Chiesa di S. Maria delle Fornaci (Book 7) (Day 8) (Map D2) In this page:
Fornaci means brick kilns and these gave name both to a gate (Porta
Fabrica or Porta alle Fornaci) and to this church which is outside
the walls of Rome. Most likely some of the workers lived near the factories
and the church served their families. The view is taken from the green dot in the 1748 map below.
In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) S. Maria delle Fornaci;
2) Fornaci dei mattoni (brick kilns). The small map shows also 3) S. Angelo alle Fornaci (lost). The church was restored under Clemens XI by the Trinitarians. The façade was designed by Filippo Raguzzini. The bell tower is a XXth century addition. Today the area is densely populated and there are no longer the kilns which gave name to it. In my background a detail of the entrance to the Friary. The Trinitarians had the mission to pay the ransom for Christians who had fallen into
the hands of Muslim pirates and had been sold as slaves. This is what happened in 1805 to an Italian lady, Antonietta Frapolli.
Her adventures in the harem of the Bey of Algiers provided the plot for Rossini's Italiana in Algeri. You can compare this church
with Chiesa della SS. Trinità in Via Condotti.
Next plate in Book 7: Chiesa di S. Sabina Next step in Day 8 itinerary: Porta Fabbrica Go to or to Book 7 or to my Home Page on Baroque Rome or to my Home Page on Rome in the footsteps of an XVIIIth century traveller. |