Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini (Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins) is a Roman Catholic church located at

Via Vittorio Veneto Via Vittorio Veneto (), colloquially called Via Veneto, is one of the most famous, elegant, and expensive streets of Rome, Italy. The street is named after the Battle of Vittorio Veneto (1918), a decisive Italian victory of World War I. Federico F ...

, 27, just north of the Piazza Barberini, in

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 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It was designed by architect Felice Antonio Casoni (1559-1634) and architect Michele da Bergamo (?-1641).

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 po ...

blessed its first stone on October 4, 1626, after which his Capuchin brother Cardinal

Antonio Marcello Barberini Antonio Marcello Barberini, O.F.M. Cap. (18 November 1569 – 11 September 1646) was an Italian cardinal

began constructing it. Its first mass was held on September 8, 1630 and its construction was completed in 1631. It comprises a small nave and 10 side chapels.Rendina, Claudio (1999). Enciclopedia di Roma. Newton Compton. 2022-05-06 Rome - 0983 - Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini Church - Altar

2022-05-06 Rome - 0983 - Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini Church - Altar

Artwork

The right first chapel has a dramatic altarpiece of ''St. Michael the Archangel Defeating Satan'' (c.1635) by

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious ...

and ''Christ Mocked'' by

Gerard van Honthorst Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch: ''Gerrit van Honthorst''; 4 November 1592 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painting, Dutch Golden Age painter who became known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes, eventually receiving the nickn ...

. The right second chapel has ''The Transfiguration'' by

Mario Balassi Mario Balassi (1604–1667) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active in Florence and Rome. Biography He was born in Florence in 1604, and dedicated himself from a young age to artistic education, first as an apprentice to Jacopo L ...

and ''Nativity'' (c. 1632) by

Giovanni Lanfranco Giovanni Lanfranco (26 January 1582 – 30 November 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Biography Giovanni Gaspare Lanfranco was born in Parma, the third son of Stefano and Cornelia Lanfranchi, and was placed as a page in the ho ...

. The right third chapel has ''Stigmatization of St. Francis'' by

Domenichino Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoem ...

. The right fourth chapel has ''Prayer in Gethsemane'' (c. 1632) 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 ...

. The right fifth chapel has ''Saint Anthony'' by

Andrea Sacchi Andrea Sacchi (30 November 159921 June 1661) was an Italian painter of High Baroque Classicism, active in Rome. A generation of artists who shared his style of art include the painters Nicolas Poussin and Giovanni Battista Passeri, the sculptors ...

. The left fifth chapel has ''Apparition of the Virgin to St. Bonaventure'' (1645) by

. The left third chapel has ''Deposition (La Pieta)'' by

Andrea Camassei Andrea Camassei (November 1602 – 1649) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver mainly active in Rome under the patronage of the Barberini. Biography He was born in Bevagna in Umbria to parents of modest means, Angelina d' Anton Maria Ange ...

and ''Stigmatization of Saint Francis'' (c. 1570) by

Girolamo Muziano Girolamo Muziano or Mutiani (c. 1532 – 1592), was an Italian painter, one of the most prominent artists active in Rome in the mid-to-late sixteenth century. Life He was born in Acquafredda, near Brescia, but active mainly in Rome. The accou ...

. The left second chapel has ''Santa Felice da Cantalice'' by

Alessandro Turchi Alessandro Turchi (1578 – 22 January 1649) was an Italian painter of the early Baroque, born and active mainly in Verona, and moving late in life to Rome. He also went by the name Alessandro Veronese or the nickname ''L'Orbetto''. His style ...

. The left first chapel has ''Ananias Heals Paul’s Blindness'' (c. 1631) by

Pietro da Cortona Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...

. File:GuidoReni MichaelDefeatsSatan.jpg, upleft, ''Michael the Archangel Defeats Satan'' (1635) by

File:Ananias restoring the sight of st paul (34663925).jpg, ''Ananias Heals Paul’s Blindness'' (1631) by

File:Natività - Lanfranco.jpg, ''Nativity'' (1632) by

File:2022-05-06 Rome - 0990 - Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini Church - The Transfiguration ( ) by Mario Balassi (1604-1667).jpg, ''The Transfiguration'' (1600s) by

File:2022-05-06 Rome - 0991 - Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini Church - Gethsemane (1632) by Baccio Ciarpi (1574-1654).jpg, ''Gethsemane'' (1632) by

File:2022-05-06 Rome - 0992 - Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini Church - Jesus Christ Mocked ( ) by Gerard van Honthorst (1592-1656).jpg, ''Jesus Christ Mocked'' (1600s) by

File:2022-05-06 Rome - 0993 - Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini Church - La Pieta ( ) by Andrea Camassei (1602-1649).jpg, ''La Pieta (The Deposition)'' (1600s) by

File:The Immaculate Conception (1814) by Gioacchino Bombelli.jpg, ''The Immaculate Conception'' (1814) by

Gioacchino Bombelli Gioacchino is a masculine Italian given name, equivalent to the English Joachim. Notable people with the name include: * Gioacchino Assereto (1600–1649), Italian painter * Gioacchino Cocchi (1720–1804), Italian composer * Gioacchino Colombo (1 ...

Tombs

The tombs of

St. Felix of Cantalice Felix of Cantalice, O.F.M. Cap. ( it, Felice da Cantalice; 18 May 1515 – 18 May 1587) was an Italian Capuchin friar of the 16th century. Canonized by Pope Clement XI in 1712, he was the first Capuchin friar to be named a saint. Life Felix was ...

, Saint Crispin of Viterbo, Cardinal

Antonio Marcello Barberini Antonio Marcello Barberini, O.F.M. Cap. (18 November 1569 – 11 September 1646) was an Italian cardinal

and Alexander Sobieski (sculpted by

Camillo Rusconi Camillo Rusconi (14 July 1658 – 8 December 1728) was an Italian sculptor of the late Baroque in Rome. His style displays both features of Baroque and Neoclassicism. He has been described as a Carlo Maratta in marble. Biography Initially trained ...

) are located here.

Crypt

The crypt is located just under the church. Cardinal Antonio Barberini, who was a member of the Capuchin order, in 1631 ordered the remains of thousands of Capuchin friars exhumed and transferred from the friary Via dei Lucchesi to the crypt. The bones were arranged along the walls, and the friars began to bury their own dead there, as well as the bodies of poor Romans, whose tomb was under the floor of the present Mass chapel. Here the Capuchins would come to pray and reflect each evening before retiring for the night. The crypt, or ossuary, now contains the remains of 4,000 friars buried between 1500 and 1870, during which time the Roman Catholic Church permitted burial in and under churches. The underground crypt is divided into five chapels, lit only by dim natural light seeping in through cracks, and small fluorescent lamps. The crypt walls are decorated with the remains in elaborate fashion, making this crypt a macabre work of art. Some of the skeletons are intact and draped with Franciscan habits, but for the most part, individual bones are used to create elaborate ornamental designs. The crypt originated at a period of a rich and creative cult for their dead; great spiritual masters meditated and preached with a skull in hand. A plaque in one of the chapels reads, in three languages, "What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be." This is a

memento mori ''Memento mori'' (Latin for 'remember that you ave todie'

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

are said to have been inspired by it. File:Rom, Santa Maria Immacolata a Via Veneto, Krypta der Kapuziner 2.jpg, File:Rom, Santa Maria Immacolata a Via Veneto, Krypta der Kapuziner 1.jpg, File:Cripta Cappuccini.jpg, Front second ossuary's chapel File:Capuchinos 2.jpg, Side second ossuary's chapel

References

External links

Official website (Italian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Della Concezione Dei Cappuccini 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1631 Maria Concezione Cappuccini Ossuaries Barberini family Visionary environments 1631 establishments in the Papal States 1631 establishments in Italy Churches of Rome (rione Ludovisi)

Artwork

Tombs

Crypt

See also

References

External links