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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 September 2009.

To the Italian visitors of my web site

Chiesa di S. Silvestro (Book 7) (Map B3) (Day 3)  (View B7) (Rione Trevi) and (Rione Monti)

In this page:
The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
Today's view
S. Silvestro al Quirinale
S. Agata dei Goti
S. Bernardino ai Monti
S. Maria del Carmelo

The Plate (No. 134 - ii)

Chiesa di S. Silvestro

The importance of a street in XVIIIth century Rome can be guessed by the number of passers-by and carriages which Vasi showed in his plates. Piazza di Monte Cavallo is located at the right end of this plate, yet few people used this street to reach Palazzo del Quirinale, the papal residence, which was located there. This situation was due to the fact that the southern section of the Quirinale hill was almost isolated from the lower parts of the city; the access to Palazzo del Quirinale was easier from the northern side via Strada Pia or from the western one through Via della Dataria.
In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) S. Silvestro; 2) Street leading to Monte Cavallo. The small map shows also 3) S. Agata dei Goti; 4) S. Bernardino ai Monti; 5) S. Maria del Carmelo alle Tre Cannelle. The dotted line in the small map delineates the border between Rione Trevi (left) and Rione Monti (right).

Small ViewSmall View

Today

The view today
(left) The view in August 2009 from Villa Aldobrandini; (centre) S. Silvestro: bell tower; (right) S. Silvestro: dome of Cappella Bandini

In 1876 in order to enlarge and smooth the access to Palazzo del Quirinale, Via di Monte Cavallo was significantly lowered and S. Silvestro was in part demolished. The view of the church is in part hidden by modern buildings.

S. Silvestro al Quirinale

S. Silvestro al Quirinale
(left) XIXth century front of the building resembling the original façade; (right) façade of "coemeterium" (oratory for funerary ceremonies)

Today the church is at some thirty feet above the street level; the entrance is from a door to the left of the mock façade: two flights of steps lead to the church, which in addition to the original façade lost its first chapels. This small church became important when a conclave was held in Palazzo del Quirinale: from this church the cardinals went in procession to the palace where they secluded themselves until the new pope was elected. The last of such processions was held in 1846 for the conclave which elected Pope Pius IX.
S. Silvestro is a church of medieval origin, but it was almost entirely rebuilt in the XVIth century; towards the end of that century a large domed chapel was added by Cardinal Ottavio Bandini. The adjoining monastery had an extensive kitchen garden which bordered on Giardino Colonnese.
You may wish to see S. Silvestro in a 1588 Guide to Rome.

S. Agata dei Goti

S. Agata dei Goti
(left) Outer façade; (right) detail of the façade: relief by Francesco Ferrari portraying the saint carrying her excised breast (more on martyrs' sufferings and deaths)


The church was most likely founded in the Vth century by Ricimer, a Goth general who was the actual ruler of Rome and Italy. The Goths were evangelized in the IVth century, mainly through the action of Ulfilas, a bishop who adhered to the Arian doctrines, which at that time were supported by Emperor Constantius II. S. Agata was built to become the see of the Arian bishop of Rome and it was used for this purpose until 592 when Pope Gregory the Great was successful in converting the Goths to the Nicene Creed (i.e. the doctrines which condemned Arianism).
The current façade of S. Agata dei Goti was built in 1726 by Francesco Ferrari and it is slightly concave.

S. Agata dei Goti
(left) Atrium leading to the church; (right) well with the heraldic symbol of Pope Leo X (it is barely visible and it shows two feathers in a ring: it can be seen also in Palazzo Medici Lante)

The atrium which precedes the church was designed in the XVIIth century and it replaced a medieval porch; the well at its centre belongs to the early XVIth century when the aqueduct of Acqua Felice had not yet provided this quarter with an ample supply of water.

S. Bernardino ai Monti

S. Bernardino ai Monti
(left) The church and Via Panisperna leading to S. Maria Maggiore; (right) detail of "The Glory of the Franciscan Order", fresco by Bernardino Gagliardi

S. Bernardino da Siena is located very close to S. Agata at the starting point of Via Panisperna, a long and straight street leading to S. Lorenzo a Panisperna and to S. Maria Maggiore.
The church was built in 1625 almost at the same time as SS. Domenico e Sisto and S. Caterina a Magnanapoli which are located in the same area, but because this church belonged to Franciscan nuns it has a very simple façade, whereas the others are lavishly decorated.
The interior is rather bare with the exception of the ceiling fresco. The image used as background for this page shows a detail of it (an angel placing his sword back in the sheath).

S. Maria del Carmelo

S. Maria del Carmelo
(left) Façade; (right) detail of the façade

S. Maria del Carmelo is quite close to Piazza Venezia which is considered the central point of Rome, but few people know it because it is hidden by modern buildings. Similar to S. Bernardino this church was also built in the early XVIIth century, but it was not completed until 1750 when Michelangelo Specchi designed its façade.
The church was founded by Confraternita del Carmine; the members of this brotherhood every year take part to la Festa de Noantri.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:


Chiesa di s. Silvestro a Monte Cavallo
Era questa chiesa antica parrocchia, ma essendo poi dal Pontefice Paolo IV. l'an. 1555. conceduta ai chierici regolari chiamati Teatini, quelli coll'ajuto de' benefattori la rinnovarono, e adornarono con marmi, e pitture diverse. Quelle della prima cappella dedicata a s. Silvestro Papa, sono di Avanzino Nucchi; quelle nella seconda, di Giacomo Palma Veneziano; il quadro, che fa ornamento all'immagine della ss. Vergine nella cappella, che siegue, è di Giacinto Geminiani, e le pitture a fresco di Cesare Nebbia. Il san Gaetano nella crociata è di Antonio da Messina allievo del Domenichino. I due quadri, che si vedono a lato dell'altare maggiore furono coloriti da fra Bartolommeo da Savigliano Domenicano; ma il s. Pietro, perchè lasciollo imperfetto, fu terminato da Raffaelle da Urbino. Le pitture della prima volta sono di Gio: Alberti, fuor degli Angioli, che reggono le armi fuori dell'arco, i quali sono di Cherubino Alberti, e le altre pitture nella volta del coro sono del P. Zoccolino Teatino; le figure però sono di Giuseppe Agellio da Sorrento. Il quadro dell'Assunta nell'altra cappella della crociata è opera di Scipione Gaetani fatta sopra lavagna; li quattro tondi negli angoli della cupola sono del Domenichino, e le statue di s. Giovanni, e di s. Maria Maddalena sono dell'Algardi. La natività del Signore nella cappella, che siegue è di Marcello Venusti, e le pitture a fresco di Raffaello da Reggio; il s. Domenico, e s. Caterina da Siena colla ss. Vergine nell'altra cappella sono di Mariotto Albertinelli; l'istoria però di santa Maria Maddalena, e le pitture nella volta sono del Cav. d'Arpino, e li paesi sono di Polidoro, e di Maturino da Caravaggio. Le pitture nell'ultima cappella sono del Novari, e quelle sulla porta maggiore sono del padre Caselli, fuorchè gli Angioli di sotto, fatti dal P. Filippo Galletti entrambi Teatini.
Chiesa di s. Agata de' Goti
Molto antica e celebre è questa chiesa, fin da' tempi di s. Gregorio Magno. Ora sta in cura de' monaci di Monte Vergine, e fu rinnovata dal Card. Barberini. Le pitture nella tribuna, e nella nave di mezzo sono di Paolo Perugino; li due Santi coll'immagine della ss. Vergine sono di Alessandro Francesi Napoletano.
Incontro a questa, è quella di s. Bernardino col monastero delle suore Francescane. La cupoletta della chiesa fu dipinta da Bernardino Gagliardi; il quadro del primo altare dal Cav. Baglioni, e le altre pitture sono di Clemente Majoli; la s. Elena però è di Gio. Vecchi.

Next plate in Book 7: Chiesa del Gesù
Next step in Day 3 itinerary: Chiesa dei SS. Domenico e Sisto
Next step in your tour of Rione Trevi: Giardino Colonnese
Next step in your tour of Rione Monti: Palazzo Rospigliosi