Chiesa di San Giuliano dei Fiamminghi
Encyclopedia
The Church of St. Julian of the Flemings is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Julian the Hospitaller, located in Rome
, Italy
. Historically, the church has been the National Church in Rome
of the Southern Netherlands
and, in 1830, became the national church of the Kingdom of Belgium.
According to tradition, the church was built when Flanders
converted to the Christian faith, during the pontificate of Gregory II (715–753). The little church is part of a Roman building that was once the hospice of St. Julian of the Flemings, built to shelter pilgrims from the county of Flanders
(Belgium
). Its official denomination since 1979 is "Royal Belgian church and Foundation of Saint Julian of the Flemings" .
In the Consistory of November 26, 1994, Jan Pieter Schotte was appointed the first Cardinal-Deacon of St. Julian. Since his death in 2005, the titulus has been vacant until 2010.
pilgrims started to arrive in Rome to visit the cult places of the Saint Peter
and Saint Paul. Guesthouses were built to shelter and feed them: small hospices of the Saxons
, the Lombards
, the Frisians
and the Franks
(the still existing Campo Santo dei Teutonici e dei Fiamminghi) were constructed around Constantine I
's basilica of St. Peter's. Tradition situates the foundation of the hospice of St Julian in the 8th century, when Flanders
was converted to the Christian faith during the pontificate of Pope Gregory II
(715–753). In 1096, Robert II, Count of Flanders
visited the hospice on his way to the Holy Land, during the First Crusade
.
The first historical references to a chapel of St Julian date from the early 15th century. In this period the popes returned to Rome, after their long exile in Avignon
. The return of the papal court
to Rome attracted many foreigners to the city. Soon, the Netherlands
created its own infrastructure to shelter the increasing number of Dutch pilgrims. From this period comes one of the oldest writings of St Julian, a copy of which is extant: the statutes and regulations of the hospice for pilgrims in 1444.
From 1624, the hospice of St Julian carefully kept records of Dutch pilgrims who visited Rome. From 1624 to 1790 21,213 were given shelter, mainly from Flanders, but also from Artois
, Namur
, Hainaut
, Tournai
and Cambrai
.
Under the influence of the Renaissance popes, Rome became a center of culture, a magnet for painters, sculptors, musicians and scholars. Supported by foundations such as St Julian of the Flemings, Rome became a place of immigration for Flemings from the 15th to the 17th century. Shoemakers, carpenters, goldsmiths, tailors and soldiers found their second home in Rome. The wealthy Flemings of Rome, the high clergy, merchants, craftsmen and renowned artists became members of the board of the hospice and associate member of the Brotherhood of St Julian. This brotherhood had both a religious and a material dimension. It acquired much prestige in 1536 when the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
, born in Ghent
, became a member.
Although initially the status of the foundation restricted the members of his management board to Flemings from the county of Flanders, people from other parts of the Southern Netherlands
(Antwerp, Tournai
, Binche
...) gradually took part to the functioning of St Julian. The directors of the hospice started to received financial support from all parts of the Netherlands. With time, the little church of St Julian became more than a center for material support and served as a meeting place for all the southern Dutch living in Rome.
In the course of the early Modern Era, the scope of the hospice widened as it became a social center and a source of financial support for the Flemings living in Rome. It promoted contacts between Flemings living in Rome. Merchants of Flemish origin acted as patrons of Flemish artists. Active in the administration of Saint Julian between 1618 and 1643, the banker Pieter de Visscher, born in Oudenaarde
, had his house in Frascati decorated with frescoes by Flemish Baroque painter Cornelis Schut
. Renowned artists such as Jan Miel
and Louis Cousin (il Primo Luigi Gentile, Brussels) were part of the board of St. Julian. The most important patron of the foundation was Nicholas Haringhe, a pharmacist from Ypres, who donated all his fortune in the late 17th century to the hospice of St Julian. In 1695 he commissioned the current main altar painting to his friend Theodor Helmbreker.
The old organization of the foundation of St Julian disappeared when the French took control of the foundation between 1798 and 1814. The church was then officially transferred to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
, and eventually to the Kingdom of Belgium.
The patrimony of the foundation consists today of three apartment buildings from the 18th to 19th centuries. The income of the foundation comes from the rent of these apartments to 35 tenants. It has currently no support of the Belgian federal government. The purpose of the foundation has remained for centuries: offer help and hospitality to pilgrims, compatriots who reside in Rome or visit the Eternal City.
, the church got its octagonal oval shape of the early 18th century. Antonio Maria Borioni (? - 1727) designed and coordinated the construction of the new church, assisted by his brother Asdrubal Borioni. Most artworks date from the early 18th century. The central medallion of the vault depicts the apotheosis of Saint Julian the Hospitaller. The fresco was painted in 1717 by Englishman William Kent
, later known as creator of the English garden and court architect.
The medallion is surrounded by four allegorical figures representing Flanders
, Bruges
and the Brugse Vrije
, Ghent
and Ypres
. Painted in 1743 by Maximilian Dhaese, the painting over one of the side altars depicts the apostles Peter and Paul.
(Bruges and the Franc of Bruges, Ghent and Ypres) also surround the medallion and adorn the facade of the church under the heading: .
Above the entrance of the church, a Latin inscription summarizes the history of the building until 1785.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Historically, the church has been the National Church in Rome
National churches in Rome
Charitable institutions attached to churches in Rome were founded right through the medieval period and included hospitals, hostels and others providing assistance to pilgrims to Rome from a certain "nation", which thus became these nations' national churches in Rome...
of the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
and, in 1830, became the national church of the Kingdom of Belgium.
According to tradition, the church was built when Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
converted to the Christian faith, during the pontificate of Gregory II (715–753). The little church is part of a Roman building that was once the hospice of St. Julian of the Flemings, built to shelter pilgrims from the county of Flanders
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....
(Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
). Its official denomination since 1979 is "Royal Belgian church and Foundation of Saint Julian of the Flemings" .
In the Consistory of November 26, 1994, Jan Pieter Schotte was appointed the first Cardinal-Deacon of St. Julian. Since his death in 2005, the titulus has been vacant until 2010.
History of the hospice and the church
Immediately after their conversion, GermanGermanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
pilgrims started to arrive in Rome to visit the cult places of the Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and Saint Paul. Guesthouses were built to shelter and feed them: small hospices of the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
, the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
, the Frisians
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
and the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
(the still existing Campo Santo dei Teutonici e dei Fiamminghi) were constructed around Constantine I
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
's basilica of St. Peter's. Tradition situates the foundation of the hospice of St Julian in the 8th century, when Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
was converted to the Christian faith during the pontificate of Pope Gregory II
Pope Gregory II
Pope Saint Gregory II was pope from May 19, 715 to his death on February 11, 731, succeeding Pope Constantine. Having, it is said, bought off the Lombards for thirty pounds of gold, Charles Martel having refused his call for aid, he used the tranquillity thus obtained for vigorous missionary...
(715–753). In 1096, Robert II, Count of Flanders
Robert II, Count of Flanders
Robert II was Count of Flanders from 1093 to 1111. He became known as Robert of Jerusalem or Robert the Crusader after his exploits in the First Crusade.-History:...
visited the hospice on his way to the Holy Land, during the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
.
The first historical references to a chapel of St Julian date from the early 15th century. In this period the popes returned to Rome, after their long exile in Avignon
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
. The return of the papal court
Papal court
The Papal Household or Pontifical Household , called until 1968 the Papal Court , consists of dignitaries who assist the Pope in carrying out particular ceremonies of either a religious or a civil character....
to Rome attracted many foreigners to the city. Soon, the Netherlands
Seventeen Provinces
The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of Western Germany.The Seventeen Provinces were originally held by...
created its own infrastructure to shelter the increasing number of Dutch pilgrims. From this period comes one of the oldest writings of St Julian, a copy of which is extant: the statutes and regulations of the hospice for pilgrims in 1444.
From 1624, the hospice of St Julian carefully kept records of Dutch pilgrims who visited Rome. From 1624 to 1790 21,213 were given shelter, mainly from Flanders, but also from Artois
Artois
Artois is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras , Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.-Location:...
, Namur
Roman Catholic Diocese of Namur
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Namur is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussel.-Bishops of Namur since 1802:*Claude de Bexon...
, Hainaut
County of Hainaut
The County of Hainaut was a historical region in the Low Countries with its capital at Mons . In English sources it is often given the archaic spelling Hainault....
, Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
and Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
.
Under the influence of the Renaissance popes, Rome became a center of culture, a magnet for painters, sculptors, musicians and scholars. Supported by foundations such as St Julian of the Flemings, Rome became a place of immigration for Flemings from the 15th to the 17th century. Shoemakers, carpenters, goldsmiths, tailors and soldiers found their second home in Rome. The wealthy Flemings of Rome, the high clergy, merchants, craftsmen and renowned artists became members of the board of the hospice and associate member of the Brotherhood of St Julian. This brotherhood had both a religious and a material dimension. It acquired much prestige in 1536 when the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, born in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, became a member.
Although initially the status of the foundation restricted the members of his management board to Flemings from the county of Flanders, people from other parts of the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
(Antwerp, Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
, Binche
Binche
Binche is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Binche had a total population of 32,409. The total area is 60.66 km² which gives a population density of 534 inhabitants per km²...
...) gradually took part to the functioning of St Julian. The directors of the hospice started to received financial support from all parts of the Netherlands. With time, the little church of St Julian became more than a center for material support and served as a meeting place for all the southern Dutch living in Rome.
In the course of the early Modern Era, the scope of the hospice widened as it became a social center and a source of financial support for the Flemings living in Rome. It promoted contacts between Flemings living in Rome. Merchants of Flemish origin acted as patrons of Flemish artists. Active in the administration of Saint Julian between 1618 and 1643, the banker Pieter de Visscher, born in Oudenaarde
Oudenaarde
Oudenaarde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heurne, Leupegem, Mater, Melden, Mullem, Nederename, Welden, Volkegem and a part of Ooike.From the 15th to the 18th...
, had his house in Frascati decorated with frescoes by Flemish Baroque painter Cornelis Schut
Cornelis Schut
Cornelis Schut was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and engraver active in Italy and Antwerp.-Biography:...
. Renowned artists such as Jan Miel
Jan Miel
Jan Miel was a Flemish painter, active in Italy, emerging from the circle of genre painters influenced by Pieter van Laer and the so-called Bamboccianti painters. He was born in Beveren-Waas near Antwerp, but had traveled to Rome by 1636. Surprisingly, he briefly collaborating with Andrea Sacchi,...
and Louis Cousin (il Primo Luigi Gentile, Brussels) were part of the board of St. Julian. The most important patron of the foundation was Nicholas Haringhe, a pharmacist from Ypres, who donated all his fortune in the late 17th century to the hospice of St Julian. In 1695 he commissioned the current main altar painting to his friend Theodor Helmbreker.
The old organization of the foundation of St Julian disappeared when the French took control of the foundation between 1798 and 1814. The church was then officially transferred to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
, and eventually to the Kingdom of Belgium.
The patrimony of the foundation consists today of three apartment buildings from the 18th to 19th centuries. The income of the foundation comes from the rent of these apartments to 35 tenants. It has currently no support of the Belgian federal government. The purpose of the foundation has remained for centuries: offer help and hospitality to pilgrims, compatriots who reside in Rome or visit the Eternal City.
Interior
The hospice was thoroughly renovated in 1681-1682. Inspired by Bernini's Sant'Andrea al QuirinaleSant'Andrea al Quirinale
The Church of Saint Andrew's at the Quirinal is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, built for of the Jesuit seminary on the Quirinal Hill....
, the church got its octagonal oval shape of the early 18th century. Antonio Maria Borioni (? - 1727) designed and coordinated the construction of the new church, assisted by his brother Asdrubal Borioni. Most artworks date from the early 18th century. The central medallion of the vault depicts the apotheosis of Saint Julian the Hospitaller. The fresco was painted in 1717 by Englishman William Kent
William Kent
William Kent , born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, was an eminent English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.He was baptised as William Cant.-Education:...
, later known as creator of the English garden and court architect.
The medallion is surrounded by four allegorical figures representing Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
and the Brugse Vrije
Brugse Vrije
The Brugse Vrije was a castellany in the county of Flanders, often called in English 'the Franc of Bruges'. It included the area around Bruges, and was bordered by the North Sea, the Westerschelde and the Yser river. The city of Bruges is separated in 1127 from the castellany. Since then the city...
, Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
and Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
. Painted in 1743 by Maximilian Dhaese, the painting over one of the side altars depicts the apostles Peter and Paul.
Exterior
The Baroque façade is decorated with a statue of St Julian the Hospitaller, located above the main entrance door. The shields of the Four MembersFour Members
The Four members consisted of Bruges, Franc of Bruges, Ghent and Ypres gathered together in a medieval parliament. Together they exercised considerable power in Flanders....
(Bruges and the Franc of Bruges, Ghent and Ypres) also surround the medallion and adorn the facade of the church under the heading: .
Above the entrance of the church, a Latin inscription summarizes the history of the building until 1785.
Cardinal-priests of St. Julian of the Flemings since 1994
- Jan Pieter Schotte (26 November 1994 - 10 January 2005)
- Vacant (2005–2010)
- Walter BrandmüllerWalter BrandmüllerWalter Brandmüller PhD is a cardinal of the Catholic Church and President Emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences....
(2010-)
Further reading
- M. Vaes, Les fondations hospitalières flamandes à Rome du XVe au XVIIIe siècle, Bulletin de l'Institut historique belge de Rome, I, 1919, p. 161-371
- Monique de Smets, Les établissements nationaux belges et français de Rome sous la Révolution et sous l'Empire (1793-1815)
- D. Bodart, Les fondations hospitalières et artistiques belges à Rome, Les fondations nationales dans la Rome pontificale, Rome, 1981, p. 61-74
- Yolande Lammerant, Les pèlerins de Tourcoing à Rome aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, Nord-généalogie, 78, 1986, p. 75-81
- Yolande Lammerant, Les pèlerins de la châtellenie d'Ath à travers le "Libro dei pellegrini venuti in Roma dall'anno 1624", Annales du Cercle royal d'histoire et d'archéologie d'Ath et de la région du Musée athois, LII, 1993, p. 141-193
- B. De Groof, Natie en nationaliteit. Benamingsproblematiek in San Giuliano dei Fiamminghi te Rome (17e-18e eeuw), Bulletin de l'Institut historique belge de Rome, LVIII, 1988, p. 55-148
External links
- Official website of the Diocese of Rome, Chiesa Rettoria San Giuliano dei Fiamminghi