Church of Santa Maria dell'Anima

The Church of Santa Maria dell’Anima, located in the Ponte district of Rome, is an important example of Renaissance architecture and serves as the national church of the German community in Rome. Founded in the 14th century as an oratory of the German hospice, the church was rebuilt in the 1500s for the Jubilee, but consecrated only in 1542. The new church, started under the direction of Johannes Burckardt, aimed to reflect the Gothic style of Northern Europe, maintaining the height of the pillars and the depth of the side chapels. However, the facade designed by Andrea Sansovino and completed by Giuliano da Sangallo is in pure Italian Renaissance style. Inside, the church houses numerous works of art, including the funerary monument of Pope Adrian VI and the Chapel of the Margraves of Brandenburg. The church has undergone various looting throughout history, including during the Napoleonic occupation, when the sacristy was used as a stable. However, the church has been constantly restored and maintained, continuing to serve as a spiritual and cultural reference point for the German community and beyond. Among the most significant works in the church is the “Sacred Conversation with Saints Mark and James,” an altarpiece by Giulio Romano, originally painted for the Fugger chapel. Additionally, the funerary monument of Pope Adrian VI, created by Angelo di Mariano and designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi, is an important testimony of Renaissance sculpture. The Chapel of the Margraves of Brandenburg, commissioned by Cardinal Johann Albrecht of Brandenburg, is a masterpiece frescoed by Francesco Salviati, with scenes including the Pentecost and the Resurrection. The decoration is divided into three bands, each telling a part of the religious and personal history of the cardinal. The church also houses two pipe organs built by the Austrian Gerhard Hradetzky in 1990. The main organ is located on the choir in the right side nave and has 23 stops on two manuals and pedal. A mobile positive organ, also mechanical, has four stops and a single keyboard, without pedals.