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Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei
Martiri or Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs in Rome is
one of the heavenly titular churches you will ever see in your lifetime.
Titular means that it’s
a church in Rome that’s assigned to one of the cardinal priests. But that’s
not the most interesting thing about this basilica. The fact that the one of
the Architects of this baroque-style church is Michelangelo,
along with Buonarroti, Luigi Vanvitelli is what makes it extraordinary.
And so when you
serendipitously stumble upon a church like this, what do you do?
I'd feel at a loss for
words.
I’ll probably be repeating this over and over and over (and over) again, but the best way to reach all places in Rome is by foot. Rome is just built that way and it’s convenient to walk around and see the city like that. It’s the same for Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, whether its early mornings, midafternoons, weekdays or weekends, just alight the Repubblica Subway station and walk towards the Piazza della Repubblica.
Overall, the basilica in itself is remarkably beautiful. The church façade alone is a show stopper – the frigidarium of the Baths of Diocletian, which looks like something you can find the Return of the Jedi #HanSoloinCarbonite. From the inside, aside from the raised space of the tribune, which looks like a perfect depiction of heaven, the meridian solar line made by Francesco Bianchini, which is an authentic Gregorian calendar tool. It still is operational, and you can see the historical details in bronze and white marble.
The one to revere the
most here is in the transept area. Michelangelo himself created a Greek cross
design leaving unchanged several right-angle frames, the vestibule, and the
chancel.
Address: Via Cernaia, 9 | Piazza della Repubblica, Rome, Italy (Castro Pretorio)
Official Website: http://www.santamariadegliangeliroma.it
Official Website: http://www.santamariadegliangeliroma.it
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