Chiesa di S. Andrea della Valle

   Chiesa di S. Andrea della Valle
  (Vasi at work in the Grand View of Rome)

Links to this page can be found in Book 7, Map C3, Day 4 and Day 5, View C7 and Rione Sant'Eustachio.

The page covers:
The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
Today's view
S. Andrea della Valle (and Abate Luigi)
Fontana di Borgo
Palazzo Valle
Palazzo Caffarelli Vidoni
SS. Sudario de' Savojardi
S. Giuliano dei Fiamminghi
S. Maria in Monterone

The Plate (No. 134)

This 1756 etching by Giuseppe Vasi shows a section of Strada Papale, actually a series of streets from Ponte S. Angelo to il Ges� which were crossed by the solemn procession which accompanied the newly-elected pope from S. Pietro to S. Giovanni in Laterano. The street was rather narrow and notwithstanding a small square in front of the church, it did not allow a view of the tall fa�ade of S. Andrea della Valle as that drawn by Vasi.
The view is taken from the green dot in the 1748 map below. In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) Papal Street; 2) Palazzo della Truglia; 3) Palazzo del Generale Manfroni; 4) Vicolo de' Sediari (chair-makers), a very narrow street leading to Archiginnasio della Sapienza. The small map shows also: 5) S. Andrea della Valle; 6) Palazzo Valle; 7) S. Maria in Monterone; 8) S. Elisabetta dei Fornari; 9) SS. Sudario de' Savojardi; 10) S. Giuliano de' Fiamminghi; 11) Palazzo Caffarelli Vidoni. The dotted line in the small map delineates the border between Rione Parione (left) and Rione Sant'Eustachio (right).
In the plate covering Palazzo Massimi alle Colonne Vasi showed in more detail Palazzo del Generale (Ludovico) Manfroni, a Renaissance building which is best known as Palazzo di Girolamo Pichi, its founder.

Today

The view in June 2011

In the late XIXth century this section of Strada Papale was enlarged by pulling down the buildings which were not regarded as having a significant historical or artistic value and it was renamed Corso Vittorio Emanuele II; Palazzo Trulli (or della Truglia) was demolished and replaced by a building which was aligned with the fa�ade of S. Andrea della Valle and situated at a greater distance from the church; also the small church of S. Elisabetta dei Fornari which adjoined Palazzo Trulli was pulled down; it belonged to the brotherhood of the German bakers and it was one of many churches belonging to a guild.

The fa�ade seen from Corso Rinascimento in June 2009

In 1936-1938 a new large street (Corso Rinascimento) replaced Vicolo dei Sediari; this street brought an additional wave of traffic right to the front of the church, but it also allowed a better view of the fa�ade designed by Carlo Rainaldi in 1655-1665. Vasi showed in his plate statues also in the two upper niches, which now are empty and he also showed two angels at the sides of the upper part of the fa�ade, while today there is only one of them. It is possible that at Vasi's time the decoration of the fa�ade was completed with ephemeral cardboard or plaster statues.

S. Andrea della Valle

(left) The dome seen from Area Sacra di Largo Argentina (the image used as background for this page shows it from another viewpoint); (right) the upper part of the dome with details showing three mountains with a star and a lion between pears, heraldic symbols of Cardinal Alessandro Peretti, nephew of Pope Sixtus V (similar symbols can be seen on the dome of S. Pietro)

The Theatines belonged to a religious order founded in the XVIth century with the aim of restoring respect and admiration for the Roman Catholic Church by adopting an austere lifestyle and by fighting the teachings of Martin Luther. Pietro Carafa, Bishop of Chieti (Lat. Teate), one of the founding members of the order, was elected Pope Paul IV in 1555.
In 1582 the order was bequeathed a palace which included a small church by Costanza Piccolomini d'Aragona, Duchess of Amalfi, with the obligation of building a large church dedicated to St. Andrew, the patron saint of Amalfi; in 1591 the first stone of the new church was laid; in 1608 Cardinal Alessandro Peretti commissioned Carlo Maderno the completion of the church with the erection of the second largest dome of Rome.

Fa�ade: (left) Coat of arms of Cardinal Francesco Peretti between Hope and Strength by Giacomo Antonio Fancelli; (right) coat of arms of Pope Alexander VII

The dome was completed in 1622; Maderno designed a fa�ade similar to that of S. Susanna, but his project was not entirely followed by Carlo Rainaldi who completed the church at the request of Francesco, another Cardinal Peretti, during the pontificate of Pope Alexander VII.
The church is called della Valle because it is located near Palazzo Valle and to distinguish it from other historical churches of Rome dedicated to St. Andrew, e.g. S. Andrea delle Fratte and S. Andrea al Quirinale.

(left) Angel by Ercole Ferrata on the left side of the fa�ade (the nearby six mountains with a star are one of the heraldic symbols of Pope Alexander VII); (right) Abate Luigi, one of the Talking Statues of Rome

Rainaldi decided to replace the volutes designed by Maderno to link the lower section of the fa�ade to the upper one with two statues of angels; when the first statue was placed on the fa�ade it was so criticized that Ercole Ferrata, its sculptor, refused to work on the other one.
An ancient statue known as Abate Luigi stands in the street to the left of the church; it is made up of the body of a statue portraying a senator or an emperor and of the too small head of another statue; together with Pasquino (which is not far away), Madama Lucrezia, il Babuino, il Facchino and Marforio, Abate Luigi voiced the views of the Romans on the papal government.

(left) Interior with paintings by Mattia Preti in the apse (see his later works at Valletta); (right) dome painted by Giovanni Lanfranco with pendentives by il Domenichino who painted also the ceiling of the apse (see his pendentives at S. Carlo ai Catinari

This Church is a very Noble one, and very Light; the Grand Cupola of Lanfranco and the Tribunal, or Mezzo Cupola of Dominichino with the Angels, and Ornaments, appear at one View as one enters the Church; and being very Bright, and Gaily Painted, strike the Eye, and give a vast Pleasure from the mere Beauty of the Colours.
Jonathan and Jonathan Richardson - Account of Some of the Statues, etc. in Italy - 1722
The interior is not divided into naves. This layout suited the delivering of homilies by leading members of the order from a high pulpit. The Theatines were known for being proficient preachers. The homilies were accompanied by music and on special occasions by short theatrical pieces, especially during Lent.

Cappella Strozzi which was decorated with 1616 bronze copies of statues (Piet� and two statues from the Monument to Pope Julius II) by Michelangelo

The Strozzi were a family of Florentine bankers. The Roman branch of the family acquired a chapel at S. Andrea della Valle in the early stages of the construction of the church, which was near their palace. It was designed in a very Renaissance style to the point that some art historians suggested it was based on a project by Michelangelo.
Apart from Cappella Strozzi the decoration of the church is very much in line with the prevailing style of the XVIIth century. In other pages you can see Cappella Rucellai, a monument by Domenico Guidi, a marble altarpiece by Antonio Raggi and a funerary monument also by Antonio Raggi. The church houses the Monuments to Pope Pius II and Pope Pius III from S. Pietro Vecchio.
The first act of Tosca, a popular opera by Giacomo Puccini, is set in a chapel of the church (the second act takes place at Palazzo Farnese and the third one at Castel Sant'Angelo).

Theatinerkirche in Munich: (left) dome; (right) interior

The design of S. Andrea della Valle had an influence on that of other churches of the Theatine Order. That at Munich was built in 1663-1690 and, similar to S. Andrea, it is characterized by a dome and a single large nave. It was designed by Agostino Barelli who was also involved in the construction of Schloss Nymphenburg, a countryside palace of the Bavarian Electors.

Fontana di Borgo

(left) The fountain; (right) detail showing a dragon, one of the heraldic symbols of Pope Paul V

In 1958 a fountain which previously was located opposite S. Giacomo in Scossacavalli was reassembled in the square near S. Andrea della Valle. It is attributed to Carlo Maderno by contemporary writers, but according to other sources it was designed by Giovanni Vasanzio; it was famous for its high spouts, similar to the fountains of Piazza S. Pietro.

Palazzo Valle

(left) Main fa�ade; (right) decoration of the rear entrance including an ancient funerary relief

The palace was built in ca 1520 for Cardinal Andrea della Valle (whose name is written at the top of some windows; he was bishop of Mileto, a town in southern Italy). The palace is slightly curved; it was enlarged in the XVIIth century and the main entrance was relocated; in the following century a storey was added; Giorgio Vasari attributes the design of the palace to Lorenzo Lotti aka Lorenzetto, a friend of Raphael, but today there are doubts about Vasari's statement.

Florence - Galleria degli Uffizi: relief showing three dancers from the Valle collection

Cardinal della Valle had a large collection of ancient statues and reliefs which embellished his palace until 1584 when it was sold to Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici who utilized it to decorate his villa and which eventually were moved to Florence.
Pietro della Valle (1586-1652) is known for having travelled through Egypt and Asia and in particular for his account of his stay at Isfahan and for the description of some monuments he visited in his journey, e.g. the Mausoleum of Oljeitu at Soltaniyeh.

Florence - Galleria degli Uffizi: works of art from the Valle collection: (left) porphyry she-wolf (stripped of its Renaissance additions); (right) young satyr

Florence - Galleria Palatina: works of art from the Valle collection: (left) Athena, similar to the Giustiniani one; (right) Dacian prisoner, most likely from the Forum of Trajan

British Museum: funerary relief (late Ist century BC) of Lucius Antistius Sarculo and his wife and freedwoman (former slave) Antistia from the Valle collection

Palazzo Caffarelli Vidoni

(left) Original fa�ade in Via del Sudario; (right) entrance

Similar to Palazzo Valle, Palazzo Caffarelli was built at the beginning of the XVIth century: the design of the ground floor (almost the only part not modified in the following centuries) was attributed to Raphael on the basis of the letters R. V. written on a corner of the fa�ade; they were interpreted as meaning Raphael Vrbinas (from Urbino), but today they are thought to be a reference to Cardinal Pietro Vidoni who enlarged and modified the building in the XIXth century. Art historians believe Lorenzetto was involved in the design of the palace, which was given a second fa�ade along Corso Vittorio Emanuele at the end of the XIXth century.
The Caffarelli built another palace on the Campidoglio Hill towards the end of the XVIth century. They are chiefly known because of Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli, nephew of Pope Paul V Borghese. The Vidoni had an elegant funerary chapel at S. Maria della Vittoria.

SS. Sudario de' Savojardi

Turin - Royal Museums: busts of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy and of his wife Margaret of Valois by an unknown sculptor (ca 1570)

In the XVth century the Duchy of Savoy was considered a minor state with little say in Italian affairs and bound to become sooner or later part of the Kingdom of France. Emmanuel Philibert became Duke in 1553 but at the time most of his fiefdoms were occupied by France. He decided to fight for Emperor Charles V and his son King Philip II of Spain (the bust shows him wearing the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the highest Habsburg chivalric order). In 1557 he won a decisive battle at Saint-Quentin which eventually led to the Peace of Cateau-Cambresis in April 1559. In July 1559 he married Margaret of Valois, sister of King Henri II of France to re-establish good relations with his powerful neighbour. In 1563 he moved the capital of the Duchy from Chamb�ry to Turin and he promoted the use of Italian as official language. In 1961 an heir of the Dukes of Savoy became the first King of Italy.

(left) Fa�ade; (right-above) lions supporting the coat of arms of Savoy; (right-below) property tablet on an adjoining building showing the Holy Shroud

The church of the Savoyards and Piedmontese living in Rome was dedicated to the Holy Shroud (It. sudario or Sacra Sindone), the main relic of their country (Emmanuel Philibert moved it to Turin from Chamb�ry in 1578). The church was built in 1605, but the fa�ade was completed in 1687 by Carlo Rainaldi.

(left) Interior; (right) a capital

The church was deconsecrated in 1801-1814 when it was used as a stable. It was properly restored in 1871 when it was placed under the patronage of the King of Italy. The interior has a very colourful decoration, similar to other Baroque churches, with unusual and highly elaborate capitals.

Stucco angels holding a copy of the Holy Shroud

Pope Alexander VII was presented with a copy of the Holy Shroud by a nun of the Savoy family. He in turn donated it to the Savoyard/Piedmontese community. A complex stucco group was designed by Antonio Gherardi, a painter known for the ceiling of S. Maria in Trivio, but also an architect (Cappella di S. Cecilia at S. Carlo dei Catinari), to properly exhibit the copy of the Holy Shroud. The statues were made by Pietro Mentinovese in 1689.
You may wish to see a directory of national churches in Rome.

S. Giuliano dei Fiamminghi

(left) Via del Sudario and the Flemish hostel; (centre) fa�ade; (right) monument to Winnoch de la Wiel, the inscription says he made a bequest to the church and therefore was entitled to periodical masses for the repose of his soul, including a yearly "cantata" mass

Flemish merchants in Rome founded a brotherhood and built a small chapel and a hostel for pilgrims in the XIth century. At the end of the XVth century the two buildings were largely renovated. Emperor Charles V, who was born in the Flemish city of Ghent, became a member of the brotherhood when he visited Rome in 1536.

(left) Detail of the portal with the bronze copy of a wooden statue of St. Julian the Hospitaller by Judocus van Haerts; (right) detail of the hostel

The church is dedicated to St. Julian the Hospitaller, who according to one of the many versions of his life was born in today's Belgium. The decoration of the church is based on lions, the heraldic symbol of the County of Flanders; the reference to the Flemish was lost in 1815, when Flanders became part of the Netherlands. After 1830 the chapel was called S. Giuliano dei Belgi, but in 1975 King Baudoin of Belgium restored its original name. A (lost) hostel for pilgrims coming from Li�ge, the main town of the French-speaking part of Belgium, was founded in 1699 in Rione Campo Marzio.

S. Maria in Monterone

(left) S. Maria in Monterone; (centre/right) Convent of the Mercedarians

The church of S. Maria in Monterone (after the name of a family from Siena) is mentioned in very old documents; it was rebuilt in 1682. In 1728 it was assigned by Pope Benedict XIII to the Mercedarians, the members of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, who, similar to the Trinitiarians, had the objective of ransoming Christian slaves in Muslim countries. In Rome the order was represented by very few members and for this reason the convent adjoining the church is perhaps the smallest one in Rome; it was designed by Francesco Bianchi. You may wish to see the gruesome Monument to Cardinal Stefano Durazzo inside the church.

Next plate in Book 7: S. Silvestro al Quirinale.
Next step in Day 4 itinerary: Archiginnasio della Sapienza.
Next step in Day 5 itinerary: Chiesa dell'Arciconfraternita delle Stimmate di S. Francesco.
Next step in your tour of Rione Sant'Eustachio: SS. Benedetto e Scolastica.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:

Chiesa di s. Andrea della Valle

Prese un tal nome questa magnifica chiesa dalla valle in cui siede; o secondo altri dal palazzo della famiglia Valle, che � ivi presso. Fu eretta ad istanza di D. Costanza Piccolomini, la quale don� ai chierici regolari Teatini un palazzo, che quivi aveva, e per� fu principiata l'anno 1591. dal Card. Alfonso Gesualdo Napoletano col disegno di Pietro Paolo Olivieri; e fu seguitata dal Card. Alessandro Montalto, e poi terminata dal Card. Francesco Peretti suo nipote, col disegno di Carlo Maderno; il prospetto per� � del Cav. Rainaldi.
E' notabile, che nel cavare i fondamenti di questo, dalla parte verso Campo di fiore furono trovate le rovine della curia di Pompeo Magno, ed il Nardini asserisce di averne vedute sotterra due grosse colonne di marmo. Fabbricolla quivi Pompeo, come diremo nella settima giornata appresso al suo teatro, acci� in tempo di spettacoli teatrali si potesse per maggior comodit� del popolo tenere Senato in essa: ma in essa fu poi seguita la grande tragedia sopra il fondatore dell'Impero Romano Giulio Cesare, il quale nel tempo, che vi teneva Senato fu assalito da' congiurati, e con replicate ferite fu lasciato estinto a pie' della statua di Pompeo; di che sdegnato il popolo abbrugi� la curia, e poi perseguit� a morte i congiurati.
Questa chiesa oltre la magnificenza della fabbrica, � riguardevole: per le nobilissime cappelle ornate di marmi, e sculture, ed ancora per le celebri pitture del Domenichino e del Lanfranco: onde per dare piacere al mio Lettore, principieremo dalla prima cappella a destra incrostata tutta di bellissimi marmi; evvi sull'altare la Fuga in Egitto scolpita di tutto rilievo da Antonio Raggi; e ne' laterali due depositi con statue, ed altre sculture opere di Alessandro Rondone; nella seconda cappella similmente tutta ornata di preziosi marmi col disegno del Buonarroti, si vede sull'altare la ss. Vergine con Ges� Cristo morto in seno, e due statue laterali tutte di bronzo, ricavate da' modelli del medesimo Buonarroti, ed ancora sono ammirabili le quattro urne di marmo nero, e le dodici colonne con capitelli e basi di metallo dorato, ed insieme li due gran candellieri con altri di simil metallo. Il s. Carlo nella cappella, che siegue, � pittura del Crescenzi, ed il s. Andrea Avellino nella crociata � del Lanfranco, il quale dipinse a fresco la gran cupola. Il martirio di s. Andrea Apost. e i due laterali nell'altare maggiore, sono del Cav. Mattia Calabrese; i due per� posti sopra gli archi uno � del Cignani, e l'altro del Tarsi Bolognese, e tutte le pitture sopra del cornicione, e nelli spartimenti della gran tribuna, ed ancora i quattro Evangelisti sotto la cupola sono opere, celebri e stupende del gran Domenichino. E' notabile ancora la penultima cappella dedicata a s. Michele Arcangelo per essere tutta ornata di marmi preziosi, ma di pitture solamente vi � il s. Principe colorito dal Cav. Cristofano Roncalli; l'ultima poi � ornata di marmi, pietre dure, e varie sculture, e dove � la piccola cappelletta di s. Sebastiano, si crede da molti, che corrispondesse la chiavica, di dove il corpo del s. Martire fu levato dalla s. Matrona Lucina: perci� il Card. Maffeo Barberino, che poi fu Papa Urb. VIII. nel fare la nobilissima cappella, fecevi tale memoria. La statua di s. Maria, � del Mochi, il s. Gio. Evang. del Malvicino, il s. Gio. Batista, di Pietro Bernino, la Maddalena, di Cristofano Santi, il quale fece ancora le due statue a sedere nella detta cappelletta; ed il quadro sull'altare con i laterali e lunette, sono del Cav. Passignani.
Nell'uscire dalla porticella laterale vedesi la chiesa di s. Elisabetta della confraternita de' Fornari oltramontani, i quali l'hanno ornata di marmi finti e varie pitture; ed eravi prima un monastero di monache.
Prima di uscire dall'altra porticella evvi a sinistra il deposito del Conte Tieni fatto col disegno di Domenico Guidi, il quale fece le due statue, ed altri lavori di marmo; uscendo poi evvi a destra la seguente

Chiesa del ss. Sudario de' Savojardi

Era qui presso una chiesa antica spettante alla badia di Farfa, la quale avendo nell'an. 1537. ottenuta la confraternita de' Savoiardi, l'eressero di nuovo col disegno del Cav. Rinaldi nell'anno 1605. e ora l'hanno ornata di marmi, stucchi dorati, e pitture; il quadro nell' altare maggiore � di Antonio Gherardi; il san Francesco di Sales, di Carlo Cesi, ed il Santo incontro, di Paolo Perugino; il ss. Sudario per� fu fatto sulla stessa misura di quello, che sta in Torino, e dall'Arcivescovo Alfonso Paleotto fu donato a Clemente VIII. il quale poi lo don� a questa chiesa.

Palazzo Caffarelli

Dinanzi alla suddetta chiesa si vede questo bel palazzo eretto col disegno di Raffaelle da Urbino, e nel di lui cantone evvi una brutta statua entro una nicchia, che per dispregio si dice l'Abate Luigi, e pochi passi dopo evvi a destra la

Chiesa di s. Giuliano e lo spedale della nazione Fiamminga

E' questa molto antica, mentre da Roberto Duca di Fiandra fu ristaurata insieme collo spedale l' anno 1094. quando pass� da Roma per andare alla ricuperazione de' luoghi santi di Gerusalemme. Fu poi nel 1575. rinnovata ed ornata di marmi, sculture, e pitture di buoni autori, e sopra la porta, vi fu messa la statua del Santo.

Chiesa di s. Maria in Monterone

Dalla famiglia, che la fond� forse prese il nome questa piccola, ed antica chiesa, e la possiedono i frati Trinitarj riformati del Riscatto.