Sant'Ambrogio della Massima
From Churches of Rome Wiki
| Sant'Ambrogio della Massima | |
|---|---|
| | |
| English name: | St Ambrose |
| Dedication: | Ambrose of Milan |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Type: | Convent church |
| Clergy: | Benedictines of Subiaco |
| Built: | |
| Architect(s): | Orazio Torriani, Carlo Maderno, Pietro da Cortona |
| Artists: | Francesco Cozza, Ciro Ferri, Antoniazzo Romano |
| Contact data | |
| Address: | 3 Via S Ambrogio 00186 Roma |
| Phone: | |
| Fax: | 06 68 32 952 |
Sant'Ambrogio della Massima is a church dedicated to St Ambrose, 4th century Archbishop of Milan.
Contents |
[edit] History
The church has its origins in a house owned by St Marcellina, the older sister of St Ambrose, which was transformed into a convent by her in 353. It stand on top of the ancient temple of Hercules Musagete, built in 187 BC. After the Council of Ephesus in 432, the convent church was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In the 9th or 12th century - sources are unclear at this point - it was rebuilt. Around 1500, it was united with the adjacent church Santo Stefano, and rededicated to St Ambrose.
It was again rebuilt in 1606, to specifications by the Benedictine sister Beatrice Torres and her brother Cardinal Ludovico de Torres.
The present church, in which remains of the older church is incorporated, was built between 1606 and 1634 by Orazio Torriani and Carlo Maderno. Some alterations were made inside the church and on the façade when it was restored between 1814 and 1863. The Benedictine sisters had moved out in 1814, and the Poor Clares used the convent until 1860, when the Benedictines of Subiaco took over.
The adjacent monastery is the General Curia of the Benedictines of Subiaco; priests of the order serve the church.
[edit] Exterior
The façade collapsed in 1862, possibly as a result of errors made during the restoration. It was rebuilt in 1863. There is a small courtyard in front of the church, with a 17th century nymphaeum. The portico has three arches surmounted by three windows. The façade itself has very little embellishment.
The medieval tower was altered by Maderno, who added some height and crowned it with two smaller towers decorated with the arms of the Torres family.
[edit] Interior
The interior is on a Latin cross plan, with a dome at the transept crossing and six side chapels.
The dome has an octagonal drum and is covered with a tile roof in eight sections. At the top is a cylindrical lantern with eight arched windows. It is decorated with paintings of the Evangelists. The pendants have depictions of the Four Cardinal Virtues by Francesco Cozza.
On the triumphal arch is a fresco of St Peter and the Seven Deacons. This refers to the original seven deaconries in Rome, institutions that were founded to distribute aid to poor Christians.
The floor is in the Cosmatesque style.
The high altar is by Ciro Ferri, originally with an altarpiece by the same artist depicting St Ambrose Healing an Infirm Man. Pope Paul VI visited the church in 1974, and donated a painting by Ambrogio Fumagalli depicting St Ambrose Reviving the Daghter of a Poor Man. This was installed at the altar, and Ferri's work was moved to the adjacent monastery.
The first chapel on the left has a painting of Sts Satyrus and Marcellina with the Child Ambrose.
In the second chapel on the left is a statue of St Benedict by Orfeo Boselli.
The last chapel in the left has a depiction of the Virgin Mary Queen of Monks by Cavaliere d'Arpino.
On the right-hand side, the second chapel is dedicated to St Stephen the Protomartyr. It was designed by Pietro da Cortona.
The last chapel on the right is dedicated to St Joseph, and has a depiction of St Joseph Enthroned with the Holy Child and Sts Clare and Ambrose.
In the refectory there is a fresco of the Deposition, with Benedictine monks bringing offerings, by Antoniazzo Romano. Special notes
The monastery may be visited by appointment. It has a 12th century crucifix, and Ferri's altarpiece. There is also a room in the ancient part of the building in which it is said that St Ambrose once stayed.
Below the church, the temple of Hercules and the Portico of Philip has been excavated. There are also remains of houses from the 6th and 7th centuries.
[edit] Liturgy
The church is normally open only for Mass on Sundays and on 7 December, the anniversary of the episcopal ordination of St Ambrose in 374. At other times, the church and monastery may be visited by appointment.
