns.
On the floor, visitors will be able to see the meridian solar line built by the astronomer and philosopher Francesco Bianchini in 1703. Bianchini’s meridian would tell when noon was throughout the year, the arrival of the solstices and equinox, as well as a calendar.
The exterior certainly belies the interior, Cherie. I wonder if they made use of the Roman materials to build
Parts of the baths were used as building material for the Basilica. The building was altered in the 18th century so it is not as originally created.
What a beautiful building – so ornate
The outside of the building doen’t hint at the treasures within
What a beautiful place. The marble and domes especially make it a place to see
The interior was a hidden surprise.
It’s amazing I still remember the odd statues next to the main entrance!
I guess it’s like the statue outside the new Coventry Cathedral.
St Michael slaying the demon.
That’s also an odd statue I cannot forget.
St Michael at Coventry is striking and memorable, as is the Cathedral itself.
WOW, this little tucked away little gem is actually my favorite, so far. Looking from the outside, you’d have no idea the beauty that awaits inside – amazing! So are the mummy-ish/bound figures representative of the prior Christian slaves or-? I love the effect of the sculptured man (with what looks like a cross carved in?) coming out from the wall. Rather than in front of the wall, or part of it, it looks as though he’s stepping through it, no easy feat to sculpt.
I am not sure what the figures on the doors represent. I have been unable to find a detailed descrliption of everything in this church.
The sculptor is Igor Mitoraj.