San Pellegrino in Vaticano
Encyclopedia
The Church of San Pellegrino in Vaticano (Saint Peregrine in the Vatican) is an ancient Roman Catholic oratory in the Vatican City
, located on the Via dei Pellegrini. The church is dedicated to Saint Peregrine of Auxerre
, a Roman priest appointed by Pope Sixtus II
who had suffered martyrdom in Gaul
in the third century. It is one of the oldest churches in the Vatican City.
The church built by Pope Leo III
around 800 first received the name of "San Pellegrino in Naumachia", making reference to the naumachia
built northwest of the Castel Sant'Angelo
and dedicated by Roman emperor
Trajan
in 109. In the seventeenth century, Pope Clement X
granted the church to the Pontifical Swiss Guards, who used it for their religious services in combination with the church of Santi Martino e Sebastiano degli Svizzeri until 1977. Under the name of (Saint Peregrine of the Swiss), it became the national church in Rome
of Switzerland
. The oratory later fell into disrepair but was restored in the 19th century when evidence of the 9th century frescoes were discovered.
The church now serves as the chapel of the Pontifical Gendarmerie
and the firefighters of the Vatican City and is entrusted to the care of the chaplain of the corps —currently Msgr. Giulio Viviani.
, as well as archaeological excavations made by Msgr Anton de Waal
in 1888. De Waal brought to light ancient paintings dating from the 9th century, and others from the 13th-14th century There is a tradition that Charlemagne
, on the occasion of his coronation in 800, gave the relics of Peregrine of Auxerre to this church, whence its name. Another reason may have been the church's service to pilgrims
, since annexed to the church were the Hospitale Francorum, a hospital for French pilgrims, and a cemetery.
The church was originally called San Pellegrino in Naumachia. A naumachia
, literally "naval combat", is an artificial lake where naval battles were reenacted for an audience. The 5th century "The Passion of Peter and Paul", recounts the crucifixion of St Peter and adds: "Holy men ... took down his body secretly and put it under the terebinth
tree near the Naumachia
, in the place which is called the Vatican". The ruins of a structure were excavated in 1743, between via Alberico et via Cola di Rienzo. Hülsen suggested that this structure, built close to the Circus of Nero
and lying north-west of the later Mausoleum of Hadrian (today's Castel Sant'Angelo
), was the naumachia
the name of the church was referring to. and gave it the name of "Naumachia Vaticana". Subsequent excavations have helped to identify its shape, size and orientation. It was a rectangular structure with round internal and external corners, 120 metres (393.7 ft) wide and, estimating from the excavations, at least 300 metres (984.3 ft) long, oriented north-south. Esther Boise van Deman
identified the style of the brickwork facing the naumachia as trajan
ic. In 1932 Jérôme Carcopino
reported the discovery among Fasti Ostiensi
of the dedication by Emperor Trajan
on 11 November 109 of a naumachia. The "Naumachia Traiani" has been identified the Naumachia Vaticana.
Pope Paschal I
(d. 824) granted the church to the monastery of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
, and Pope Leo IX
(1002–1054) passed it on to the monastery of Santo Stefano degli Abissini
. A document in the archives of Santa Maria in Via Lata
dating from 1030 records that the church was located on land "outside the gate of Blessed Peter the Apostle, not far away from the Leonine Wall of the city". From the thirteenth century onwards, the church belonged to the canons of St. Peter's
, who restored it in 1590.
As a consequence of the 1648 Peace of Westphalia
, the Pontifical Swiss Guard lost the right to burial in the Teutonic and Flemish Cemetery in the Vatican that became reserved exclusively for German nationals. They also lost the use of their little chapel in the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà in Camposanto dei Teutonici. In 1653, Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen
, commander of the Swiss Guard, obtained from Pope Innocent X
the right to use the church of San Pellegrino with the adjoining cemetery. Von Pfyffer von Altishofen is buried in the church.
In 1671, Pope Clement X
gave it to the Swiss Guard, who used it for their religious services until 1977 in combination with the church of Santi Martino e Sebastiano degli Svizzeri. It was considered as the national church in Rome
of Switzerland
. The cemetery of the Swiss is behind the church. For centuries members of the Swiss Guard were buried in the crypt
of the church. The oratory later fell into disrepair but was restored in the 19th century, when evidence of frescoes of the 9th century were found, as well as of others of the 13th and 14th centuries which include a depiction of Christ Pantocrator
.
It was made the chapel of the Gendarmerie and the firefighters of Vatican City in 1977.
style. It is a simple façade with a pair of doubled Doric
columns that supports a large entablature
crowned by a triangular pediment
. The large round-headed niche above the entrance is decorated with a representation of St. Peregrinus.
es, including a fresco of Christ Pantocrator
. In the original building, only the apse was decorated with frescoes.
, popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and likely dates back to the 17th century. Among its blue, green and yellow gold coffers, the coats of arms of Swiss Guard commanders like the lilies of the family Pfyffer von Altishofen
and the flower the Röist
family were inserted.
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
, located on the Via dei Pellegrini. The church is dedicated to Saint Peregrine of Auxerre
Peregrine of Auxerre
Saint Peregrine of Auxerre is venerated as the first bishop of Auxerre and the builder of its first cathedral. A strong local tradition states that he was a priest of Rome appointed by Pope Sixtus II to evangelize this area at the request of the Christians resident in that part of Gaul...
, a Roman priest appointed by Pope Sixtus II
Pope Sixtus II
Pope Sixtus II or Pope Saint Sixtus II was Pope from August 30, 257 to August 6, 258. He died as a martyr during the persecution by Emperor Valerian....
who had suffered martyrdom in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
in the third century. It is one of the oldest churches in the Vatican City.
The church built by Pope Leo III
Pope Leo III
Pope Saint Leo III was Pope from 795 to his death in 816. Protected by Charlemagne from his enemies in Rome, he subsequently strengthened Charlemagne's position by crowning him as Roman Emperor....
around 800 first received the name of "San Pellegrino in Naumachia", making reference to the naumachia
Naumachia
The naumachia in the Ancient Roman world referred to both the re-enactment of naval battles and the basin in which this took place....
built northwest of the Castel Sant'Angelo
Castel Sant'Angelo
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family...
and dedicated by Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
in 109. In the seventeenth century, Pope Clement X
Pope Clement X
Pope Clement X , born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was Pope from 29 April 1670 to 22 July 1676.-Early life:Emilio Altieri was born in Rome, the son of Lorenzo Altieri and Victoria Delphini, a Venetian lady...
granted the church to the Pontifical Swiss Guards, who used it for their religious services in combination with the church of Santi Martino e Sebastiano degli Svizzeri until 1977. Under the name of (Saint Peregrine of the Swiss), it became 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 Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The oratory later fell into disrepair but was restored in the 19th century when evidence of the 9th century frescoes were discovered.
The church now serves as the chapel of the Pontifical Gendarmerie
Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City
The Corpo della Gendarmeria dello Stato della Città del Vaticano is the gendarmerie, or police and security force, of Vatican City. The corps is responsible for security, public order, border control, traffic control, criminal investigation, and other general police duties in Vatican City...
and the firefighters of the Vatican City and is entrusted to the care of the chaplain of the corps —currently Msgr. Giulio Viviani.
History
The origins of the church are ancient, dating back to the eighth century. This is attested to by several passages in the Liber PontificalisLiber Pontificalis
The Liber Pontificalis is a book of biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the Liber Pontificalis stopped with Pope Adrian II or Pope Stephen V , but it was later supplemented in a different style until Pope Eugene IV and then Pope Pius II...
, as well as archaeological excavations made by Msgr Anton de Waal
Anton de Waal
Anton Joseph Johann Maria de Waal was a German Christian archeologist and Roman Catholic church historian. He established the Collegio Teutonico del Campo Santo and carried out numerous archeological excavations in Rome....
in 1888. De Waal brought to light ancient paintings dating from the 9th century, and others from the 13th-14th century There is a tradition that Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, on the occasion of his coronation in 800, gave the relics of Peregrine of Auxerre to this church, whence its name. Another reason may have been the church's service to pilgrims
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
, since annexed to the church were the Hospitale Francorum, a hospital for French pilgrims, and a cemetery.
The church was originally called San Pellegrino in Naumachia. A naumachia
Naumachia
The naumachia in the Ancient Roman world referred to both the re-enactment of naval battles and the basin in which this took place....
, literally "naval combat", is an artificial lake where naval battles were reenacted for an audience. The 5th century "The Passion of Peter and Paul", recounts the crucifixion of St Peter and adds: "Holy men ... took down his body secretly and put it under the terebinth
Terebinth
Pistacia terebinthus, known commonly as terebinth and turpentine tree, is a species of Pistacia, native to the Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean region from the western regions of Morocco, and Portugal to Greece and western Turkey...
tree near the Naumachia
Naumachia
The naumachia in the Ancient Roman world referred to both the re-enactment of naval battles and the basin in which this took place....
, in the place which is called the Vatican". The ruins of a structure were excavated in 1743, between via Alberico et via Cola di Rienzo. Hülsen suggested that this structure, built close to the Circus of Nero
Circus of Nero
The Circus of Nero or Circus of Caligula was a circus in ancient Rome.-Construction:It was begun by Caligula on the property of his mother Agrippina on the Ager Vaticanus , and finished by Nero...
and lying north-west of the later Mausoleum of Hadrian (today's Castel Sant'Angelo
Castel Sant'Angelo
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family...
), was the naumachia
Naumachia
The naumachia in the Ancient Roman world referred to both the re-enactment of naval battles and the basin in which this took place....
the name of the church was referring to. and gave it the name of "Naumachia Vaticana". Subsequent excavations have helped to identify its shape, size and orientation. It was a rectangular structure with round internal and external corners, 120 metres (393.7 ft) wide and, estimating from the excavations, at least 300 metres (984.3 ft) long, oriented north-south. Esther Boise van Deman
Esther Boise Van Deman
Esther Boise Van Deman was a leading archaeologist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was born in South Salem, Ohio to Joseph Van Deman and his second wife Martha Millspaugh. She was the youngest of six children including two boys by her father's first marriage.- Education and career...
identified the style of the brickwork facing the naumachia as trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
ic. In 1932 Jérôme Carcopino
Jérôme Carcopino
Jérôme Carcopino was a French historian and author. He was the fifteen member elected to occupy seat 3 of the Académie française in 1955.-Biography:...
reported the discovery among Fasti Ostiensi
Fasti
In ancient Rome, the fasti were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events...
of the dedication by Emperor Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
on 11 November 109 of a naumachia. The "Naumachia Traiani" has been identified the Naumachia Vaticana.
Pope Paschal I
Pope Paschal I
Pope Saint Paschal I was pope from January 25, 817 to February 11, 824. A native of Rome and son of Bonosus, he was raised to the pontificate by the acclamation of the clergy, shortly after the death of Pope Stephen IV, and before the sanction of the emperor Louis the Pious had been obtained - a...
(d. 824) granted the church to the monastery of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
Santa Cecilia in Trastevere is a 5th century church in Rome, Italy, devoted to Saint Cecilia, in the Trastevere rione.-History:The first church on this site was founded probably in the 3rd century, by Pope Urban I; it was devoted to the Roman martyr Cecilia, martyred it is said under Marcus...
, and Pope Leo IX
Pope Leo IX
Pope Saint Leo IX , born Bruno of Eguisheim-Dagsburg, was Pope from February 12, 1049 to his death. He was a German aristocrat and as well as being Pope was a powerful secular ruler of central Italy. He is regarded as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, with the feast day of April 19...
(1002–1054) passed it on to the monastery of Santo Stefano degli Abissini
Santo Stefano degli Abissini
Santo Stefano degli Abissini is a Roman Catholic church located in the Vatican City. The church dedicated to Stephen the Protomartyr is the national church of Ethiopia. The liturgy is celebrated according to the Alexandrine rite of the Ethiopian Catholic Church. It is the oldest surviving church...
. A document in the archives of Santa Maria in Via Lata
Santa Maria in Via Lata
Santa Maria in Via Lata is a church on the Via del Corso , in Rome, Italy.-History:It is claimed that St. Paul spent two years here, in the crypt under the church, whilst under house arrest waiting for his trial. This conflicts with the tradition regarding San Paolo alla Regola...
dating from 1030 records that the church was located on land "outside the gate of Blessed Peter the Apostle, not far away from the Leonine Wall of the city". From the thirteenth century onwards, the church belonged to the canons of St. Peter's
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
, who restored it in 1590.
As a consequence of the 1648 Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the...
, the Pontifical Swiss Guard lost the right to burial in the Teutonic and Flemish Cemetery in the Vatican that became reserved exclusively for German nationals. They also lost the use of their little chapel in the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà in Camposanto dei Teutonici. In 1653, Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen
Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen
Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen was the Commander of the Swiss Guard from 1652 to 1657 protecting Popes Innocent X and Alexander VII at the Vatican....
, commander of the Swiss Guard, obtained from Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X , born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj , was Pope from 1644 to 1655. Born in Rome of a family from Gubbio in Umbria who had come to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Innocent IX, he graduated from the Collegio Romano and followed a conventional cursus honorum, following his uncle...
the right to use the church of San Pellegrino with the adjoining cemetery. Von Pfyffer von Altishofen is buried in the church.
In 1671, Pope Clement X
Pope Clement X
Pope Clement X , born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was Pope from 29 April 1670 to 22 July 1676.-Early life:Emilio Altieri was born in Rome, the son of Lorenzo Altieri and Victoria Delphini, a Venetian lady...
gave it to the Swiss Guard, who used it for their religious services until 1977 in combination with the church of Santi Martino e Sebastiano degli Svizzeri. It was considered as 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 Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The cemetery of the Swiss is behind the church. For centuries members of the Swiss Guard were buried in the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
of the church. The oratory later fell into disrepair but was restored in the 19th century, when evidence of frescoes of the 9th century were found, as well as of others of the 13th and 14th centuries which include a depiction of Christ Pantocrator
Christ Pantocrator
In Christian iconography, Christ Pantokrator refers to a specific depiction of Christ. Pantocrator or Pantokrator is a translation of one of many Names of God in Judaism...
.
It was made the chapel of the Gendarmerie and the firefighters of Vatican City in 1977.
Architecture
The oldest parts of today's building date from the 15th century. The church received many new elements of decoration in the 12th and 18th century. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, several Popes such as Innocent III, Gregory IX, Boniface IX and Nicholas V, had a special interest in the church of San Pellegrino.Exterior
The Pontifical Swiss Guard commissioned in 1671 the church's façade in neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style. It is a simple façade with a pair of doubled Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
columns that supports a large entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
crowned by a triangular pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. The large round-headed niche above the entrance is decorated with a representation of St. Peregrinus.
Frescoes
Inside are the remains of some ancient frescoFresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es, including a fresco of Christ Pantocrator
Christ Pantocrator
In Christian iconography, Christ Pantokrator refers to a specific depiction of Christ. Pantocrator or Pantokrator is a translation of one of many Names of God in Judaism...
. In the original building, only the apse was decorated with frescoes.
Wooden ceiling
The ceiling of the church is decorated with a wooden cofferCoffer
A coffer in architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault...
, popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and likely dates back to the 17th century. Among its blue, green and yellow gold coffers, the coats of arms of Swiss Guard commanders like the lilies of the family Pfyffer von Altishofen
Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen
Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen was the Commander of the Swiss Guard from 1652 to 1657 protecting Popes Innocent X and Alexander VII at the Vatican....
and the flower the Röist
Kaspar Röist
Kaspar Röist was a Swiss papal official and commander of the papacy's Swiss Guard. He died whilst commanding it in its stand during the sack of Rome in 1527....
family were inserted.