The Church of Saint Lucy in Selci ( it, Santa Lucia in Selci, also known as ' or ') is an

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...

Roman Catholic church, located in Rome, dedicated to

Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse (283–304), also called Saint Lucia ( la, Sancta Lucia) better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman people, Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, ...

, a 4th-century virgin and martyr.

History

Monastero di Santa Lucia in Selci - Plate 143 - Giuseppe Vasi

The church was built no later than the 8th century above the ruins of a Roman structure, the Portico of Livia. According to the tradition, the first church was built under

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 islan ...

(498-514) back in the 6th century. The building was restored by

Pope Honorius I Pope Honorius I (died 12 October 638) was the bishop of Rome from 27 October 625 to his death. He was active in spreading Christianity among Anglo-Saxons and attempted to convince the Celts to calculate Easter in the Roman fashion. He is chief ...

in the 7th century and again by Pope Leo III in the 9th century. The deaconry of Saint Lucy in Silice (or in Orpha) created around 300 is one of the seven original deaconries in Rome. It was confirmed by Pope Saint Sylvester I ca. 314. The church was restored by

ca 630 in the vicinity of the monumental fountain ''lacus orphei''. It was assigned to one of the seven 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. D ...

ca. 678. According to Liber Pontificalis, this deaconry received donations from Pope Leo III (795-816). After the 10th century it was known as ''Santa Lucia in Silice'' or ''in Selci'' because it was decorated with large flintstones (selci). The deaconry was suppressed in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V. In the 13th century, a monastery was attached to the church, enclosing it. In 1370, it was granted to the

Carthusians The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has i ...

. In 1534, it was given to the Benedictines, and in 1568 Pope

Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...

granted it to the Augustinians, who still serve the church. Pope

Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As p ...

altered the monastery in 1624, enlarging it and dividing it into three parts. One was kept by the Augustinians, one was given to

Dominican friar The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

s and the last was given to the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

. The monastery was amplified in 1603 according to designs by Bartolomeo Bassi, active in Rome at that time. However, all that remains of this amplification is the portal of the exterior. In 1878 the Italian state expropriated the convent of the Poor Clares, adjacent to

San Lorenzo in Panisperna The church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna is a Roman Catholic church on Via Panisperna, Rome, central Italy. It was previously known as "San Lorenzo in Formoso". It was erected on the site of its dedicatee's martyrdom. It is one of several church ...

, but the nuns came to the monastery of Santa Lucia in Selci.

Carlo Maderno Carlo Maderno (Maderna) (1556 – 30 January 1629) was an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica and Sant'Andrea della Vall ...

reconstructed the church in 1604, keeping it enclosed within the Augustinian

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

. Francesco Borromini worked in the restoration of the church in 1637-1638, in the decoration of the Trinity Chapel, in 1628-1639.

Interior

Monti - s Lucia in Selci interno 1040290

The church is built on a rectangular ground plan and barrel vault. It has a single nave with three shallow chapels on each side. The barrel vault has a 19th-century fresco by an unknown artist that replaced one with the same motif by Giovanni Antonio Lelli, depicting the ''Glory of St Lucy''. The counterfaçade is decorated with the painting ''God the Father'' by Cavaliere d'Arpino. The high altar dates from the 19th century, and replaces one made by Borromini. The painting above the high altar depicting ''the Annunciation'' is a work of the Florentine painter Anastasio Fontebuoni. The Landi Chapel, commissioned by the prioress Vittoria Landi, is the first chapel on the left. It was decorated by Borromini, and the altarpiece depicts ''The Holy Trinity with

Saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...

and

Saint Monica Monica ( – 387) was an early North African Christian saint and the mother of Augustine of Hippo. She is remembered and honored in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, albeit on different feast days, for her outstanding Christian virtues, partic ...

'' by Cavaliere d'Arpino . The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, the second on the left, contains works attributed to Carlo Maderno: a tabernacle in polychrome marble and gilt bronze and the alabaster statues. At the first altarpiece on the right depicts ''Martyrdom of St Lucy'' by Giovanni Lanfranco. The ''Vision of St Augustine'' by Andrea Camassei is at the second altar on the right. In the choir, attributed to Francesco Borromini, several paintings by

Baccio Ciarpi Baccio Ciarpi (1574–1654) was an Italian painter of the late- Mannerism and early- Baroque style. Born in Barga in Tuscany, he was active in Rome and Florence. He is best known for having mentored briefly Pietro da Cortona. He painted a number o ...

are displayed .

List of Cardinal-deacons of Santa Lucia in Selci

List of the Cardinal-deacons until the suppression of the deaconry in 1577: * Cardinal Cencio Savelli (1193–1201) * Cardinal Philibert Hugonet (17 May 1473 – 17 August 1477) * Cardinal Georg Hesler von Wurzburg (12 December 1477 – 21 September 1482) * Cardinal Hélie de Bourdeilles (15 November 1483 – 5 July 1484) * Cardinal

Ippolito I d'Este Ippolito (I) d'Este ( hu, Estei Hippolit; 20 March 1479 – 3 September 1520) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal, and Archbishop of Esztergom. He was a member of the ducal House of Este of Ferrara, and was usually referred to as the Car ...

(23 September 1493 – 3 September 1520) * Cardinal Giacomo Savelli (16 April 1540 – 8 January 1543) * Cardinal Ranuccio Farnese (5 May 1546 – 8 October 1546) * Cardinal Alessandro Campeggio (4 December 1551 – 21 September 1554) * Cardinal Johann Gropper (13 January 1556 – 13 March 1559) * Cardinal Innico d'Avalos d'Aragona (3 June 1561 – 30 July 1563) * Cardinal

Luigi d'Este Luigi d'Este (21 December 1538 – 30 December 1586) was an Italian Catholic cardinal, the second son of the five children of Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Modena and Ferrara, and Renée, daughter of Louis XII of France. Biography Luigi, a member ...

(22 October 1563 – 31 July 1577)

References

Books and articles

* * * Caroline Goodson, ''The Rome of Pope Paschal I: Papal Power, Urban Renovation, Church Rebuilding and Relic Translation, 817-824'' (Cambridge: CUP 2010), pp. 101-102, 297.

External links

Santa Lucia in Selci - The Hidden Churches of Rome

Official website of the Vicariate of Rome
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Lucia in Selci 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1638 Roman Catholic churches in Rome Roman Catholic churches completed in 1604 1604 establishments in Italy 1638 establishments in Italy Lucia in Selci 7th-century establishments in Italy Francesco Borromini buildings