Church of Santa Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli

The Church of Santa Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli, located in the Regola district of Rome, is the national church of the Spanish community. Built between 1518 and 1675, the church has a history that intertwines art, religion, and culture. The original project was by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, while the unfinished facade is the work of Francesco da Volterra and Giuseppe Sarti. The church is dedicated to the Madonna of Montserrat, the patron saint of Catalonia. The facade of the church is divided into two orders. The first order, completed by Francesco da Volterra between 1582 and 1593, features a portal framed by Corinthian columns with a concave lintel. In the center of the pediment is a sculptural group by Carlo Monaldi depicting the Madonna with the Child, which is a reference to the iconographic theme of the church. The interior of the church is designed with a single nave with three chapels on each side and an apsidal presbytery. The fresco above the arch of the central chapel on the right, by Francesco Nappi, depicts the Sleep of the Virgin, while Giovanni Battista Ricci painted the Coronation of Our Lady on the left. The first chapel on the right houses the mausoleum of the Spanish popes Callixtus III and Alexander VI, sculpted by Felipe Moratilla in 1889. Here is also a panel by Annibale Carracci representing Saint Diego of Alcalá, from the church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli. Funded by Gabriel Ferrer, the second chapel on the right retains its sepulchral slab and coat of arms. The frescoes by Francesco Nappi depict stories of the Virgin, including the Annunciation, the Birth of Mary, and the Assumption of Mary into heaven. The baroque decoration with polychrome marbles of the third chapel on the right is attributed to Francisco Gómez García. The altar houses a canvas by Francisco Preciado de la Vega depicting the Virgin of the Pillar with Saint James and Saint Vincent Ferrer. Side frescoes include the Assumption of Mary and the Triumph of the Immaculate Conception. The third chapel on the left is dedicated to the Holy Crucifix and contains a statue of Saint James the Greater sculpted by Jacopo Sansovino. The sepulchral monument of Alfonso de Paradinas and Juan de Fuensalida is attributed to Andrea Bregno. The second chapel on the left, dedicated to Santa Maria del Monserrato, the statue of the Virgin is the work of Manuel Martí Cabrer. The side frescoes by Giovanni Battista Ricci depict The Navigation of Saint Raymond of Penafort and The Sacred Mountain. The first chapel on the left, originally dedicated to Saint Eulalia of Barcelona, houses a sculptural group of Anna, the Virgin, and the Infant Jesus sculpted by Maso del Bosco in 1544. The tabernacle of the Holy Oils is attributed to Luigi Capponi. The presbytery ending in a semicircular apse features the main altar rebuilt in the 19th century. Behind the altar is a Crucifixion by Girolamo Siciolante da Sermoneta (1564-65). The choir lofts, built in 1828-29, house a pipe organ built by Giuseppe Migliorini in 1929. The cloister, built in the early 19th century according to a design by Giuseppe Camporese, contains tombs and sculptures from the church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli, including the tomb of Giovanni de Mella and the funerary monument of Francisco da Toledo.