Chiesa e Monastero della SS. Annunziata

Thirty Years' War.

"Opus sectile" (marble inlays) decoration of the interior based on the Pope's heraldic symbols

The subjects of the many paintings, statues and reliefs housed in Cappella Paolina followed the Counter-Reformation guidelines which allowed the use of works of art in churches as long as they were aimed at helping the understanding of Christian concepts by illustrating historical or biblical events. Pope Paul V however completed the lavish decoration of the chapel with many references to himself and his family.

Palazzo Imperiali Borromeo

(left) Palazzo Imperiali Borromeo and to its right the house of Pietro Bernini, father of Gian Lorenzo; (centre) detail of the former portal of Palazzo Imperiali Borromeo (one of the many masks of Rome); (right-above) coat of arms of Pope Clement IX; (right-below) decoration of the window of a nearby XVIIIth century house

Most of the buildings around S. Maria Maggiore were erected in the late XIXth century. Two old palaces on the southern side of the basilica survived, although their appearance was modified in 1873 when the street level was lowered. One of them was the house of Gian Lorenzo Bernini for more than twenty years (he then moved to Via della Mercede, near Palazzo di Propaganda Fide), the other one is known as Palazzo Imperiali Borromeo and it was built in the late XVIth century; it belonged to the Rospigliosi, the family of Pope Clement IX; in the XVIIIth century it was acquired by the Imperiali, an important Genoese family, who used it for housing religious institutions, one of which was founded by Cardinal Vitaliano Borromeo; you may wish to see the imposing monuments to Cardinals Lorenzo and Renato Imperiali.

Roman Houses at Via Graziosa

Musei Vaticani (in a hall decorated with the heraldic symbols of Pope Paul V): Ist century BC frescoes with scenes from the Odyssey: (left) Laestrygonians destroying the Greek ships; (right) Ulysses' ship manages to escape and reach Aeaea (perhaps Mount Circeo)

In 1848-1849 excavations for the construction of new buildings in Via Graziosa, a street which ran to the west of Monastero delle Turchine led to finding evidence of a Roman house. It was not preserved, but a series of frescoes which decorated it were donated to Pope Pius IX in 1853. They depict scenes from the Odyssey which are framed by an elegant architectural perspective. They were treated as oil paintings and were placed in gilded frames, similar to what occurred to Le Nozze Aldobrandini, a famous ancient Roman fresco depicting a marriage.
Eventually Via Graziosa was greatly enlarged and modified and it was named after Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, one of the Fathers of the Italian Unity; it links the area of the Imperial Forums near Torre dei Conti with Stazione Termini.

Musei Vaticani: other frescoes with scenes from the Odyssey: (left) Ulysses' ship is about to enter Hades, the Land of the Dead; (right) the punishments of Tityos, Orion, Sisyphus and of the Danaids

(The ancients) decorated with varied landscapes, the representations of particular spots. In these they also painted ports, promontories, the coasts of the sea, rivers, fountains, straits, groves, mountains, cattle, shepherds, and sometimes figures representing gods, and stories, such as the Trojan battles, or the wanderings of Ulysses over different countries, and other subjects, founded on real history.
Vitruvius - De Architectura - VII:V - translation by Valentin Rose
The passage by Vitruvius makes one wonder whether he had actually seen the frescoes of Via Graziosa. He lived in the Ist century BC so the hypothesis cannot be ruled out. You may wish to see a page on the frescoes of Pompeii or examples of Roman statues and floor mosaics depicting episodes of Ulysses' life.
The use of tales as a pretext for painting landscapes did not end with the Ancient World. In the XVIIth century it was utilized to circumvent the Counter-Reformation guidelines on works of art (e.g. the frescoes by Gaspard Dughet at SS. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti).

Next plate in Book 8: Monastero delle Religiose Filippine.
Next step in Day 2 itinerary: Tribuna di S. Maria Maggiore.
Next step in your tour of Rione Monti: Monastero delle Religiose Filippine.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:

Monastero delle Turchine

Circa l'anno 1675. fu eretto questo monastero, le cui religiose, per il colore, che vestono, diconsi le Turchine; la loro chiesa � dedicata alla ss. Vergine Annunziata, e li quadri, che vi sono, furono dipinti da Giuseppe Ghezzi.

(S. Maria Maggiore) Cappella Paolina

dirimpetto alla cappella del ss. Sagramento, evvi quella della ss. Vergine, eretta da Paolo V. con somma splendidezza. L'altare principale � ornato di maravigliosi diaspri duri, lapislazzoli, agate, ed altre pietre preziose: le basi delle colonne, i capitelli, il cornicione, il frontespizio, e i putti con altri ornamenti sono tutti di metallo dorato ed anco il gran bassorilievo, in cui viene figurato il miracolo della neve; e gli angioli, che con altri ornati reggono la ss. Immagine, furono cavati da' modelli di Cammillo Mariani, e gettati da Domenico Ferretti; le pitture sulle lunette, ed arconi doveva farli Guido Reni; ma per gl' impegni, e raccomandazioni le fece il Cav. d'Arpino, e quelle della cupola Lodovico Cigoli. La statua di Paolo V. posta nel suo deposito � del Silla, il bassorilievo a destra di Stefano Maderno, e quello a sinistra del Malvicino; la coronazione � d'Ippolito Buzio, il bassorilievo a destra � del Valsoldo, e l'altro a sinistra, di Francesco Stati, e li termini, del detto Buzio; la statua di s. Basilio, quella di Davide sono di Niccol� Cordieri, e le pitture ne' lati della finestra sopra il cornicione con quelle sull'arcone sono di Guido Reni. La statua di Clemente VIII. nel deposito incontro � del Silla, il bassorilievo a destra � del Malvicino e quello a sinistra del Mariani, finiti poi dal Mochi; la coronazione � di Pietro Bernini, e li termini a destra, del detto Bozio, e quelli a sinistra, del Valsoldo. Le pitture ai lati della finestra, e quelle sull'arcone sono di Guido Reni, fuorch� la Madonna, che fu fatta dal Lanfranco. La cappelletta di s. Carlo Borromeo fu dipinta da Baldassare della Croce, e quella di s. Francesca Romana dal Baglioni. Questa magnifica cappella ha similmente la sagrestia propria ornata di stucchi dorati, e pitture del Cav. Passignani.