Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
From Churches of Rome Wiki
| Sant'Andrea al Quirinale | |
|---|---|
 | |
| English name: | St Andrew's at the Quirinal |
| Dedication: | Andrew the Apostle |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Type: | Noviciate church |
| Clergy: | Society of Jesus |
| Titular church | Odilo Pedro Scherer, |
| Built: | 1658–1661 |
| Architect(s): | Gian Lorenzo Bernini |
| Artists: | Antonio Raggi, Pierre Legros, Carlo Maratta et.al. |
| Contact data | |
| Address: | 29 Via del Quirinale 00187 Roma |
| Phone: | 06 47 44 801 |
Sant'Andrea al Quirinale is the church of the Jesuit noviciate.
More pictures of the church at Wikimedia Commons.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The first church on the site, Sant'Andrea in Monte Cavallo, was a parish church. It was donated to the General of the Jesuits, St Francis Borgia, by Andrea Croce, Bishop of Tivoli, in the 16th century, and became the church of the Society's noviciate.
The present church was built in 1658–1661, after the older church had been demolished. Cardinal Camillo Pamphilii commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to build it, and the church is considered one of the finest examples of Roman Baroque with its superb balance and harmony in the choice of materials and the flow of light. It is said that Bernini did not charge a fee for designing this church, and his only payment was a daily donation of bread from the noviciate's oven. Bernini considered it as his only perfect work.
Among those who worshipped here are St Aloysius Gonzaga, St Stanislaus Kostka and St Robert Bellarmine. Bernini often came to this church for Mass in his old age.
The current titular of the church is Odilo Pedro Scherer, archbishop of São Paulo who was appointed in 2007.
[edit] Exterior
The transverse oval design of the church is nothing new to Bernini, who saw this design at Saint Peter's. The facade is crowned by a pediment borne on corinthian pilasters. The porch is supported by a pair of ionic columns. It is similar to the scheme of the flanking palaces of Michelangelo's Capitoline Hill. The curve of the portico is a later invention.
[edit] Interior
The plan is elliptical, with four chapels and four niches, as well as a larger niche for the high altar. Normally, the altar-entrance axis is set on the longer axis in elliptical churches, but here it is on the shorter.
The dome is decorated with stucco by Antonio Raggi. The figures depict martyrs and angels assisting St Andrew on his journey to Heaven.
A sculpture of St Andrew's Martyrdom is at the high altar. The altarpiece, depicting the Crucifixion of St Andrew, was made by Borgnone in 1668.
St Stanislaus Kostka is enshrined here, in the second chapel on the left. The funerary monument, an urn of bronze and lapis lazuli, is by Pierre Legros, made in 1716. The painting of The Madonna with Child and St Stanislaus Kostka is by Carlo Maratta, c. 1687.
Next to the Altar of St Stanislaus is a chapel with a large crucifix and the tomb of King Carlo Emmanuele IV of Sardinia and Piedmont. He abdicated to enter the Society of Jesus, and died here in 1819.
In the first chapel on the left is a painting of the Adoration of Kings and Shepherds by Ludovico Mazzanti. The fresco depicting the Glory of the Angels in the ceiling is by Giuseppe Chiari.
The first chapel on the right-hand side is the Chapel of St Francis Xavier. It has paintings of the life of St Francis Xavier - his preaching, baptizing and death - by Il Baciccio, and in the ceiling The Glory of St Francis Xavier by Filippo Bracci.
The Chapel of the Passion, also known as the Chapel of the Flagellation, has three canvases with scenes from Our Lord's Passion by Giacinto Brandi, completed in 1682.
[edit] Rooms of St Stanislaus Kostka
The rooms of St Stanislaus Kostka have been reconstructed - the part of the house they were originally in has been destroyed. A sculpture in polychrome marble by Pierre Legros, made c. 1700, depicts the dying saint. Fr. Andrea Pozzo SJ has painted scenes from the life of the saint in the rooms. Ask the sacristan if you wish to see the rooms. You can also see the room in which King Carlo Emmanuele IV of Sardinia died.
[edit] Liturgy
The feasts of St Andrew, on 30 November, and of St Stanislaus Kostka, on 13 November, are celebrated with great solemnity.
