Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci

The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci, located in the Aurelio district of Rome, is a significant example of Baroque architecture. Its original construction dates back to the 15th century, but it was rebuilt at the end of the 17th century based on designs by Francesco Multò. The facade, completed by Filippo Raguzzini in 1720, is characterized by elegant lines and harmonious proportions. The bell tower, in eighteenth-century style, was only added in 1950. The interior of the church, in the shape of a Greek cross, is dominated by the venerated image of the Madonna delle Grazie, painted by Gilles Hallet and crowned in 1956. The central altar and two side altars house works by eighteenth-century painters such as Giovanni Battista Maini, Francesco Scaramucci, Francesco Fusi, Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari, and Pietro Bianchi. The church has been a parish since 1828, established by the vicar cardinal Giacinto Placido Zurla with the decree “Utendo facultatibus.” In 1985, it was elevated to a cardinal title, known as Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci fuori Porta Cavalleggeri. During the eighteenth-century renovation, the noble Passerini family of Rome financed much of the work and maintained a chapel with their own burial vault inside. The church gets its name from the brick factories and clay materials present in the area, called “fornaci.” This historical detail emphasizes the church’s connection to the territory and its community, which has contributed to its construction and maintenance over the centuries.