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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore. Page revised in June 2009.

DON'T LET ME DOWN!

S. Marco (Book 6) (Day 3) (View C7) (Rione Pigna)

In this page:
The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
Today's view
S. Marco
Palazzetto Venezia
Coat of arms of Pope Paul II

The Plate (No. 115)

The Church of S. Marco

The plate is dedicated to the church of S. Marco and to the adjoining palaces, which all were built or renovated at the initiative of Pope Paul II; it also shows (far right) the tip of Colonna Trajana. 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) Palazzetto Venezia; 2) Arch linking Palazzetto Venezia with Palazzo Campidoglio; 3) SS. Nome di Maria; 4) Madama Lucrezia. 2) and 3) are shown in detail in other pages. The dotted line in the small map delineates the borders of four rioni: Pigna (upper left corner), Campitelli (lower left corner), Trevi (upper right corner) and Monti (lower right corner).

Small ViewSmall Map

Today

The View today
The view in June 2009

In 1910-11 Palazzetto Venezia was pulled down to enlarge Piazza Venezia and to allow the view of the Monument to Victor Emmanuel. In 1930-32 the buildings opposite the church were pulled down: these included the house of Pietro da Cortona, mentioned by Vasi in his guide to Rome. The loggia of the church was brought back to its original design by pulling down the added walls which obscured it.

The Church

The Church
(left) St. Mark, relief by Isaia da Pisa; (right) coat of arms of Pope Paul II

This very old church was adorned with a fine Renaissance loggia at the expense of Cardinal Pietro Barbo, who became Pope Paul II. His coats of arms, both as a cardinal and as a pope, are placed in many parts of the building and his heraldic symbol (a lion) is also a main motif of the decoration. The pope was Venetian and this explains his devotion for St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice. The loggia was used by Pope Paul II for blessing the crowd, because he continued to reside in his palace after having been elected pope (you may wish to see it in a 1588 Guide to Rome). S. Marco was the national church of the Venetian community in Rome (click here for a list of national churches in Rome). This explains why so many Venetian cardinals were buried in S. Marco.

Monuments to Venetian Cardinals
(left) Monument to Cardinal Marcantonio Bragadin by Lazzaro Morelli; (right) monument to Cardinal Cristoforo Vidman by Cosimo Fancelli

The interior has some very interesting baroque monuments: that to Cardinal Marcantonio Bragadin shows the influence of Bernini's Monument to Maria Raggi; Cardinal Bragadin had the same name as his uncle who commanded the garrison in Famagusta, the last Venetian stronghold in Cyprus, which fell in 1571 to the Turks (Marcantonio Bragadin was flayed alive). The monument to Cardinal Cristoforo Vidman is one of the many monuments showing the dead in the act of praying.

Palazzetto Venezia

Palazzetto Venezia
Palazzetto Venezia

Palazzetto Venezia was rebuilt to the left of the church, opposite to the previous position. The building was known for its viridarium, a garden with a fountain where the pope enjoyed walking, a practice he shared with the Roman emperors who did this in their palaces on the Palatine (the garden can be seen in the small map at the beginning of the page).

Madama Lucrezia
(left) Madama Lucrezia; (right) modern fountain of Pigna

Still at the same location is the statue of Madama Lucrezia, the mutilated marble bust of a colossal statue of Isis, which was in nearby Iseo Campense. With Pasquino and Marforio it was one of the talking statues of Rome (click here to learn more about Madama Lucrezia and the Talking Statues of Rome).

The Coats of arms of Paulus II

The Coat of Arms of Paul II
Palazzetto Venezia: coats of arms of Pope Paul II

One of the coats of arms of the pope is a very fine work which anticipates that of Pope Sixtus IV in the Sistine Chapel.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:


Arco del palazzo di Venezia
Al palazzo della serenissima Repubblica di Venezia appoggia quest'arco, e passa sopra la strada de' tre Re verso la petacchia. Fu eretto per comodo de' sommi Pontefici, quando abitavano in quel palazzo, acciò in tempo di bisogno potessero tragittare sul Campidoglio, allora munito colla gran torre, che ancora si vede nel convento de' frati Osservanti. Dopo l'arco si slarga la gran piazza, che prende il nome dalla
Chiesa di s. Marco
Antichissima è la chiesa, che vediamo unita al detto palazzo della serenissima Repubblica di Venezia, mentre si dice, che in essa fu ordinato prete s. Marco, il quale poi in tempo di Costantino Magno fu Papa, e perciò avendola egli riedificata, a lui fu dipoi dedicata, e all'Evangelista ancora. Dopo varie ristaurazioni fatte da' Sommi Pontefici, e da' Cardinali Titolari, Paolo II. vi aggiunse, come dicemmo altrove, il magnifico palazzo, e finalmente il Card. Angelo Quirini Veneziano l'ha ornata tutta di marmi, specialmente l'altare maggiore, ove si conserva il corpo del santo Pontefice Titolare con quel di s. Abdon, e di s. Senna martiri Persiani, e reliquie del santo Evangelista. Sono in quella chiesa delle pitture somma considerazione. Quelle a fresco nella nave di mezzo sono parte di Franc. Mola, di Francesco Allegrini, e parte di Gio: Angelo Canini;. le battaglie però sono del P. Cosimo Gesuita. Il quadro del primo altare è del Palma; il secondo di Luigi Gentile, il terzo di Carlo Maratti, ed il quarto del Cav. Gagliardi. Il s. Marco nella cappella del Santissimo è di Pietro Perugino, e le altre pitture sono del Borgognone, il quale fece i laterali nella tribuna; il s. Evangelista però, che sta in mezzo è del Romanelli, li due altari dopo la sagrestia furono coloriti dal Mola, il terzo quadro è di Ciro Ferri; ed il s. Marco nell'ultima del suddetto Perugino; le pitture laterali sono del Maratti, e le sculture ne' depositi sono del Raggi, del Fancelli e del Carcani.


Next plate in Book 6: SS. Venanzio e Ansovino
Next step in Day 3 itinerary: Macel de' Corvi
Last step in tour of Rione Pigna: S. Lucia dei Ginnasi