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The Minor Basilica of St. Mary in Domnica alla Navicella (Basilica Minore di Santa Maria in Domnica alla Navicella), or simply Santa Maria in Domnica or Santa Maria alla Navicella, is a Roman Catholic
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name t ...
in Rome, Italy, dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
and active in local charity according to its long tradition. It has been the titular church of Cardinal
Marcello Semeraro Marcello Semeraro (born 22 December 1947) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints since October 2020. He was previously Bishop of Albano and secretary to the group of car ...
since 28 November 2020.


Name

The appellation "in Domnica" has been differently explained. One interpretation is the derivation from "dominicum" ("of the Lord"), and by extension "church". Another interpretation is that it refers to the name of
Cyriaca Cyriaca, also known as Dominica, was a Roman widow, and patroness to St. Lawrence, and eventually suffered martyrdom. Life Cyriaca was a wealthy Roman widow who sheltered persecuted Christians. St. Lawrence used her home in Rome to give food to th ...
, a Christian woman who resided nearby and whose name denotes "belonging to the Lord": "Dominica" in Latin. A third interpretation is that the name derives from the Latin phrase ''in dominica (praedia)'' ("on Imperial property"). One other possible explanation is that it is almost the only one from the lesser churches in Rome that serves as a
station church Station days were days of fasting in the early Christian Church, associated with a procession to certain prescribed churches in Rome, where the Mass and Vespers would be celebrated to mark important days of the liturgical year. Although other citi ...
on a Sunday, namely the second Sunday of Lent (''dominica'' means "Sunday" in Latin; the other such church is
San Pancrazio The basilica of San Pancrazio ( en, St Pancras; la, S. Pancratii) is a Roman Catholic ancient basilica and titular church founded by Pope Symmachus in the 6th century in Rome, Italy. It stands in via S. Pancrazio, westward beyond the Porta ...
which serves as station for Low Sunday), so given the huge number of churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin this might have been chosen as identifier. The appellation "alla Navicella" denotes "near the little ship", and refers to the sculpture of a Roman ship that has been in this location since ancient times, possibly as a votive offering to an ancient temple, and which Pope Leo X turned into a fountain (Fontana della Navicella) in front of the church.


History

The basilica was built in ancient times, close to the barracks of the Fifth Cohort of the Roman
Vigiles The ''Vigiles'' or more properly the ''Vigiles Urbani'' ("watchmen of the City") or ''Cohortes Vigilum'' (" cohorts of the watchmen") were the firefighters and police of ancient Rome. History The ''Triumviri Nocturni'' (meaning ''three men of t ...
on the Caelian Hill. The basilica is mentioned in the records of a synod of
Pope Symmachus Pope Symmachus (died 19 July 514) was the bishop of Rome from 22 November 498 to his death. His tenure was marked by a serious schism over who was elected pope by a majority of the Roman clergy. Early life He was born on the Mediterranean isla ...
in AD 499. In 678, it was one of seven churches assigned to deacons by
Pope Agatho Pope Agatho (died January 681) served as the bishop of Rome from 27 June 678 until his death. He heard the appeal of Wilfrid of York, who had been displaced from his see by the division of the archdiocese ordered by Theodore of Canterbury. Du ...
. The basilica was rebuilt from 818 to 822 by
Pope Paschal I Pope Paschal I ( la, Paschalis I; died 824) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 25 January 817 to his death in 824. Paschal was a member of an aristocratic Roman family. Before his election to the papacy, he was abbot of St ...
, and included mosaic decoration.
Pope Paschal I Pope Paschal I ( la, Paschalis I; died 824) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 25 January 817 to his death in 824. Paschal was a member of an aristocratic Roman family. Before his election to the papacy, he was abbot of St ...
is credited with Rome's early 9th century age of renovation and artistic splendor.
Benedict Benedict may refer to: People Names *Benedict (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Benedict (surname), including a list of people with the surname Religious figures * Pope Benedict I (died 579), head of the Catholic Ch ...
, legate to the Latin Empire (1205–1207), began his career as a cardinal in Santa Maria in 1200–1201. The Medici family extensively modified the interior in the 16th century, because some of them were the cardinal holders of the archdeaconate through much of that century. In 1513, Cardinal Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, shortly before he became Pope Leo X, in conjunction with
Andrea Sansovino Andrea dal Monte Sansovino or Andrea Contucci del Monte San Savino (1529) was an Italian sculptor active during the High Renaissance. His pupils include Jacopo Sansovino (no relation). Biography He was the son of Domenico Contucci of Monte ...
added the facade portico with Tuscan columns and the fountain. He was followed by Giulio di Giuliano de 'Medici, the future Pope Clement VII from 1513 to 1517. Giovanni de' Medici became cardinal-deacon at the age of 17 in 1560, but died in 1562. He was followed by his brother
Ferdinando I de' Medici Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (30 July 1549 – 3 February 1609) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1587 to 1609, having succeeded his older brother Francesco I. Early life Ferdinando was the fifth son (the third surviving at t ...
, who also became
Grand Duke of Tuscany The rulers of Tuscany varied over time, sometimes being margraves, the rulers of handfuls of border counties and sometimes the heads of the most important family of the region. Margraves of Tuscany, 812–1197 House of Boniface :These were origi ...
. He added the coffered ceiling.


Description


Exterior

The facade of the basilica is in the Renaissance style, and has a porch with five arches separated by
travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...
pilasters, with two square and one round window. The tympanum has the coat of arms of Pope Innocent VIII in the center, and that of cardinals Giovanni and Ferdinando de' Medici on the sides. The inconspicuous
bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tow ...
houses a bell from 1288. The design of the facade (1512–3) has been attributed to
Andrea Sansovino Andrea dal Monte Sansovino or Andrea Contucci del Monte San Savino (1529) was an Italian sculptor active during the High Renaissance. His pupils include Jacopo Sansovino (no relation). Biography He was the son of Domenico Contucci of Monte ...
.


Interior

The interior of the basilica retains its 9th century plan, and consists of a nave and two lateral aisles of equal length and separated by 18 granite columns which were
spolia ''Spolia'' (Latin: 'spoils') is repurposed building stone for new construction or decorative sculpture reused in new monuments. It is the result of an ancient and widespread practice whereby stone that has been quarried, cut and used in a built ...
from an ancient temple and crowned with
Corinthian capitals The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order w ...
. The wall above the windows was frescoed by
Perin del Vaga Perino (or Perin) del Vaga (nickname of Piero Bonaccorsi) (1501 – October 19, 1547) was an Italian painter and draughtsman of the Late Renaissance/ Mannerism. Biography Perino was born near Florence. His father ruined himself by gambling, a ...
, based on designs of Giulio Romano. The nave has frescos by
Lazzaro Baldi Lazzaro Baldi ( – 30 March 1703) was an Italian painter and engraver of the Baroque period active mainly in Rome.
.Romecity.it entry on Santa Maria in Dominica
The
coffered A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, als ...
ceiling has the Medici coat of arms in the center, with symbolic representations of
Noah's Ark Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in t ...
and Solomon's Temple. The triumphal arch at the apse is flanked by two porphyry columns. The mosaics of the
apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
from the 9th century depict Christ with two angels, and the twelve Apostles, with Moses and
Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books o ...
depicted underneath. In the semi-dome, Pope Paschal (with a
square halo A halo (from the Greek , ; also known as a nimbus, aureole, glory, or gloriole) is a crown of light rays, circle or disk of light that surrounds a person in art. It has been used in the iconography of many religions to indicate holy or sacr ...
) kissing the foot of the
Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
, vested as a Byzantine noblewoman, seated on a throne with the Christ Child, and surrounded by a multitude of angels.


References


Bibliography

* Armellini, Mariano, (1891)
"S. Maria in Domnica"
in ''Le chiese di Roma dal secolo IV al XIX'', online version by Bill Thayer, Chicago, IL. Re-accessed 4 Feb 2022. * de Nie, Giselle; Morrison, Karl Frederick; Mostert, Marco (2005). ''Seeing the Invisible in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: Papers from "Verbal and Pictorial Imaging: Representing and Accessing Experience of the Invisible, 400–1000": (Utrecht, 11–13 December 2003)''. Turnhout: Brepols. ** Thunø, Erik (2005). "Materializing the Invisible in Early Medieval Art: The Mosaic of Santa Maria in Domnica in Rome", in ''Seeing the Invisible ...'', pp. 265–89. * Englen, Alia (2003). ''Caelius I: Santa Maria in Domnica, San Tommaso in Formis e il Clivus Scauri''. Roma: Bretschneider. * Goodson, Caroline (2010). ''The Rome of Pope Paschal I: Papal Power, Urban Renovation, Church Rebuilding and Relic Translation, 817–824''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Krautheimer, Richard, (1937). ''Corpus basilicarum Christianarum Romae. The early Christian basilicas of Rome (IV-IX cent.)'' Città del Vaticano, Pontificio istituto di archeologia cristiana, pp. 309 ff. * Lansford, Tyler (2011). ''The Latin Inscriptions of Rome: A Walking Guide''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. * Macadam, Alta (1994). ''Blue Guide Rome''. London: A & C Black. . * Matthiae, Guglielmo (1965). "S. Maria in Domnica". ''Chiese di Roma illustrate'', Roma: Marietti, p. 56. * Sundell, Michael G. (2007). ''Mosaics in the Eternal City''. Tempe, AZ: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, pp. 43 ff. * Thayer, Bill
"S. Maria in Domnica"
''Gazetteer''. Re-accessed 4 Feb 2022.


External links

*High-resolution 360° Panoramas and Images o
Santa Maria in Domnica , Art Atlas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Domnica 7th-century churches in Italy 9th-century churches in Italy 7th-century establishments in Italy Basilica churches in Rome Titular churches Churches of Rome (rione Celio) 9th-century establishments in Italy Religious buildings and structures completed in 822