San Silvestro al Quirinale
Encyclopedia
- For the other church in Rome with the same name, see San Silvestro in CapiteSan Silvestro in CapiteThe Church of Saint Sylvester in Capite is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and titular church in Rome dedicated to Pope Saint Sylvester I. Built in the 8th century as a shrine for the relics of the saints and martyrs from the Catacombs, the church is the National church of Great Britain.The Latin...
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San Silvestro al Quirinale (or St. Sylvester on Quirinal Hill) is a historic church in central Rome
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...
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History
The first mentions of a church on the site are from 1039, when it was called Santo Stefano in Cavallo in recognition of its site on Monte Cavallo, a small hill in the Campo MarzioCampo Marzio
Campo Marzio, is the IV rione of Rome, which covers a smaller section of the area of the ancient Campus Martius. The logo of today's rione is a silver crescent on a blue background.-External links:*...
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In 1507, the church was granted to the Dominicans
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
of the Florentine Congregation of St Mark by Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
. It was rebuilt in 1524-1584, when it was taken over by the Theatine Order. The high altar was consecrated in 1584 by Bishop Thomas Goldwell
Thomas Goldwell
Thomas Goldwell was an English bishop, the last of those who had refused to accept the English Reformation.-Life:He began his career as rector of Cheriton in 1532, after graduating BA and then MA at All Souls College, Oxford.He became chaplain to Cardinal Pole and lived with him at Rome, was...
of St. Asaph's in North Wales, the last Catholic bishop in England under Queen Mary Tudor's reign. In 1801, San Silvestro was granted to the Lazarists
Lazarists
Congregation of the Mission is a vowed order of priests and brothers associated with the Vincentian Family, a loose federation of organizations who claim St. Vincent de Paul as their founder or Patron...
, having been abandoned by the Theatines some years before.
In the period when conclaves to elect a new Pope were held at the Quirinal Palace
Quirinal Palace
The Quirinal Palace is a historical building in Rome, Italy, the current official residence of the President of the Italian Republic. It is located on the Quirinal Hill, the tallest of the seven hills of Rome...
, the inaugural procession of the Cardinals started from this church. When the street was widened in 1877, the 16th century façade was replaced. The old façade had been simple, while the present one, by Andrea Busiri Vici, is more decorated. There is a small garden outside the church, with a 16th century oratory that was used in funerals. The façade, decorated in stucco, is original.
Interior decoration
The renaissance interior is almost completely covered with paintings. There is a long, vaulted choir behind the altar. In the ceiling is a fresco from the late 16th century by GiovanniGiovanni Alberti
Giovanni Alberti, brother of Cherubino Alberti, and third son of Alberto, was born at Borgo S. Sepolcro, in 1558. He visited Rome in the time of Gregory XIII, and was employed by that pontiff in the papal palace on Monte Cavallo, and in the Vatican. He excelled in painting landscapes and...
and Cherubino Alberti
Cherubino Alberti
Cherubino Alberti , also called Borghegiano, was an Italian engraver and painter.-Biography:Alberti was born in 1553 in Borgo San Sepolcro, Tuscany , into family of artists...
. On the left wall is a fresco by Lazzaro Baldi
Lazzaro Baldi
Lazzaro Baldi was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome.-Biography:Baldi was born in Pistoia and died in Rome. He was part of the large studio of Pietro da Cortona, and became adept at fresco technique. He painted a David and Goliath for Alexander VII in the Palazzo...
, depicting St Gaetano and the Blessed Virgin. On the counterfacade of the entrance is the funeral monument of Cardinal Federico Cornaro
Cornaro
The Cornaro, also known as Corner, are an illustrious patrician family in Venice, from which for centuries senior office-holders and Doges sprung...
attributed to Giacomo della Porta
Giacomo della Porta
Giacomo della Porta was an Italian architect and sculptor, who worked on many important buildings in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica. He was born at Porlezza, Lombardy and died in Rome.-Biography:...
. To the left of the monument to Prospero Farinacci is a painting of Saints Peter and Paul by Stefano Pozzi
Stefano Pozzi
Stefano Pozzi was an Italian painter, designer, draughtsman and decorator whose career was spent largely in Rome....
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The first chapel on the right side has a tile floor by Luca della Robbia
Luca della Robbia
Luca della Robbia was an Italian sculptor from Florence, noted for his terra-cotta roundels.Luca Della Robbia developed a pottery glaze that made his creations more durable in the outdoors and thus suitable for use on the exterior of buildings. His work is noted for its charm rather than the drama...
(1525), and has the arms of Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X , born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses...
. On the walls are frescoes depicting scenes from the lives of St Catherine of Siena and St Mary Magdalene attributed to Polidoro da Caravaggio and/or Maturino da Firenze
Maturino da Firenze
Maturino da Firenze was an Italian painter, born in Florence, but working in Rome during the Renaissance.Vasari described the relationship between Polidoro da Caravaggio and Maturino as exceedingly close:...
. In the ceiling, Cavaliere d'Arpino has painted scenes from the life of St Stephen the Deacon.
In the second chapel on the right side is a painting depicting the Nativity of Mary, painted by Marcello Venusti
Marcello Venusti
Marcello Venusti was an Italian Mannnerist painter active in Rome in mid 16th century.Native to Mazzo di Valtellina near Como, he was reputed to have been a pupil of Perino del Vaga. He is known for a scaled copy of the Michelangelo's Last Judgement, commissioned by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese,...
in the 16th century. On the walls are the Circumcision of Christ and Adoration of the Magi by Jacopo Zucchi
Jacopo Zucchi
Jacopo Zucchi was a Florentine painter of the Mannerist style, active in Florence and Rome.His training began in the studio of Giorgio Vasari, and he participated in decoration of the Studiolo and the Salone dei Cinquecento in the Palazzo Vecchio. Moving to Rome in the early 1570s, he worked for...
and The Dream of St Joseph and The Slaughter of the Innocents by Raffaellino da Reggio
Raffaellino da Reggio
Raffaellino da Reggio was an Italian painter from Emilia, active in a Mannerist style mainly in Rome.Also variously named Raffaellino Motta or Rafaellino da Reggio or a variety of combinations, he was born at Codemondo near Reggio Emilia. Initially trained under the painter Lelio Orsi...
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The first chapel on the left side has a fresco by Avanzino Nucci
Avanzino Nucci
Avanzino Nucci was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance period.He was born in Città di Castello and died in Rome. He trained with Niccolò Circignani . Bernardino Gagliardi was one of his pupils. His paintings can be found in the Roman churches of San Rocco all'Augusteo, San Silvestro al...
, Pope St Sylvester Baptizing Emperor Constantine. In the ceiling are scenes from the life of St Sylvester, painted in 1868.
The altarpiece in the second chapel on the left is by Giacinto Gimignani
Giacinto Gimignani
Giacinto Gimignani was an Italian painter, active mainly in Rome, during the Baroque period.Gimignani was born in Pistoia, where his father, Alessio was also a painter and former pupil of Jacopo Ligozzi...
, and depicts Pope St Pius V and Cardinal Alessandrino in Adoration of the Virgin. In the centre is an icon of the Madonna with Child of the Roman school, 13th century.
At the end of the left transept, is the Chapel of the Assumption, also known as the Cappella Bandini. The large, octagonal, domed chapel designed by Ottaviano Mascherino in 1585. The Assumption painting is by Scipione Pulzone
Scipione Pulzone
Scipione Pulzone , also known as Il Gaetano, was an Italian late Renaissance Mannerist or, more properly, "counter-Maniera" painter active in Rome...
. The four painted roundels depicting scenes from the lives of David, Judith, Esther and Solomon (1628) are by Domenichino. There are four stucco statues; Magdalene and St John from 1628, by Alessandro Algardi
Alessandro Algardi
Alessandro Algardi was an Italian high-Baroque sculptor active almost exclusively in Rome, where for the latter decades of his life, he was the major rival of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.-Early years:...
, and St Joseph and St Martha by Francesco Mochi
Francesco Mochi
Francesco Mochi was an Italian early-Baroque sculptor active mostly in Rome and Orvieto.He was born in Montevarchi and died in Rome...
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In the right arm of the transept is a depiction of The Eternal Appearing to Sts Andrew Avellino and Gaetano Thiene, by Antonio Barbalonga
Antonio Barbalonga
Antonio Barbalonga or Barbalunga , also called Antonio Alberti, was an Italian painter of the Baroque period....
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