Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller

Spedale di S. Spirito in Sassia was founded at the beginning of the XIIIth century by Pope Innocent III and it was rebuilt towards the end of the XVth century by Pope Sixtus IV. Pope Alexander VII in 1664 asked Gian Lorenzo Bernini to design new entrances to the hospital: the entrance in Borgo S. Spirito still exists and retains the coat of arms, while the coat of arms on the entrance in Via dei Penitenzieri is lost. Giovanni Battista Falda was the most famous engraver of Roman views of the XVIIth century and he left a view of this entrance. The coat of arms of Alexander VII shown in the view by Falda is different from that shown in his book by Filippo Juvarra, but the details of the design coincide. In the background of this page you can see a current picture of the hospital which in the 1940s was given a XVth century look.

(left) The plate by Juvarra; (right) the plate by Falda

Plate 1: Michelangelo Buonarroti - Porta Pia - Coat of arms of Pius IV
Plate 2: Michelangelo Buonarroti - Statue of Marcus Aurelius - Coat of arms of Rome
Plate 3: Donato Bramante - Palazzo della Cancelleria - Coat of arms of Leo X (lost)
Plate 4: Michelangelo Buonarroti - Palazzo Farnese - Coat of arms of Paul III
Plate 5: Domenico Fontana - Mostra dell'Acqua Felice - Coat of arms of Sixtus V
Plate 7: Gian Lorenzo Bernini - S. Pietro - Chair of St. Peter - Coat of arms of Alexander VII
Plate 8: Francesco Borromini - Palazzo Barberini - Coat of arms of Urban VIII
Plate 9: Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Palazzo di Propaganda Fide - Coat of arms of Urban VIII
Plates 10 and 26: Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Colonnato in Piazza S. Pietro - Coats of arms of Alexander VII
Plate 13: Gian Lorenzo Bernini - S. Andrea al Quirinale - Coat of arms of Innocent X
Plates 15 and 18: Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi - Coats of arms of Innocent X
Plate 16: Gian Lorenzo Bernini - S. Pietro - Statue of Veronica - Coat of arms of Urban VIII
Plate 17: Gian Lorenzo Bernini - S. Pietro - Monument to Alexander VII - Coat of arms of Alexander VII
Plate 20: Gian Lorenzo Bernini - S. Pietro - Baldachin - Coat of arms of Urban VIII
Plate 24: Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Fontana della Barcaccia - Coat of arms of Urban VIII
Plate 25: Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Spedale di S. Spirito in Sassia - Coat of arms of Alexander VII
Plates 27, 30 and 31: Francesco Borromini - S. Giovanni in Laterano - Coat of arms of Innocent X
Plate 28: Francesco Borromini - Cappella dei Re Magi - Coat of arms of Alexander VII
Plate 32: Pietro da Cortona - SS. Luca e Martina - Coat of arms of Urban VIII
Plate 33: Alessandro Algardi - S. Pietro - Monument to Leo XI - - Coat of arms of Leo XI
Plate 34: Alessandro Algardi - S. Niccolò da Tolentino - Coat of arms of Innocent X (family coat of arms)
Plate 36: Carlo Fontana - Fontana di Piazza S. Maria in Trastevere - Coat of arms of Innocent XII
Plate 37: Francesco Fontana - Cortile della Pigna - Coat of arms of Clement XI
Plate 39: Francesco Fontana - Chiesa de' SS. Apostoli - Coat of arms of Clement XI
Plate 43: Carlo Maratti - S. Pietro - Monument to Innocent XI - Coat of arms of Innocent XI
Plate 44: Martino Lunghi - Palazzo Borghese - Coat of arms of Paul V
Plate 46: Carlo Rainaldi - S. Pietro - Coat of arms of Innocent X
Plate 48: Angelo Rossi - S. Pietro - Coat of arms of Alexander VIII

Note: Plate 41: unknown author - S. Pietro - Coat of arms of Gregory XIII (lost) can be seen in a page devoted to this pope.