San Tommaso in Parione is one of the two

national church A national church is a Christian church associated with a specific ethnic group or nation state. The idea was notably discussed during the 19th century, during the emergence of modern nationalism. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in a draft discussing ...

es of

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. It is dedicated to St

Thomas the Apostle Thomas the Apostle ( arc, 𐡀𐡌𐡅𐡕𐡌, hbo, תוֹמא הקדוש or תוֹמָא שליחא (''Toma HaKadosh'' "Thomas the Holy" or ''Toma Shlikha'' "Thomas the Messenger/Apostle" in Hebrew-Aramaic), syc, ܬܐܘܡܐ, , meaning "twi ...

. The church is normally open to the public every Sunday .

History

The church has ancient origins, but the first documented date is 1139, when Pope

Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

consecrated it. It seems certain that this was a reconsecration after a rebuilding or enlargement of the church. The dedication epigraph with the list of relics granted is still walled to the right of the entrance."Church of San Tommaso in Parione", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
/ref> In 1449, Pope

Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene made ...

granted the church to the Company of Scriptors and Copyists of the Curia. It was made a

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary de ...

in 1517. St

Philip Neri Philip Romolo Neri ( ; it, italics=no, Filippo Romolo Neri, ; 22 July 151526 May 1595), known as the "Second Apostle of Rome", after Saint Peter, was an Italian priest noted for founding a society of secular clergy called the Congregation of th ...

was ordained to the priesthood in the church in 1551. The present church is the result of a rebuilding in 1582. It was built to a design by Francesco Volterra by

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

and Camillo Cerrini. In 1639,

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

was married here. A "St. Thomas touching Jesus' side" and other paintings were stolen by the French during the occupation that followed the events of the Roman Republic. The church lost its titular status in 1937 due to the state of disrepair. The title was transferred to Chiesa Nuova. The church is served by the

Cistercian Order The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...

. At the request of priests and the rector of the Pontifical Ethiopian College, San Tommaso al Parione was made available for the communities of Ethiopians and Eritreans. Mass is celebrated in both the Alexandrine (Coptic) rite and in Ghe'ez.

Architecture

The 16th century brick façade was designed by Jacopo del Duca. It has two stories, with the lower divided into three sections. The middle section has a doorway crowned by a triangular tympanon, and the outer sections have windows. On the upper level is a central window crowned by a rounded tympanon. The middle section is crowned by a tympanon; the outer sections consist only of volutes."Via di Parione", Roma Segreta
/ref> The nave has three aisles separated by pilasters with Ionic capitals. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

has a visible tile roof, while the outer

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

s have

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for Molding (decorative), moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of ...

ceilings. The

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganis ...

, set against 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 ...

wall, has two marble columns on the sides and is crowned by a tympanon. The 17th century

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

depicts St Thomas. On the sides are paintings of Cardinal

Gregorio Barbarigo Gregorio Giovanni Gaspare Barbarigo (16 September 1625 – 18 June 1697) was an Italian people, Italian Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Cardinal (Catholic), cardinal who served as the Bishop of Bergamo and later as the Bishop of Padua. ...

and St

. The latter was ordained in this church. On the left wall are

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es from the pontificate of

(1130–1143). One of them depicts ''St

Martin of Tours Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...

Dividing his Cloak''. There are also paintings from the 19th century, of which ''The Annunciation'' by

Giuseppe Passeri Giuseppe Passeri (12 March 1654 – 2 November 1714) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active in his native city of Rome. Born the nephew of the painter Giovanni Battista Passeri, Giuseppe trained in the studio of Carlo Maratta. ...

is the most notable. The church is in need of some restoration.

Cardinal deacons

* Girolamo Doria {1529-1555)

References

External links

Chiesa di S. Tommaso in Parione
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tommaso In Parione National churches in Rome 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1582 Churches of Rome (rione Parione) 1582 establishments in Italy