DON'T LET ME DOWN!

Sitemap
The coats of arms of the Popes Pages on a specific Pope An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Filippo Juvarra's drawings of the finest coats of arms XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna Visit Rome in 8 days! A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi Pages on the Venetian Fortresses in Greece, the Walls of Constantinople and many other topics Visit the Roman countryside following the steps of Ferdinand Gregorovius My Guestbooks A detailed index of my websites
S. Maria in Dominica (Book 3) (Map B3) (Day 1) (View C10) (Rione Campitelli) and (Rione Monti)

In this page:
The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
Today's view
S. Maria in Dominica
La Navicella
Villa Mattei
S. Tommaso in Formis
Rovine dell'Acqua Claudia e Arco di Dolabella
S. Stefano Rotondo

The Plate (No. 52)

S. Maria in Dominica

This plate shows several interesting subjects belonging to different periods of the history of Rome, from Roman ruins to medieval and Renaissance churches. The view is taken from the green dot in the small 1748 map below. In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) S. Stefano Rotondo; 2) Ruins of Acqua Claudia; 3) Entrance to Villa Mattei; 4) S. Maria in Domnica; 5) S. Tommaso in Formis; 6) Ancient inscription (Arco di Dolabella). The dotted line in the small map delineates the border between Rione Campitelli and Rione Monti (lower right quarter).

Small ViewSmall View

Today

The view today

Although the street is now much larger the area on the top of the Celio hill has retained its evocative appearance.

S. Maria in Dominica

S. Maria in Dominica

The church is one of the oldest deaneries in Rome, rebuilt by Pasquale I in 817. Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici who later became Leo X erected the portico under Innocentius VIII. On the arches the head of a lion is a symbol of the pope (see background). The coat of arms on the façade celebrates Innocentius VIII, while the coat of arms of Leo X is in the portico.

La Navicella

La Navicella and the wooden ceiling

Navicella=little ship is a copy made by order of Leo X of a Roman small marble found in the area. The theme of the little ship appears again in the beautiful late Renaissance wooden ceiling of the church.

Villa Mattei

Villa Mattei

The current entrance to Villa Mattei is not that shown in the plate. It is the former main entrance to Villa Giustiniani and it was moved to this site in the 1920s when Villa Mattei was bought by the State and opened to the public. This entrance dates back to the early XVIIth century and it was designed by Carlo Lambardi. The Villa is also called Celimontana with reference to its location (Mons Celius).

S. Tommaso in Formis

Medieval buildings and S. Tommaso in Formis

These medieval buildings were part of the hospital annexed to the church of S. Tommaso in Formis. This church belonged to the Trinitarian order which was devoted to ransoming christian slaves. The mosaic medallion was executed in the XIIIth century and shows Christ between a white and a black slave. The Trinitarians built in Via Condotti in the XVIIIth century the Chiesa della SS. Trinità.

Rovine dell'Acqua Claudia e Arco di Dolabella

The aqueduct

The ruins in the plate belong to the aqueduct built by the Emperor Claudius (Acqua Claudia), which brought water to the Imperial Palaces on the Palatinus (another stretch of the aqueduct can be seen near Porta Maggiore).
The inscription mentioned by Vasi in the plate celebrates the erection of an arch (most likely a gate of the old republican walls) by the consuls Dolabella and Silliano in A. D. 10. Eventually the arch was incorporated in the aqueduct. The street under the arch leads to SS. Giovanni e Paolo. St. John of Matha, the founder of the Trinitarian order lived from 1209 to his death in1213 in two narrow rooms made out of the aqueduct pillar above the arch.

S. Stefano Rotondo

S. Stefano Rotondo

S. Stefano Rotondo the coat of arms

The largest circular church in Rome was erected at the close of the Vth century by Pope Simplicius on top of previous buildings, most likely the Macellum Magnum of the Emperor Nero. Recent excavations found traces of a Mithraeum, a temple of the monotheist religion the Christians most feared. Pope Nicholas V (see his painted coat of arms) restored it and limited the church by leaving out the outer ring (using a small part of it to make a portico).
Read Charles Dickens's account of his visit to this church in 1845.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:


Chiesa di S. Stefano Rotondo
Prese un tal nome questa chiesa dalla rotondità del tempio, da alcuni creduto di Claudio. Simplicio I. che fu del 470. lo consagrò al sommo Iddio in onore del santo Titolare, ed era superbamente ornato di marmi, e di mosaici; ma ridotto poi quasi rovinato da Niccolò V. fu ristaurato; e da Gregorio XIII. fu, unito al collegio Germanico presso s. Apollinare. Le pitture, che si vedono d'intorno, furono fatte da Niccolò Pomarancio, e da Antonio Tempesta; ma poi essendo per l'umido patite, furono tutte ritoccate. Quindi voltando a sinistra, si vede un prato, ed in mezzo una navicella fatta di marmo, ed incontro la
Chiesa di S. Maria in Domnica
Nel più alto sito del monte Celio, ove furono gli alloggiamenti de' soldati pellegrini, siede questa chiesa, detta dalli Scrittori ecclesiastici in Domnica o in Ciriaca da quella Matrona romana, che come diremo fra poco, dette sepoltura a s. Lorenzo, la quale quì aveva una casa, che fu consagrata in chiesa, e secondo alcuni, fu diaconia del santo Martire Fu rifatta da Pasquale I., e poi da Leone X. con disegno di Raffaelle da Urbino, e vi dipinsero il fregio Giulio Romano, e Pierin del Vaga, ma ora tutto è andato male: e per quella piccola nave di marmo, che sta innanzi la chiesa, si dice alla navicella. A sinistra di questa, appunto incontro alla via, che va verso il Colosseo, si vede la nobilissima porta dell'antichissima chiesa di san Tommaso in Formis. fatta di marmi, e mosaici da s. Gio: di Mata fondatore dell'Ordine del riscatto delli schiavi, nella quale egli morì, e per molto tempo vi stette il di lui corpo: ma poi essendo abbandonata da quei frati, fu ridotta in commenda, e dipoi unita al Capitolo di s. Pietro da Bonifazio IX. l'anno 1395. Si conserva però la memoria della chiesa sotto l'arco, che si trapassa, in una piccola cappella, ove il.giorno del s. Apostolo viene ad ufiziare il suddetto Capitolo. Si disse in formis per le forme, o archi dell'acquedotto dell'acqua Claudia, che rovinate vi si vedono.

Next plate in Book 3: SS. Giovanni e Paolo
Next step in Day 1 itinerary: SS. Giovanni e Paolo
Next step in your tour of Rione Monti: Spedale di S. Giovanni in Laterano
Next step in your tour of Rione Campitelli: Porta Latina

Go to    or to  Book 3 or to my Home Page on Baroque Rome or to my Home Page on Rome in the footsteps of an XVIIIth century traveller.


All images © 1999 - 2003 by Roberto Piperno. Write to romapip@quipo.it