 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
||||||
Santa Maria del Popolo Church |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Santa Maria del Popolo |
|||||||||||
|
Santa Maria del Popolo is one of the most famous churches in Rome and is situated in Piazza del Popolo, at the end of Corso del Popolo. The church was originally a small chapel built in the 11th century by Pope Paschal II over the tomb of Nero. It was reconstructed and enlarged several times over the centuries. The Basilica is made up of 3 naves and 4 chapels on each side. One of the chapels of particular worth is the Chigi chapel designed by Raffaello. In this room replete with images of angels and brilliant golden decoration is a lantern where the painted God, surrounded by cherubs, genuinely seems to lean out and look at us. The chapel also has much more to offer. In the mid 17th century, even the great Baroque artist Gianlorenzo Bernini himself contributed to the beauty of this basilica. It is precisely in the Chigi Chapel where we find the marvellous
sculpture of HABBAKUK AND THE ANGEL, made all the more famous
as one of the many works of art mentioned in the book ANGELS AND
DEMONS by Dan Brown. Also not to be missed are two masterpieces
by another celebrated artist, Michelangelo Merisi, more popularly
known as Caravaggio: Conversion on the Way to Damascus and the
Crucifixion of Saint Peter.. |
||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
| |
||
