Santa Maria Maddalena
Encyclopedia
The Santa Maria Maddalena is a Roman Catholic church in Rome
, named after Saint Mary Magdalene. It is located on the Via della Maddalena, one of the streets leading from the Piazza del Pantheon in the Campo Marzio
area of historic Rome.
The Order of Saint Camillus de Lellis had a church at that location in Rome since 1586 and in the 17th century started the construction of the current church, which was completed in 1699 in the Baroque
style.
In seventy years of work several architects were involved including Carlo Quadri, Carlo Fontana
(who is thought to have designed the dome) and Giovanni Antonio de Rossi. It is uncertain who designed the curved main facade which was finished circa 1735 and is Rococo
, an unusual style in Roman church facades. It also displays motifs reminiscent of Borromini. Early guide books credit Giuseppe Sardi
with the its design. Between 1732 and 1734, however, as architect of the congregation of the Ministri degli Infirmi, the Portuguese architect Manuel Rodriguez Dos Santos directed the completion of works at the church. The historian Alessandra Marino believes that it is to Dos Santos, rather than Giuseppe Sardi, that the design for the highly unusual façade decoration should be attributed.. The architectural historian Nina Mallory has also maintained that Sardi is unlikely to be the designer of the façade.
The church has a frescoed vault (1744) by Sebastiano Conca
in the Chapel dedicated to Saint Camillus, whose relics are in the church.
To the left of the church is the monastery, constructed circa 1678, by Paolo Amato from Palermo
and completed by C.F.Bizzacheri in the early 1680’s.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, named after Saint Mary Magdalene. It is located on the Via della Maddalena, one of the streets leading from the Piazza del Pantheon in the Campo Marzio
Campo Marzio
Campo Marzio, is the IV rione of Rome, which covers a smaller section of the area of the ancient Campus Martius. The logo of today's rione is a silver crescent on a blue background.-External links:*...
area of historic Rome.
The Order of Saint Camillus de Lellis had a church at that location in Rome since 1586 and in the 17th century started the construction of the current church, which was completed in 1699 in the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style.
In seventy years of work several architects were involved including Carlo Quadri, Carlo Fontana
Carlo Fontana
Carlo Fontana was an Italian architect, who was in part responsible for the classicizing direction taken by Late Baroque Roman architecture.-Biography:...
(who is thought to have designed the dome) and Giovanni Antonio de Rossi. It is uncertain who designed the curved main facade which was finished circa 1735 and is Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
, an unusual style in Roman church facades. It also displays motifs reminiscent of Borromini. Early guide books credit Giuseppe Sardi
Giuseppe Sardi
Giuseppe Sardi was an Italian architect active in Rome. He was born at Sant'Angelo in Vado, Marche which was then part of the Papal States...
with the its design. Between 1732 and 1734, however, as architect of the congregation of the Ministri degli Infirmi, the Portuguese architect Manuel Rodriguez Dos Santos directed the completion of works at the church. The historian Alessandra Marino believes that it is to Dos Santos, rather than Giuseppe Sardi, that the design for the highly unusual façade decoration should be attributed.. The architectural historian Nina Mallory has also maintained that Sardi is unlikely to be the designer of the façade.
The church has a frescoed vault (1744) by Sebastiano Conca
Sebastiano Conca
Sebastiano Conca was an Italian painter.He was born at Gaeta, then part of the Kingdom of Naples, and apprenticed in Naples under Francesco Solimena. In 1706, along with his brother Giovanni, who acted as his assistant, he settled at Rome, where for several years he worked in chalk only, to...
in the Chapel dedicated to Saint Camillus, whose relics are in the church.
To the left of the church is the monastery, constructed circa 1678, by Paolo Amato from Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
and completed by C.F.Bizzacheri in the early 1680’s.
Further reading
- George Sullivan, 2006, Not Built in a Day: Exploring the Architecture of Rome, Carroll & Graf, ISBN 0786717491
See also
- Scapular of Help of the SickScapular of Help of the SickThe Scapular of St. Dominic is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular.In the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Rome, there is a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is specially venerated under the title of Help of the Sick...