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Santa Maria in Via
| Santa Maria in Via | |
|---|---|
| | |
| English name: | Our Lady in the Street |
| Dedication: | Blessed Virgin |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Type: | Titular church |
| Clergy: | Servite Order |
| Built: | 1491-1513 |
| Architect(s): | da Volterra Lombardi |
| Contact data | |
| Address: | Via del Mortaro 24 (Largo Chigi)
00187 Roma |
| Phone: | 06 67 93 841 |
| Fax: | 06 67 96 760 |
Santa Maria in Via is a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It has its postal address as Via del Mortaro 24, but the main entrance is on the Largo Chigi at the west end of the Via del Tritone in the rione Trevi. Pictures of the church at Wikimedia Commons.[1]
It is very easy to confuse this church with the nearby one of Santa Maria in Via Lata, both nowadays and in historical documents.
Contents |
History
Edit
An older chapel or church is mentioned on the site in the 10th century, and in 1165 it is recorded under the name Santa Maria in Via. This is a strange name, considering that most churches are fairly close to a street, and there are three threories. Firstly, because of the church's proximity to the Via Flaminia, which was the main road in the area and is now the Corso. The problem with this is that Santa Maria in Via Lata is on this street, and is the older church. Secondly, that the word Via is a corruption of the Latin vinea, or vine. Thirdly, that the church was actually first built in the middle of a street (in Via literally means "in the street") in the same way that Santa Maria dell'Archetto later was. Nobody really knows the origin.
In the 13th century, Cardinal Pietro Capocci had a house here, and there was a well in his stable yard. On the night of 26 September 1256, it overflowed. The horses were frightened, and when the domestics rushed out they found an icon of the Blessed Virgin, painted on a stone, floating on the water. Pope Alexander IV declared it a miracle, and ordered the construction of a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The new chapel incorporated the older church.
The present church was built 1491-1513, on orders from Pope Innocent VIII. In 1494, he made it a parochial church. In 1513, it was granted to the Servite Order by Pope Leo X (1513-1521). They still serve the church and parish.
It was restructured in 1594 by Francesco da Volterra, and later by Carlo Lombardi. The work was completed at the request of Cardinal St Robert Bellarmine, titular of the church, in 1604.
It was established as a cardinalitial titular church in 1551 by Pope Julius III. The first titular priest was Cardinal Giuliuo della Cornea O.S.Hier. (1551-1555). Among other titulars we find, as mentioned above, St Robert Bellarmine S.J. (1599-1620), a Jesuit who was one of the foremost champions of the Catholic cause during the Counter-Reformation. The current titular priest of the church is H.E. Cardinal Raúl Eduardo Vela Chiriboga, archbishop emeritus of Quito, Ecuador; he was appointed on November 20, 2010.
A major restoration was completed in 2006.
ExteriorEdit
Plan and elevationEdit
The plan of the church is straightforward, there being a nave with two structural aisles, a short presbyterium and a segmental apse. The aisles are divided by blocking walls to create four chapels on either side, the bottom right hand one (where the well is) being twice as deep as the others and hence protruding beyond the external wall on that side. On the left hand side of the presbyterium is a room containing a crib, and on the right hand side is the sacristy.
Added by BasilwatkinsosbThe roofs are pitched and tiled, with the one over the presbyterium slightly lower than that on the nave. There is no campanile, but a bellcote with spaces for two bells is placed over the far right hand corner of the sacristy. Unusually, this is at an acute angle to the major axis of the church.
FaçadeEdit
The travertine limestone façade was designed by Giacomo della Porta and completed by Carlo Rainaldi, who made some alterations to the upper of the two storeys. A quick glance round the corner will reveal that this second storey is false, being much higher than the nave roof behind. The first storey has four Corinthian pilasters in shallow relief, doubled in profile, and these support a deep entablature with a projecting dentillate cornice and a dedicatory inscription on the frieze. The inscription reads, in Latin, "Given to God in honour of the virgin mother, AD 1256". In between the pilaster capitals are panels richly decorated with swags, ribbons and heads of putti. The plaque in the middle of this records a restoration of 1900.
Because the aisles were used for chapels, there is only one entrance door. It is flanked by Corinthian columns in the round supporting a raised triangular pediment containing a bust in a wreath. To either side is a rectangular window with a raised segmental pediment, and below this a blank tablet with a Baroque raised border.
The second storey has a pair of pilasters in the same style as those below, and these support an entblature and compound pediment formed by inserting a segmental one into a triangular one. In the centre is a large rectangular window flanked by Corinthian columns supporting a pediment with an ogee curve. This window has a balustrade, and the pediment contains a scallop shell. A pair of gigantic incurved double volutes frames this storey, and on the corners at either end is a pair of flaming torch finials.
InteriorEdit
The nave has a single central aisle with four chapels on each side, a barrel-vaulted ceiling with windows inserted and much polychrome marble decoration mostly of the 19th century. The ceiling has an 18th century fresco by Gian Domenico Pestrini. The floor was relaid in 1933.
The spectacular polychrome marble high altar is from 1758. Over the high altar, in the apse, is a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows by Ferdinando Raggi of 1763. The Servites have a special devotion to her.
In the first chapel on the right, the Cappella della Madonna del Pozzo constructed by Monsignor Canobio, is the holy well. The chapel is built around the well, and the icon is preserved there. It is painted on a tile fragment. In 1646, it was crowned by the Vatican and framed in polychrome marble. A Servite friar will serve you fresh water from the well. The chapel is also decorated with a painting of The Annunciation by Aldobrandini and The Adoration of the Magi and The Nativity by Cavalier d'Arpino. The painting to the right showing Cardinal Capocci receiving the icon is of the school of Carravagio about 1606.
The second chapel on the right is dedicated to St Philip Benizi, one of the founders of the Servite Order. The altarpiece depicting him is by Tommaso Luini. In the ceiling is a fresco by Niccoló Pomerancio. The third chapel on the right is dedicated to the Annunciation to Our Lady. The wall frescoes are by the Cavalier d'Arpino, and the ones on the vault are by the Zucchi brothers from Florence. They date from 1596.
The fourth chapel on the right was designed by Carlo Lombardi, and is dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity. The frescoes by Consolani depict The Most Holy Trinity (in the centre), Sts John the Baptist, Francis of Assisi, Mary Magdalene and another saint. Francesco Lombardi's fresco depicts The Apparition to Abraham of Three Angels. Cherubino Alberti's fresco depicts The Ark of the Old Testament.
The sacristy contains a very good painted wooden statue of Our Lady of Sorrows by Raimondo Gaggi of 1725. In a room over the sacristy is kept a chair used by St Robert Bellarmine when he preached here as the church's cardinal.
In the first chapel on the left, opposite the well and dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle, there is a medieval painting of the Blessed Virgin, known as Our Lady of the Fire. The chapel is also known as the Cappella del Bufalo Cancellieri.
The second chapel on the left is dedicated to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. It has an altarpiece from 1961 by Tarsicio Bendini.
The third chapel on the left is dedicated to the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, and the fourth to St Pellegrino Laziosi.
The crib in the room in the top left hand corner is from Naples, and is of the 18th century.
Special notesEdit
There is a feast of the Madonna of the Holy Well on 8 September, and a night vigil on 26 September, the anniversary of the miracle of the well.
The feast of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order is celebrated on 17 February, and the feast of St Pellegrino Laziosi on 1 May.
The church is normally open weekdays 07.15 to 12:15, 16:00 to 20.00. Full opening times and Mass times are on the Diocesan web-page.
