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Visit Rome following 8 XVIIIth century itineraries XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi The Environs of Rome: Frascati, Tivoli, Albano and other small towns near Rome A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Rome seen by a 1905 armchair traveller in the paintings by Alberto Pisa The 14 historical districts of Rome An abridged history of Rome How to spend a peaceful day in Rome Baroque sculptors and their works The coats of arms of the popes in the monuments of Rome Pages on a specific pope Pages complementing the itineraries and the views by Giuseppe Vasi Walks in the Roman countryside and in other towns of Latium following Ferdinand Gregorovius A Directory of links to the Churches of Rome A Directory of links to the Palaces and Villas of Rome A Directory of links to the Other Monuments of Rome A Directory of Baroque Architects with links to their works A Directory of links to Monuments of Ancient Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Medieval Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Renaissance A Directory of links to Monuments of the Late Renaissance A list of the most noteworthy Roman Families Directories of fountains, obelisks, museums, etc. Books and guides used for developing this web site An illustrated Glossary of Art Terms Venice and the Levant Roman recollections in Florence A list of Italian towns shown in this web site Venetian Fortresses in Greece Vienna seen by an Italian XVIIIth century traveller A list of foreign towns shown in this web site
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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 October 2009.

To the Italian visitors of my web site

S. Maria in Dominica (Book 3) (Map B3) (Day 1) (View C10) (Rione Campitelli) and (Rione Monti)

In this page:
The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
Today's view
S. Maria in Dominica
La Navicella
S. Tommaso in Formis and Arco di Dolabella
Aqua Claudia
Villa Mattei
S. Stefano Rotondo

The Plate (No. 52)

S. Maria in Dominica

This plate shows several interesting subjects belonging to different periods of the history of Rome: a pillar of a Ist century AD aqueduct (Aqua Claudia), an Early Christian church (S. Stefano Rotondo), a series of medieval buildings (Hospital of S. Tommaso in Formis) and a Renaissance church (S. Maria in Dominica).
The view is taken from the green dot in the small 1748 map below. In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) S. Stefano Rotondo; 2) Ruins of Acqua Claudia; 3) Entrance to Villa Mattei; 4) S. Maria in Dominica (or Domnica); 5) S. Tommaso in Formis; 6) Ancient inscription (Arco di Dolabella). The dotted line in the small map delineates the border between Rione Campitelli and Rione Monti (lower right quarter).

Small ViewSmall View

Today

The view today
The view in June 2009

Apart from the cars, this part of the Celio hill has retained the peaceful appearance it had in the XVIIIth century.

S. Maria in Dominica

S. Maria in Dominica
(left) Façade; (right) coat of arms of Pope Innocent VIII

The church is one of the oldest deaneries in Rome, rebuilt by Pope Paschal I in 817 (see a fine mosaic of that period). Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici erected the portico during the pontificate of Pope Innocent VIII. In 1513 the cardinal became Pope Leo X and he added his papal coat of arms and several heraldic symbols of his family in various parts of the church (the lion heads on the arches of the portico - image used as background for this page - were a symbol of the pope).

S. Maria in Dominica
Coats of arms and heraldic symbols of Pope Leo X: (above-left and centre) in the portico of the church; (above-right) on the pedestal of "la Navicella"; (below) inside the church

Three ostrich feathers, very similar to those in the emblem of the Prince of Wales, were another heraldic symbol of Pope Leo X. One of his mottoes was (jugum Christi) Semper Suave (Jesus Christ's yoke is always sweet).
You may wish to see the building as it appeared in a 1588 Guide to Rome, where the church was called S. Maria della Navicella. Dominica and Domnica are a corruption of Latin Domini which means "of the Lord".

La Navicella

La Navicella
La Navicella

Navicella=little ship is a copy made by order of Pope Leo X of a Roman marble found in the area. In 1931 the orientation of the small monument was changed; it was perpendicular to the façade of the church and it became parallel to it.

Ceiling
Details of the ceiling including the coat of arms of Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici

The theme of the little ship appears again in the beautiful late Renaissance wooden ceiling of the church, which was built by another Cardinal de' Medici in 1566. Ferdinando de' Medici, however, was not very interested in an ecclesiastical career. At the death of his brother Francesco in 1587, he became Grand Duke of Tuscany and in 1589 he married Christina of Lorraine which meant he had to give up his cardinal's hat.

S. Tommaso in Formis and Arco di Dolabella

Medieval buildings and S. Tommaso in Formis
(left) Hospital of S. Tommaso in Formis and Arco di Dolabella; (right) portal of the hospital

The XIIIth century buildings shown above were part of the hospital and of the monastery annexed to the church of S. Tommaso in Formis. The hospital belonged to the Trinitarian order which was devoted to ransoming Christian slaves. The elegant portal is a work by Jacopo di Lorenzo and his son Cosma who also designed the portico of the Cathedral of Civita Castellana. The mosaic medallion shows Jesus Christ between a white and a black slave; the inscription says the image was the symbol of the order (Signum Ordinis Sanctae Trinitatis et Captivorum). In 1379 the Trinitarians left the hospital and the monastery; in the XVIIth century they built S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and in the next century Chiesa della SS. Trinità in Via Condotti.

Medieval buildings and S. Tommaso in Formis
(left) Mosaic of the portal; (right) inscription on Arco di Dolabella

The inscription mentioned by Vasi in the plate celebrates the erection of an arch (most likely a gate of the old republican walls) by the consuls Dolabella and Silliano in 10 AD. Eventually the arch was included into the aqueduct. The street under the arch leads to SS. Giovanni e Paolo.

Medieval buildings and S. Tommaso in Formis
(left) S. Tommaso in Formis; (right) Incredulità di S. Tommaso by an anonymous XVIth century painter

The small medieval church of S. Tommaso in Formis (in formis is a corruption of in fornices which means in the archway) was modified in the XVIIth century.

Aqua Claudia

The aqueduct
Aqueduct: (left) above Arco di Dolabella; (centre) the pillar shown in the etching; (right) along Via di S. Stefano Rotondo

The gigantic pillar shown in the plate belonged to the aqueduct built by Emperor Nero to bring water to his Domus Aurea; because it was a branch of the aqueduct built by Emperor Claudius a few years before, Vasi calls it Acqua Claudia (another stretch of the aqueduct can be seen near Porta Maggiore).
St. John of Matha, the founder of the Trinitarian order lived from 1209 to his death in 1213 in two narrow rooms constructed by making use of the aqueduct pillars above Arco di Dolabella.

Villa Mattei

Villa Mattei
Portal of Villa Mattei


The current entrance to Villa Mattei is not that shown in the plate. It is the former main entrance to Villa Giustiniani and it was moved to this site in the 1920s when Villa Mattei was bought by the State and opened to the public. This entrance dates back to the early XVIIth century and it was designed by Carlo Lambardi. The Villa is also called Celimontana with reference to its location on the Celio hill (Mons Celius).

S. Stefano Rotondo

S. Stefano Rotondo
(left) Portico and coat of arms of Pope Nicholas V; (right) detail of a painting in the portico

The largest circular church in Rome was erected at the close of the Vth century by Pope Simplicius by making use of materials from previous buildings existing in the neighbourhood (most likely Macellum Magnum, a covered market built by Emperor Nero). Pope Nicholas V restored it and reduced the size of the church by leaving out the outer ring (a small part of it was turned into a portico).

S. Stefano Rotondo
(left) The three circular structures making up the building; (right) detail of a recently restored VIIth century mosaic in the chapel of SS. Primo e Feliciano

Recent excavations under the church found evidence of a Mithraeum, a temple of the monotheist religion the Christians saw as a competitor.

S. Stefano Rotondo interior by Piranesi
Interior of S. Stefano Rotondo: etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Because the church was thought to be a former monument of Ancient Rome, it attracted the interest of many Grand Tour travellers and Giovanni Battista Piranesi engraved two views of S. Stefano Rotondo which showed its exterior and interior (see above).

S. Stefano Rotondo interior
Interior

The church has always suffered from humidity problems which have damaged its frescoes: a lengthy and careful restoration of the roof and of the interior was completed in 2009.

S. Stefano paintings
Martyrdoms of S. Policarpo and S. Margherita by Marcello Leopardi

In 1583 Pope Gregory XIII commissioned a series of frescoes which portrayed the death of the Apostles and of some early martyrs. They were the first of a long series of paintings having as subject torture and death scenes.
You may wish to read what Charles Dickens thought of these paintings.
You may wish to see S. Stefano Rotondo as it appeared in a 1588 Guide to Rome.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:


Chiesa di S. Stefano Rotondo
Prese un tal nome questa chiesa dalla rotondità del tempio, da alcuni creduto di Claudio. Simplicio I. che fu del 470. lo consagrò al sommo Iddio in onore del santo Titolare, ed era superbamente ornato di marmi, e di mosaici; ma ridotto poi quasi rovinato da Niccolò V. fu ristaurato; e da Gregorio XIII. fu, unito al collegio Germanico presso s. Apollinare. Le pitture, che si vedono d'intorno, furono fatte da Niccolò Pomarancio, e da Antonio Tempesta; ma poi essendo per l'umido patite, furono tutte ritoccate. Quindi voltando a sinistra, si vede un prato, ed in mezzo una navicella fatta di marmo, ed incontro la
Chiesa di S. Maria in Domnica
Nel più alto sito del monte Celio, ove furono gli alloggiamenti de' soldati pellegrini, siede questa chiesa, detta dalli Scrittori ecclesiastici in Domnica o in Ciriaca da quella Matrona romana, che come diremo fra poco, dette sepoltura a s. Lorenzo, la quale quì aveva una casa, che fu consagrata in chiesa, e secondo alcuni, fu diaconia del santo Martire Fu rifatta da Pasquale I., e poi da Leone X. con disegno di Raffaelle da Urbino, e vi dipinsero il fregio Giulio Romano, e Pierin del Vaga, ma ora tutto è andato male: e per quella piccola nave di marmo, che sta innanzi la chiesa, si dice alla navicella. A sinistra di questa, appunto incontro alla via, che va verso il Colosseo, si vede la nobilissima porta dell'antichissima chiesa di san Tommaso in Formis. fatta di marmi, e mosaici da s. Gio: di Mata fondatore dell'Ordine del riscatto delli schiavi, nella quale egli morì, e per molto tempo vi stette il di lui corpo: ma poi essendo abbandonata da quei frati, fu ridotta in commenda, e dipoi unita al Capitolo di s. Pietro da Bonifazio IX. l'anno 1395. Si conserva però la memoria della chiesa sotto l'arco, che si trapassa, in una piccola cappella, ove il.giorno del s. Apostolo viene ad ufiziare il suddetto Capitolo. Si disse in formis per le forme, o archi dell'acquedotto dell'acqua Claudia, che rovinate vi si vedono.

Next plate in Book 3: SS. Giovanni e Paolo
Next step in Day 1 itinerary: SS. Giovanni e Paolo
Next step in your tour of Rione Monti: Spedale di S. Giovanni in Laterano
Next step in your tour of Rione Campitelli: Porta Latina