Church of Santa Maria dei Monti

The Church of Santa Maria ai Monti, located in the Monti district of Rome, is a jewel of Baroque architecture and a historical and spiritual landmark of the city. Built in 1580, the church stands on a site that previously housed a convent of the Clarisses. It was Pope Gregory XIII who commissioned its construction, driven by popular devotion to a miraculous icon of the Madonna with Child found on the site. The church was entrusted to the Company of Catechumens, an order that assisted converts from Judaism and Islam to Catholicism. The initial design of the church was entrusted to Giacomo della Porta, famous for also working on the Church of the Gesù. The facade, inspired by the latter, features two orders of Corinthian columns and volutes that give the structure a solemn and harmonious appearance. The work was then continued by Carlo Lombardi and Flaminio Ponzio, who further enriched the architecture of the building. The interior of the church is a celebration of Baroque art, with a single nave decorated with frescoes and stuccoes. The ceiling of the nave is adorned with a fresco depicting the Ascension, a work by Cristoforo Casolani, while the dome is decorated with scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. The eight sections of the dome house frescoes by various artists, including Giacinto Gimignani and Giovanni da San Giovanni. The angel stuccoes in the vaults and arches of the chapels are the work of Ambrogio Buonvicino, adding further splendor to the interior. The church is also famous for housing the tomb of Benedict Joseph Labre, a French saint who lived as a pilgrim and beggar in Rome. He died near the church in 1783 and was buried in the north transept. An effigy of Labre, sculpted by Achille Albacini, was added in 1892 and his feast is celebrated every year on April 16. Each chapel of the church is richly decorated with works of art. The first chapel on the right houses frescoes of the life of San Carlo Borromeo, while the third chapel features a “Via Crucis” by Paris Nogari. The third altar on the left is adorned with a Nativity by Girolamo Muziano, flanked by the Adoration of the Magi and the Dream of St. Joseph, both by Cesare Nebbia. The main altar houses the miraculous icon of the Madonna with Child, which continues to be an object of veneration. Santa Maria ai Monti also played an important role in the religious and cultural formation of Rome. Among its most illustrious visitors were Saint Joseph Calasanz, founder of the Pious Schools, who regularly prayed in front of the image of the Madonna. Additionally, Saint Paul of the Cross, founder of the Passionists, celebrated Mass in this church during his stays in Rome. The church has been a parish since 1824 and since 1960 it has also been a titular church. The first titular cardinal was Rufino Jiao Santos of Manila, followed by Jaime Sin and then Jorge Urosa of Caracas. Currently, the titular cardinal is Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille.