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Santa Maria del Popolo, located in one of Rome’s largest squares, contains smaller chapels full of Renaissance features. In 1472, the building was first constructed with Italian Renaissance architecture by Baccio Pontelli and Andrea Bregno. They were commissioned by Sixtus IV. Later the façade was updated to a more modern Baroque style in 1655 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The church currently has a very simple white exterior. The Cerasi Chapel off to the right hand side of the altar contains two magnificent paintings by Caravaggio. They were painted in 1601 and illustrate The Conversion of St. Paul and The Crucifixion of St. Peter. The element of light is the most dominant feature of the paintings. In the Conversion of St. Paul, a disproportionate horse is standing over St. Paul. The light first hits the massive side of the animal and then draws your eyes down to the man. The Crucifixion of St. Peter looks incredibly realistic in its depiction of St. Peter being crucified upside down. The three men who hold the ropes and the cross all have their faces turned away, but St. Peter’s face is clearly seen as exhausted and astonished about his fate. Santa Maria del Popolo also contains the Cappella Chigi chapel, which was entrusted to Raphael by Agostino Chigi, a rich banker who provided for Raphael. The dome mosaic was completed by Raphael and dates from the Renaissance. Chigi’s tomb lies here. I found this church to be very interesting because of the Caravaggio paintings. The paintings possess dark emotion and dramatic lighting that only a true genius could achieve.
Emily Ostrom, Survey of Art and Architecture, University of Florida
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Supposedly, the site of this church contained the remains of the evil emperor Nero and was haunted by Nero’s ghosts. Therefore, in order to drive out the remnants of paganism, Pope Paschal II dug up the site in 1099. He burned the remains he found and threw them into the Tiber River. Then, on top of this site, Pope Paschal II built a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church was redone several times and today is basically the fifteenth century Renaissance version, with some touches of Bernini and the Baroque period. The most famous chapel in the church is the Cerasi Chapel, which displays Caravaggio’s paintings, Crucifixion of St. Peter and Conversion of St. Paul. Also, the Chigi Chapel is quite impressive. On the left and right of the chapel are two pyramid-shaped marble tombs designed by Raphael Sanzio. These tombs contain the bodies of Agostino Chigi and his brother. Bernini designed the marble floor and the hanging bronze lamp in the Chigi Chapel. Also, on the right of the main door of Santa Maria del Popolo, there is a frightening skeleton sharing a cage with a butterfly. This is meant to symbolize resurrection or rebirth. Santa Maria del Popolo is magnificent because of the ornate decorations on the inside. My favorite part of the church is the Cerasi Chapel because it contains two of Caravaggio’s paintings. The paintings demonstrate the talent and genius ability of Caravaggio. The way he used light to guide the onlooker’s eye across his paintings is amazing. Also, his paintings look convincingly realistic.
Katherine Latta, Survey of Art and Architecture, University of Florida
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The Church of Santa Maria del Popolo is a notable church located in Rome, to the north side of Piazza del Popolo. In 1099 Pope Paschal II built a chapel to Our Lady, over a tomb of the Domitia family. The name del popolo means “of the people”, It derives from the people who funded the chapel. The chapel became a church by will of Pope Gregory IX and was given to the Augustan’s, who still oversee the church, in the late 13th century. Santa Maria del Popolo was reconstructed by Baccio Pontelli and Andrea Bregno in 1472-1477, commissioned by the association of the Lombards of Rome. In 1655-60 the facade was modified by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who was asked by Pope Alexander VII to update the church. The church contains not only the Cerasi Chapel canvases of Caravaggio, but also frescoes by Pinturicchio, sculptures by Andrea Bregno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Chigi Chapel, the private chapel of banker Agostino Chigi, was designed by Raffaello Sanzio. The dome is decorated with Raphael’s mosaics Creation of the World.
I liked the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, more for the Caravaggio paintings. They really are beautiful paintings and I feel the Baroque style is more appealing to my personal eye. I feel like looking at it I can’t truly see the story within the paintings. I think that these paintings really make Santa Maria del Popolo special. I had no idea who Caravaggio was until I came to Rome and read about him last week, but after learning about him and seeing the beauty of his paintings I really will remember him, and I truly think he might be my favorite artist that I have seen and learned about in Rome.
Maria Falcone, Survey of Art and Architecture, Berkeley College
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Santa Maria del Popolo is located in Piazza del Popolo, one of the largest and well-known piazzas in Rome. The building was constructed in 1472 by Baccio Pontelli and Andrea Bregno and commissioned by Sixtus IV. The façade was then modified in 1655 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who was asked by Pope Alexander VII to update the Renaissance church to a more modern Baroque style. The church was completely reconstructed using architectural canons of such rigorous simplicity and harmony that it is considered today one of the most important works of the Renaissance. Behind its plain façade, the interior is enriched with a choir made by Bramante and an extraordinary chapel, the Capella Chigi, one of Raphael’s most important works.
Cappella Cerasi where there are two exceptional masterpieces by Caravaggio: the Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter. The paintings are characterized by the extreme use of the element of light and darkness.
Rebellious and non-conforming as he always was, in the Conversion of St. Paul, Caravaggio utilized the figure of the horse as the main descriptive element in the composition, rendering the Saint less important. The Crucifixion of St. Peter looks extremely realistic and horrifying. The men holding up the ropes have their eyes turned away but St. Peter’s face is clearly seen. The look on his face depicts the pessimistic idea that no matter how much faith one has in god, he will have to face death in whatever way possible.
Sanam Vazir, Survey of Art and Architecture, University of Florida
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