Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Inside, you'll find two superb 15th-century frescoes by Filippino Lippi and the majestic
tomb of Pope Paul IV. Left of the high altar is one of Michelangelo's lesser-known sculp-
tures,
Cristo Risorto
(Christ Bearing the Cross; 1520). An altarpiece of the
Madonna and
Child
in the second chapel in the northern transept is attributed to Fra Angelico, who is
buried in the church.
The body of St Catherine of Siena, minus her head (which is in Siena), lies under the
high altar, and the tombs of two Medici popes, Leo X and Clement VII, are in the apse.
Chiesa di San Luigi
dei Francesi
CHURCH
(Piazza di San Luigi dei Francesi; 10am-12.30pm & 3-7pm, closed Thu afternoon; Corso del Rinas-
cimento)
Church to Rome's French community since 1589, this art-rich baroque bonanza
boasts no less than three canvases by Caravaggio:
La Vocazione di San Matteo
(The
Calling of Saint Matthew),
Il Martiro di San Matteo
(The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew)
and
San Matteo e l'Angelo
(Saint Matthew and the Angel), together known as the St Mat-
thew cycle.
These are among Caravaggio's earliest religious works, painted between 1600 and
1602, but they are inescapably his, featuring down-to-earth realism and stunning use of
chiaroscuro (the bold contrast of light and dark).
Before you leave the church, take a moment to enjoy Domenichino's colourful 17th-
century frescoes of St Cecilia in the second chapel on the right.
Chiesa di Sant'Agostino
(Piazza di Sant'Agostino 80; 7.30am-12.30pm & 4-6.30pm; Corso del Rinascimento)
This 15th-
century early Renaissance church contains two outstanding works of art: Raphael's 1512
Isaiah
fresco and Caravaggio's
Madonna dei Pellegrini
(Madonna of the Pilgrims), which
caused uproar when it was unveiled in 1604, due to its depiction of Mary as barefoot and
her two devoted pilgrims as filthy beggars. Also of note is Jacopo Sansovino's 1521
Madonna del Parto
(Madonna of Childbirth) sculpture, the subject of local devotion by
pregnant women.
CHURCH
Museo Nazionale Romano:
Palazzo Altemps
MUSEUM
