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S. Niccolò de' Perfetti (Book 6) (Day 4) (View C6) (Rione Campo Marzio) In this page:
Several churches of Rome were dedicated to St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra in the IVth century; they were distinguished by the addition of a reference to their location (in Arcione, in Carcere) or to their owners (dei Lorenesi, dei Cesarini); this small parish church in Campo Marzio was named after some houses which belonged to the Prefetti family; this medieval family is better known as Vico or di Vico; they had their power basis north of Rome, on the slopes of Monte Cimino, where a small lake is called Lago di Vico. In the XIIth century the Vico managed to be nominated Praefectus Urbi on a hereditary basis; at that time this position controlled the trade of basic commodities and bread-making and it was very lucrative. In the government system of Ancient Rome praefecti ("makers in front/on behalf") were magistrates and officers whose power came from an act of delegation; during the Republic they had minor importance because the holders of all the main positions were elected; Emperor Augustus gave large powers to Praefectus Urbi; the authority of this position was expanded by his successors and when the emperors stopped to reside in Rome the Praefectus Urbi became the de facto Governor of Rome. The view is taken from the green dot in the small 1748 map here below. In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) Palazzo Pallavicini; 2) S. Niccolò; 3) Palazzo Medici; 4) Street leading to the church of SS. Biagio e Cecilia (today called Madonna del Divino Amore); 5) Palazzo Conobili.
Most of the buildings have maintained their XVIIIth century appearance; the fresco over the portal of the church has been lost and a storey has been added to Palazzo Medici. Via dei Prefetti is at the edge of the main shopping district of Rome which is centred in Via dei Condotti.
The earliest records about the church go back to the VIIIth century when Rome was still a province of the Byzantine Empire and many churches were dedicated to Greek saints. The current church is mainly the result of a series of modifications made in the XVIIth (façade) and XVIIIth (interior) centuries; the small circular relief shows Pope Pius V.
Today a reference to Palazzo Pallavicini would most likely thought to mean Palazzo Pallavicini Rospigliosi, because the building shown in this plate is generally called Palazzo dei Piceni (not to be confused with a palace by the same name in Parione). The Pallavicini already owned the palace in 1551 and they probably modified it before 1645 when Gerolama Pallavicini bequeathed it to Confraternita della S. Casa di Loreto. This is the town where according to tradition the angels brought the house at Nazareth in which Mary received the annunciation. The inhabitants of the region surrounding Loreto are today called Marchigiani after Marche, the official name of the region; Picenum is an ancient name of the southern part of the region.
Palazzo Medici or di Fiorenza was the residence of the ambassador of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The area where it was built initially belonged to the Cardelli who lived nearby; the property was bought in 1550 by Pope Julius III for his brother Balduino; the existing buildings were modified by Bartolomeo Ammannati who separated the frontal part of the palace from the garden by designing a courtyard decorated by an elegant inner façade.
At the death of the pope the palace was confiscated by Pope Paul IV on the grounds that it had been acquired and modified by using public money. The following pope (Pope Pius IV) was on friendly terms with Cosimo the then Duke of Florence; the Ciocchi Del Monte, the heirs of Pope Julius III, who were of Tuscan origin, appealed to him to obtain the restitution of their confiscated properties: Cosimo brokered an agreement with Pope Pius IV and in recognition of his services he obtained this palace, which was since called Palazzo Medici or di Fiorenza.
Several cardinals of the Medici family resided in the palace; among them Ferdinando, a son of Cosimo who in 1587 became Grand Duke of Tuscany and who finely decorated his studiolo (small apartment).
The church goes back to the XIIth century but it was rebuilt in 1731 (design by Filippo Raguzzini) with the exception of the bell tower.
The church was dedicated to St. Cecilia, because according to tradition it had been erected on Cecilia's father's house.
In the XVIth century it was given to the guild of the mattress-makers and the name of their patron saint (S. Biagio) was added (click here for a list of the churches belonging to a guild).
In the XIXth century the guild was abolished and the church was assigned to another brotherhood.
Next plate in Book 6: S. Ivo dei Brittoni Next step in Day 4 itinerary: Obelisco di Augusto nel Campo Marzio Next step in your tour of Rione Campo Marzio: S. Ivo de' Brittoni |
