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Sant'Agostino

Sant'Agostino
Façade
English name:	St Augustine's
Latin name:	Sancti Augustini
Dedication:	Augustine of Hippo
Denomination:	Roman Catholic

Clergy:	Augustinians

Titular church	Jean-Pierre Ricard

Built:	1296–1446, rebuilt 1479–1483, major work 1661–1162
Consecrated:	1446
Architect(s):	Giacomo di Pietrasanta, Francesco Borromini
Artists:	Jacopo Sansovino, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Giovanni Lanfranco, Isaia da Pisa
Contact data
Address:	Piazza Sant'Agostino 00186 Roma
Phone:	06 68 80 19 62

Sant'Agostino is an important minor basilica and parish church in the rione Sant'Eustachio, with a postal address at Via della Scrofa 80. However, this is the location of the parish offices and the main entrance to the basilica is on the Piazza Sant'Agostino, rather hidden away just to the north-east of the Piazza Navona. The official title of the church is Sant'Agostino in Campo Marzio. Pictures of the church at Wikimedia Commons. [1]

The church and parish remain in the care of the Augustinian Friars (Agostiniani).

1 History
2 Exterior
3 Interior
- 3.1 Layout
- 3.2 Artworks
4 External links

HistoryEdit

Foundation of the ConventEdit

The convent attached to the church was founded in 1286, when the Roman nobleman Egidio Lufredi donated some houses in the area to the Augustinian Friars (who used to be called "Hermits of St Augustine" or OESA; they are not the same as the Canons Regular of St Augustine). They were commissioned by him to erect a convent of their order on the site and, after gaining the consent of Pope Honorius IV (1285-1287), this was done.

Old Church of San TrifoneEdit

However, a proposed church for the new convent had to wait because of its proximity to the small ancient parish church of San Trifone in Posterula, dedicated to St Tryphon and located in the Via della Scrofa. It was a titular church, and also a Lenten station.The saint was a boy-martyr of Phrygia (now in Turkey) whose relics had been brought to Rome and enshrined there in the 8th century. This church was entrusted to the Augustinian Friars by Pope Honorius for use as their chapel in 1287, and was renamed Santi Trifone ed Agostino in honour of St Augustine of Hippo. In 1424 the relics of St Monica, the mother of St Augustine, were brought from Ostia and enshrined here as well. The title was passed on to Sant'Agostino when that church was completed in 1484, but the older edifice was kept as a subsidiary church in the complex. It was used as the headquarters of a Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament until 1604, the year after the newer church became the parish church instead, and reverted to its former name of San Trifone. (Another nearby example of a convent replacing a small ancient church with a larger new one is at Santa Maria della Concezione in Campo Marzio, which was built by Benedictine nuns to replace San Gregorio Nazianzeno.) Very unusually for a church of such ancient dignity before modern times, it was demolished in 1736 as part of the project by Luigi Vanvitelli to extend the previously cramped convent buildings. The Confraternity meanwhile had found a new home at San Salvatore in Primicerio, which was nicknamed San Trifone as a result (a source of confusion for historians of Roman churches).

New Church of Sant'AgostinoEdit

Orders to build the new church came in 1296, from Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303). Bishop Gerard of Sabina laid the foundation stone. Construction was to last nearly a century and a half. It was not completed until 1446, when it finally became possible to celebrate liturgical functions in it.

The church was rebuilt on a larger scale in the same century, during the pontificate of Sixtus IV (1471-1484). Funding was arranged by William (Guillaume) Cardinal d'Estouteville, who was the papal Camerlengo (chamberlain) and protector of the Augustinian Friars. The design was entrusted to the architects Giacomo di Pietrasanta and Sebastiano Fiorentino. Construction began in 1479, and was finished in 1483, the year that Cardinal d'Estouteville died. The present orientation, perpendicular to the previous edifice, was arranged by the Cardinal, who was also the head of the Street Authority, Rome's 'planning commission'. The new church faced the ancient Via Recta (traces of this can be seen in Via delle Coppelle, Via S Agostino and Via dei Coronari), which was one of the main access routes for pilgrims to the Vatican Basilica. The church was also near the now demolished Palazzo Apollinare, where the Cardinal lived.

In the 16th century, a lot of work was done in the interior. One of the artists commissioned for the decoration of the church was the young, but already famous, Michelangelo. In the early 16th century, he started painting The Entombment of Christ for the church. He never finished it, and the uncompleted work has made its way to England, where it can be seen in the National Gallery in London.

Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590) established the church as a cardinalate title in April 1587. No titular priest was appointed until 1590, when Gregorio Petrocchini de Montelbro OESA (one of the Augustinian friars) became the first titular. After the death of Marcelo González Martín (appointed in 1973) in 2004, the title was vacant until 2006 when Jean-Pierre Ricard, archbishop of Bordeaux, was appointed.

In 1660 there was an Apostolic Visitation in the church, and more work was carried out after that - presumably it became easier to obtain funding after that important occasion. The plan as it is today is a result of the work done in that period; it was drawn by Francesco Borromini in 1661-1662.

The convent was restored in the 18th century, with the work being completed in 1756. By then, the dome and the cross-vault of the church were in a bad state, and it was decided to start restoration work there. Luigi Vanvitelli was commissioned to lead the work. As he was also working on the Royal Palace at Caserta, most of the actual work fell to Carlo Murena. The church was closed while restorations were carried out, and was reopened in 1763. A new and more spacious sacristy was built at the same time, and the bell tower was altered.

Another restoration was carried out under Pope Pius IX (1846-1878); it was completed in 1870. The floor was renewed, pillars were encased in marble and frescoes were added in the nave, transept, choir and in the chapels.

The most recent work was carried out in 1998-2000 by the Soprintendenze di Roma per i Beni Ambientali ed Architettonici e per i Beni Artistici e Storici, the authority responsible for (among other things) the architectural and artistic patrimony of Rome.

ExteriorEdit

LayoutEdit

The plan is that of a Latin cross, with a nave having aisles and short transepts. Both transepts have semi-circular apses, which project beyond the lines of the aisle walls, matching the slightly larger apse of the presbyterium. The latter is flanked by a pair of large rectangular chapels, and a third smaller chapel entered from the left transept is attached to the side of the left hand one of these.

The nave has six bays. Five of these have aisle chapels on each side, ten chapels in all, but the sixth (the one before the crossing) has a side entrance from the street on the left and the entrance to the convent on the right.

Although the church has an internal crossing dome, this is false. Exteriorly, only the lantern of this protrudes above the pitched and tiled crossing roof.

FaçadeEdit

The Renaissance façade, one of the first in this style, was built using travertine said to be from the ruins of the Colosseum. It was executed by Giacomo di Pietrasanta, from a design by Leon Battista Alberti and is raised rather imposingly above the level of the piazza. Despite being rather naïve in its design and certainly very incorrect according to the canons of Classical architecture, it manages to impress. The balustrades on the access stairs hence required was added in the 18th or 19th century.

The façade itself has two storeys, divided by a full entablature supported by four thin and shallow Corinthian pilasters with rather debased capitals. Unusually, above this entablature is a trapezoidal strip formed by repeating the cornice. On the frieze of the entablature is an inscription dating the façade: GUILLERMUS DE ESTOUTEVILLA EPISCO[PUS] OSTIEN[SIS] CARD[INALIS] .ROTHOMAGEN[SIS] S[ANCTAE] R[OMANAE] E[CCLESIAE] CAMERARIUS FECIT MCCCCLXXXIII, which translates as «William d'Estouteville, Bishop of Ostia, Cardinal of Rouen of the Holy Roman Church, Camerlengo, built this in 1483».

There are three entrance doors, a large one in the middle which is crowned by a triangular pediment with the arms of Cardinal d'Estouteville held aloft by angels (in marble, 15th century), and a smaller one on each side. The storey is divided into three vertical sections by the pilasters, with one door in each section. Above each of the aisle doors is a small oculus or circular window, deeply set with a moulded surround and enclosed in a square frame. The side doors have simple marble door-frames. Between the doors and the oculi there are horizontal rectangular panels on the otherwise smooth façade, and two narrower panels are between the oculi and the architrave of the entablature. This arrangement is reminiscent of medieval decoration, where the panels would be filled with paintings, mosaic or reliefs. It is likely that the frames here should have been filled with artworks, probably reliefs, but that this was never accomplished due to a lack of funds after the death of the cardinal in 1483. Above the central door is a painting, The Handing over of the Augustinian Rule. It was added at a later date, and has been damaged by the ravages of time.

In the façade of the upper storey there is a central oculus, much larger than the ones on the lower level but of exactly the same style. As is common in Romanesque style churches, both ancient and modern, this upper storey covers only the middle nave section of the edifice behind. The corners of this storey is occupied by a pair of Corinthian pilasters, and to the sides are two gigantic double volutes which hide the supporting buttresses and which were added by Vanvitelli. These are charmingly embellished with rosettes and stylized water-sprays.

The crowning triangular pediment is dentillated, but its tympanum (the area within the pediment) contains nothing but a rather ridiculous little arched window. It is almost certain that a relief was proposed here.

Other external aspectsEdit

The visible external aspects of the church incorporate surviving features from the original mediaeval church.

Adjacent to the church, on the right side, is the former convent of the Augustinian friars which was once the residence of the order's general superior. It was sequestered by the Italian government in 1873, and has been converted into government offices. The Angelica Library, founded in 1605, is still located here. It is named after the founder, the Augustinian Angelo Rocca who became titular Bishop of Tagaste in Numidia (now Algeria) in the same year.

On the left-hand side, a 14th century apse can be seen. The cornice with three fascias of increasing projection is typical of the period. The side entrance was created in the 17th century by rebuilding a side chapel. The door is from the 18th century, as is the circular window above it; they were installed by Vanvitelli. It's also possible to see the bricked-up Renaissance windows, which used to open onto the side chapels. The arms of Cardinal d'Estouteville can be seen on one of the buttresses. Between those are the newer windows, opening onto the left aisle. On the upper level, are traces of windows which opened onto the central aisle.

The campanile or bell tower is tucked into the corner between the nave and the right transept, and is not easy to see. It was given its current form in the middle of the 18th century when it was made lower and a new bell chamber was built with a large arched sound-hole on each face. The top of this has a gable on each side, and above the roof is a little Baroque cupola with a square drum and an octagonal lead cap having an ogee-curved profile.

InteriorEdit

LayoutEdit

The church is built on a Latin cross plan. It's 61.4 metres long, 23 metres wide in the nave and 42.5 metres wide across the transepts. The side aisles are separated from the nave by two rows of six arches. The central nave is twice as wide as each of the side aisles. There were originally six chapels in each side aisle, but one on the left was removed to allow a side entrance, and one on the right to accomodate a new sacristy and passage to the convent. The design is inspired by Filippo Brunelleschi's Church of the Holy Spirit in Florence, which is also owned by the Augustinian friars.

St Augustine often mentions the allegorical meaning of numbers in his writings, and this is reflected in the church. For instance, the universality of the Church is represented by the number twelve - twelve Apostles, twelve tribes of Israel - and this is reflected in the twelve arches and the twelve side chapels in the original design.

The interior is dominated by the dome of the crossing. It was part of the 15th century church, but was altered in the 18th century restoration. At that time it was found that, in order to build a more lasting dome, it was necessary to reconstruct the supporting arches and strengthen the pillars. The new dome was built without a drum (that is, the dome rests directly on the pendentives rather than having a vertical cylinder in between). As already pointed out, this dome has no external structure but is covered by a tiled roof.

The side chapels are small apses with conchs, and are richly decorated.

ArtworksEdit

The nave ceiling and pillars have good frescoes of 1855 by Pietro Gagliardi. The five prophets by him on the pillars complement the fresco of Isaiah by Raphael, which is found on the third pilaster on the left-hand side of the nave. There is an Italian Wikipedia article on this fresco. [2] It was painted in 1512 as part of the funerary monument of Giovanni Goritz, a Renaissance scholar, and is obviously influenced by Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel. Beneath this fresco is a statue of the Madonna and Child with St Anne by Andrea Sansovino.

A statue by Jacopo Sansovino found in a niche by the entrance is venerated as the Madonna del Parto, the Madonna of Childbirth. It was made in 1516, and Our Lady's head was obviously inspired by some Classical statue. It is disputed as to which. Nearby, the two 17th century holy water stoups being held by angels are by Antonio Raggi.

The high altar by Gian Lorenzo Bernini is from 1627, and is decorated with a Byzantine icon of the Blessed Virgin, traditionally painted by St Luke. The icon was brought here from the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople in 1453 when the city was conquered by the Turks. The two angels above are typical of the artist.

A famous painting by Caravaggio from 1609, the Madonna dei Pellegrini featuring Our Lady presenting Christ as a toddler to two pilgrims, can be seen in the first chapel on the left which is dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto. It caused an uproar because of the lowly and domestic setting and the dirty and tattered pilgrims, elements that we now view as adding to the realism of the painting. There is an English WIkipedia article on this painting. [3]

The second chapel on the left, dedicated to the Crucifixion, was designed by Bernini although the 16th century crucifix is by Ventura Salimbeni (nicknamed Bevilacqua). The fifth chapel has an altarpiece by Giacinto Brandi. The left hand transept chapel is dedicated to St Thomas of Villanova (an Augustinian friar), and the spectacular 17th century sculpture featuring the saint distributing alms is by Melchorre Caffà although finished by Ventura Salimbeni.

Of the chapels flanking the sanctuary, the little one on the far left was decorated by Giovanni Lanfranco and completed in 1619. To the left of the sanctuary, in the Blessed Sacrament chapel, is the tomb of St Monica. This chapel has an altar dedicated to St Peter the Apostle, by Giovanni Battista Cotignola. The saint's shrine was probably designed by Isaia da Pisa in c1450, after her relics had been transferred from Sant'Aurea a Ostia Antica. (This church was the cathedral of Ostia at the time, where she had originally been buried.) Very unfortunately, the monument was dismantled during the 18th century and what remains is her effigy above an ancient Roman sarcophagus in which she is enshrined. Four statues of Doctors of the Church from the original monument are now in the vestibule of the side entrance just by the left hand transept.

The Chapel of St Augustine in the right hand transept was decorated by Giovanni Lanfranco, and also has a altarpiece of the saint accompanied by SS John the Baptist and Paul the Hermit by Guercino . The frescoes here are of his school. However, the stucco work was added in the 18th century. The tomb here of Cardinal Renato Imperiali is by Paolo Posi, and is of the same period.

The third right hand chapel has another altarpiece by Giacinto Brandi, while the second one has a copy by Avanzino Nucciof the famous painting probably by Raphael featuring the Madonna della Rosa. The first right hand chapel has 16th century paintings by Marcello Venusti.