The net of small houses surrounding S. Niccolò in Carcere was pulled down in the 1930s: the church and the nearby Palazzo Orsini/Teatro di Marcello were freed of many later additions. The medieval bell tower was reconstructed on the basis of old documents and the façade of the church was restricted to its central section to show the columns of an ancient temple.

S. Niccolò in Carcere

The original church is thought to have been built in the VIIth century when Rome was part of the Byzantine Empire; this would explain its dedication to St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, one of the most important Greek saints. The church was rebuilt in the XIth century.
The reference to a prison (in carcere) is probably linked to a Byzantine jail which existed in the vicinity.
In 1599 Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, nephew of Pope Clement VIII, restored the church; the new façade was designed by Giacomo Della Porta; you may wish to see how it appeared in a 1588 Guide to Rome. The many stars which decorate the façade are a heraldic symbol of the Aldobrandini.

(left) Travertine columns of the left temple; (right) peperino columns of the right temple; in the background S. Gregorio ai Quattro Capi

The church structure makes use of the columns of three different Roman temples. They were built in the IIIrd/IInd centuries BC and they were all restored at the time of Emperor Augustus: elements of the central temple can be seen in the nave of the church and by visiting an underground crypt; six travertine columns of the left temple can be seen on one side of the church, while a row of seven peperino columns and two isolated columns belonging to the right temple can be seen between the church and Teatro di Marcello (you may wish to see a page on the Stones of Rome). The temples were dedicated to Spes (Fortune), Juno and Janus.

S. Maria della Consolazione

(left) Façade; (right) sacred image by Nicola Berrettoni on the apse of the church; the inscription says: Consolatrix afflictorum anno salutis MDCLVIII (1658); it was painted to celebrate the end of the 1656-57 plague.

This church is associated with an image of the Virgin Mary; it was painted to comply with a will of a prisoner who was hanged in 1385 at Rupe Tarpea which stands to the left of the church; the image was placed on a wall facing the execution site; almost a century later an innocent man who was being hanged in the same spot was supported by an invisible hand. A small chapel was built to house the miraculous image which became known as Madonna della Consolazione; in 1600 a church designed by Martino Longhi replaced the chapel.
The guilds which had their offices in nearby Campidoglio (see section at the end of this page) contributed to financing the construction of the church and in return they were assigned some of its chapels. The upper part of the façade was completed in 1827. Originally S. Maria della Consolazione stood on just three steps, but because the level of the square was lowered in the 1930s, sixteen steps are now required to reach its entrance.

Ospedale della Consolazione

(left) Reliefs on two entrances; (right) well in the courtyard

Ospedale della Consolazione was founded at the beginning of the XVIth century by uniting three small existing hospitals. It was modified and enlarged several times, but it gradually lost importance and in 1936 it was closed. In the 1930/40s several buildings on the slopes and at the foot of Campidoglio were pulled down to isolate the hill: this led to the partial loss of the hospital buildings, but its most ancient part with two nice Renaissance portals was spared (although it is now used for other purposes). The coat of arms with three crosses is a reference to the original hospitals.

S. Omobono

(left) Façade; (centre) detail of the façade; (right) inscription opposite the church
Originally the church was used as a chapel by one of the three hospitals which were merged into Ospedale della Consolazione and it was called S. Salvatore in Portico; in 1575 it was acquired by the guild of the tailors; it was almost entirely rebuilt and it was dedicated to S. Omobono, a XIIth century merchant from Cremona who donated his properties to the poor and who worked as a tailor to comply with Clothe the naked, the third Act of Mercy according to the Roman Catholic Church. Click here for a list of churches belonging to a guild.
A small Roman stela opposite the church is interesting for its two inscriptions: in the upper part two Roman consuls state that the area is public property; in the lower part Pope Paul IV in 1556 celebrates himself as preserver of Roman heritage.

Excavated area behind S. Omobono
The area around the small church was widely excavated in the 1960s and many interesting remains were found; they date back to the very early days of Rome. Today's level of the ground is higher than that at the time of Ancient Rome, but it is lower than that at Vasi's time (which explains the stairs which now lead to S. Omobono). The area is very near the river and it was easily flooded.

Offices of the Guilds

(left) Piazza del Campidoglio from Loggia di Papa Giulio III; (centre/right) inscriptions and reliefs making refererence to masons (murator.), tailors and perfume makers (aromatarior.)

Everybody knows the grand entrance to Piazza del Campidoglio, designed by Michelangelo. Not many are aware that during working hours the piazza can be reached from S. Niccolò in Carcere going up through a park on the southern side of the hill. One reaches a Renaissance loggia identical to and facing that of Convento di S. Maria in Aracoeli; the buildings on both sides of the steps leading down to the piazza housed the offices of the Roman guilds, which were decorated with inscriptions and reliefs.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:

Chiesa di s. Niccolò in Carcere Molto antica, e celebre è questa chiesa dedicata, secondo alcuni, al s. Vescovo di Mira, secondo altri, al Pontefice s. Niccolò I. e fu detta in carcere, per lo carcere, che quivi era stato, non già il Tulliano, come erroneamente si dice; ma quello della plebe eretto da Appio Claudio, e perchè era nimico della plebe, lo chiamò Casa della Plebe; egli però fu il primo, che per aver forzata Virginia vi morì uccidendo se stesso; e però carcere di supplicio lo dice Livio; onde in questo si crede, che sia stato il celebre vecchio condannato a morir d'inedia, e che dalla figliuola veniva industriosamente, fingendo di andare a trovarlo, nutrito ogni giorno col latte delle proprie mammelle: per il qual atto di pietà filiale fu quivi presso eretto un tempio da C. Quinzio, e M. Attilio Consoli, e vi fu posta una statua dorata, la quale fu la prima, che si vedesse di quel metallo in Roma; ma poi fu demolito da Augusto per la fabbrica del divisato teatro. Questa chiesa conserva la sua antichità, ed è ornata di colonne striate, e tabernacolo di marmo, sotto di cui sono de' corpi di santi Martiri. Fu altresì detta la chiesa di Pier Leone poichè quì presso ebbe quella nobilissima famiglia la sua casa, e però in essa è il suo sepolcro. Quindi camminando poco più oltre, e voltando a sinistra, si vede la Chiesa di s. Omobono Anticamente dicevasi questa piccola chiesa s. Salvatore in Portico, forse per il vicino portico di Ottavia, come diremo nel ritorno. L'anno 1573. l'ottennero i Sartori, i quali la riedificarono, e vi mantengono il culto divino. Dopo pochi passi si vede la Chiesa di s. Maria della Consolazione Era quivi nella strada pubblica un'immagine della ss. Vergine, e compiacendosi Iddio circa l'anno 1470. di dispensare delle grazie, e miracoli ai fedeli, che ricorrevano con devozione a quella s. Immagine, le fu edificata la chiesa sotto il titolo della Consolazione: e sempre più crescendo le offerte, dopo aver provveduto di tutto il bisognevole alla chiesa, ne furono eretti due spedali, uno per gli uomini, e l'altro per le donne, ora destinati per li soli feriti, e ferite. Con disegno di Martin Lunghi il vecchio fu poi fatta di nuovo la chiesa, ed adornata di nobili cappelle con marmi, e pitture, notandosi, che nella prima a destra evvi la prima opera fatta a fresco da Taddeo Zuccheri. Altra antica immagine della ss. Vergine si custodisce in una cappella, che sta appresso lo spedale degli uomini, detta delle Grazie, e che prima stava presso del Laterano.

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