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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.
To the Italian visitors of my web site

Chiesa e Monastero delle Vergini (Book 8) (Day 3) (View C7) (Rione Trevi)

In this page:
 The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
 Today's view
 Chiesa delle Vergini
 The North American College
 Chiesa dell' Assunzione di Maria or S. Maria dell'Umiltà
 Palazzo della Dataria and Palazzo della Panetteria

The Plate (No. 144)

Chiesa e Monastero delle Vergini

Vasi shows the street leading from Via del Corso to the Papal Palace on the Quirinale (Monte Cavallo). The area was redesigned at the time of Pope Paul V. The view is taken from the green dot in the 1748 map below. In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) Street leading to Monte Cavallo; 2) Chiesa dell'Assunzione di Maria; 3) Monastero dell'Umiltà. The map shows also 4) Chiesa delle Vergini; 5) Palazzo della Dataria; 6) Palazzo della Panetteria.

Small ViewSmall View

Today

The view today
(left) The view in June 2009; (right) portal of S. Rita

Today the main access to Piazza del Quirinale is from Via Nazionale and this has helped in retaining the old aspect of this part of Rione Trevi. In his etching Vasi showed a frontal view of the church and of the adjoining nunnery, but to do this he ignored the fact that these buildings were located in a rather narrow street. In 1871 the nunnery was confiscated by the Italian government and radically modified: in 1904 the church was assigned to a brotherhood devoted to S. Rita and its name was changed.

Chiesa delle Vergini

Inside the church
Chiesa delle Vergini: (left) bell tower; (right) detail of the interior

The nunnery and the church were built in 1632-34, but the façade of the church was designed by Mattia de' Rossi later on and completed in 1696. Heads of nuns appear as decorative motif in the portal and in the interior of the church. The nuns belonged to the Augustinian order and were secluded nuns.

The North American College

The North American College
(left) North American College: (left) portal; (right-above) inscriptions on the portal; (right-below) inscription above the inner portal

Monastero dell'Umiltà was a Dominican nunnery which was transformed during the pontificate of Pope Pius IX into the North American Pontifical College. By reading the inscription one can learn the Latin translation of USA. In the vestibule there is a modern coat of arms with elements taken from those of Pope Pius IX and Pope Pius XII and a reference to the thirteen founding states which are represented by stars: the motto reads Firmum est cor meum (steadfast is my heart) (Pss. 57:8; 108:2). Today there is also a large and modern North American Pontifical College inside the Vatican City (see their website).

Chiesa dell' Assunzione di Maria today Chiesa dell'Umiltà

Chiesa dell'Assunzione di Maria
(left) Detail of the etching; (centre) Chiesa dell'Umiltà; (right) bell tower seen from Via di Monticello

The nunnery had a church with a very interesting baroque façade by Carlo Fontana which lost a lot when it was modified in the XIXth century; the interior of the church is very lavishly decorated, because the nunnery could rely on the income of the properties bequeathed by its founder, Francesca Baglioni Orsini; notwithstanding the dedication to Humility, all the nuns came from noble families and this contributed to the wealth of the institution.

Chiesa dell'Assunzione di Maria (detail)
Relief by Vincenzo Felici, son-in-law of Domenico Guidi

Palazzo della Dataria

Palazzo della Dataria
(left) Via and Palazzo della Dataria; (centre) coat of arms of Pope Clement XIII; (right) Palazzo della Panetteria


Palazzo della Dataria (chancery) was built by Pope Paul V to provide the Palace on the Quirinale with additional space where administrative activities could be performed when the Pope was there. Several popes restored and enlarged it and what we see today is mainly a XIXth century palace.
Palazzo della Panetteria (bakery) is another building near Palazzo del Quirinale. The entrance has an imposing coat of arms of Pope Clement XIII Rezzonico.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:


Chiesa e Monastero di s. Maria delle Vergini
Le suore Agostiniane sin dall'anno 1613. possiedono quella piccola chiesa insieme col monastero, ed avendola poi nell'anno 1627. riedificata, la dedicarono alla Regina de' Vergini. È ornata di marmi, stucchi dorati, sculture, e pitture diverse. Il quadro sull'altare maggiore è del Giminiani, e quello di s. Maria Maddalena è opera del Mercati, le due statue nelle nicchie sono di Filippo Carcani, e li bassirilievi di Francesco Cavallini.
Chiesa e Monastero di s. Maria dell'Umiltà
Le religiose Domenicane abitano questo monastero, e ufiziano la chiesa, la quale è ornata di marmi, stucchi dorati, sculture, epitture diverse. Il bassorilievo, che si vede sulla porta, è opera di Vincenzo Felici allievo del Guidi, e le statue, che sono in chiesa, di Antonio Raggi. Le pitture della cappella a destra sono della scuola dell'Allegrini, ed il quadro dell'altare maggiore si crede esser del Nappi; il s. Michele, dell'Allegrini, e le sculture nell'ultima cappella sono del Cavallini.
Dataria Apostolica
Urbano VIII. avendo renduta agevole questa strada vi eresse l'abitazione pel Datario Apostolico con gli altri ufizj de' registri di tutte le spedizioni de' benefizj, e dignità Ecclesiastiche, con le abitazioni di alcuni ministri, ed ufiziali.

Next plate in Book 8: Monastero di S. Cecilia
Next step in Day 3 itinerary: Palazzo Odescalchi
Next step in your tour of Rione Trevi: Palazzo del Quirinale