Santa Maria della Scala (English: Mary of the Staircase) is a

titular Titular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Title character in a narrative work, the character referred to in its title Religion * Titular (Catholicism), a cardinal who holds a titulus, one of the main churches of Rome ** Titular bisho ...

church 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, located in the Trastevere rione. Cardinal

Ernest Simoni Ernest Simoni Troshani (b. 18 October 1928) is a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church from Albania. He was created a cardinal in a consistory held on 19 November 2016 by Pope Francis. Life Ernest Simoni was born in 1928. He entered the Franci ...

took possession of the titular church on 11 February 2017. Santa Maria della Scala is 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 ...

Madonna with child on Santa Maria della Scala (Rome)

History

The church Santa Maria della Scala is located on the square of the same name. It was built under the patronage of

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII ( la, Clemens VIII; it, Clemente VIII; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born ...

between 1593 and 1610 to house a miraculous icon of the Madonna. Tradition holds that a midwife with a dying child in her arms prayed under the stairs of a house where the image of the Madonna was present, and the child was immediately revived. Consecrated to Mary, mother of Jesus, the church enshrines that icon in the north transept, alongside a baroque statue of St

John of the Cross John of the Cross, OCD ( es, link=no, Juan de la Cruz; la, Ioannes a Cruce; born Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major figu ...

. The church was built on the site of a house once bequeathed to a ''Casa Pia'' founded by

Pope Pius IV Pope Pius IV ( it, Pio IV; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered ...

in 1563 for reformed prostitutes. In 1597, the church was granted to the Discalced Carmelites."Church of Santa Maria della Scala", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
/ref> Bronze statues of the Twelve Apostles were stolen from the sacristy during the Napoleonic era, and subsequently replaced by papier-mâché. In 1849, during the last stages of the revolutionary

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

's resistance to the invading French forces, Santa Maria della Scala was used as a hospital where

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, pat ...

's soldiers, who were wounded fighting in the Trastevere, were treated.

Cardinal protectors

* Paolo Savelli (February 1664 – January 1669)"Cardinal deaconry", GCatholic.org
/ref> * Buonaccorso Buonaccorsi (May 1670 – April 1678) *

Giovanni Francesco Ginetti Giovanni Francesco Ginetti (12 December 1626 – 18 September 1691) was a nephew of Cardinal Marzio Ginetti (1585-1681). Under the reign of Pope Alexander VII he was appointed him Referendary of the Apostolic Signatura, later Sergeant Major of ...

(September 1681 - January 1682) * Johannes Walter Sluse (September 1686 Installed - †Jul 1687) *

Carlo Colonna Carlo Colonna (1665–1739) was a Roman Catholic cardinal. Biography Carlo Colonna was born on November 17, 1665 in Rome, Italy, the third child of Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna, prince and duke of Paliano, and Maria Mancini Anna Maria (Marie) Ma ...

(June 1706 - May 1715) * Alessandro Falconieri (1724–1734) * Luis Antonio Jaime de Borbón y Farnesio (December 1735 - 18 December 1754) *

Gregorio Salviati Gregorio Antonio Maria Salviati (1722–1794) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal. Biography Gregorio Salviati was born in Rome on 12 December 1722, the son of Giovanni Vincenzo Salviati, duke of Giuliano, and Anna Maria Boncompagni Ludov ...

(Jul 1777 - September 1780) *

Prospero Caterini Prospero Caterini (15 October 1795, in Onano – 28 October 1881, in Rome) was an Italian cardinal. Biography Prospero Caterini was born in Onano, diocese of Acquapendente in the region of Lazio in what was then the Papal States. His parents ...

(March 1853 - †October 1881) *

Augusto Theodoli Augusto Theodoli (19 November 1817 – 22 January 1897) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who, as the son of a noble family, filled assignments that associated him closely with the papal household, ceremonies, and basilicas. He became ...

(June 1886 - †June 1892) *

Girolamo Maria Gotti Girolamo Maria Gotti, O.C.D. (29 March 1834 – 19 March 1916), sometimes erroneously called Giuseppe Gotti, was a friar of the Discalced Carmelite Order, who served in various offices of the Holy See as a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

, O.C.D. (December 1895 - †March 1916) *

Camillo Laurenti Camillo Laurenti (20 November 1861 – 6 September 1938) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 1929 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1921 ...

(June 1921 - †September 1938) *

José María Caro Rodríguez José María Caro Rodríguez (June 23, 1866 – December 4, 1958) was a Chilean Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Santiago from 1939 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius ...

(May 1946 - †December 1958) *

Julius August Döpfner The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the ...

(December 1958 - †Jul 1976) *

Carlos Oviedo Cavada Carlos Oviedo Cavada, O. de M. (19 January 1927 – 7 December 1998) was a Chilean Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Santiago de Chile from 1990 to 1998, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1994. Biography Cavad ...

, O. de M. (November 1994 - †December 1998) *

Nguyễn Văn Thuận Phanxicô Xaviê Nguyễn Văn Thuận or Francis-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận (; 17 April 1928 – 16 September 2002), was a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. He was a nephew of South Vietnam's first president, Ngô Đình Diệm, an ...

(February 2001 - September 2002) * Stanisław Nagy (October 2003 - June 2013) *

(November 2016 - )

Architecture

The two-story

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 p ...

facade was completed in 1624. The Baroque Madonna and Child in the niche over the entrance was sculpted by Francesco di Cusart in 1633. In 1650, nearly fifty years after the buildings completion, Carlo Rainaldi designed for the church a tempietto-shaped

baldachino A baldachin, or baldaquin (from it, baldacchino), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over h ...

with 16 slender

jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

Corinthian columns and a high altar. Four statues of the Evangelists were looted in 1849 and replaced by terracotta ones. Santa maria scala

The interior has a nave with three chapels on each side. Its

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

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 ...

and north

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building wi ...

's vaults are decorated with paintings intended to resemble moldings, whilst the south transept has actual

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

relief moldings.

Chapels

* Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel -The first chapel on the left has a painting of the Carmelite

Simon Stock Simon Stock, O.Carm was an English Catholic priest and saint who lived in the 13th century and was an early prior of the Carmelite order. The Blessed Virgin Mary is traditionally said to have appeared to him and given him the Carmelite habit, t ...

Cristoforo Roncalli Cristoforo Roncalli (c. 1552–1626) was an Italian mannerist painter. He was one of the three painters known as ''Pomarancio'' or ''Il Pomarancio''. Life Roncalli was born in Pomarance, a town near Volterra. His training occurred in ...

. * Chapel of the Assumption -Lawyer Laerzio Cherubini had commissioned a painting from

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

suitable as an altarpiece for the second chapel on the left. This was the

Death of the Virgin The Death of the Virgin Mary is a common subject in Western Christian art, the equivalent of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Eastern Orthodox art. This depiction became less common as the doctrine of the Assumption gained support in the Roma ...

. Rumors held that Caravaggio had used a prostitute as a model for the dead virgin. The Carmelites rejected the painting, which was then purchased by

Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua Vincenzo Ι Gonzaga (21 September 1562 – 9 February 1612) was ruler of the Duchy of Mantua and the Duchy of Montferrat from 1587 to 1612. Biography Vincenzo was the only son of Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, and Archduchess Eleanor of Au ...

. When Caravaggio's "Death of the Virgin" was rejected in 1606, it was

Carlo Saraceni Carlo Saraceni (1579 – 16 June 1620) was an Italian early- Baroque painter, whose reputation as a "first-class painter of the second rank" was improved with the publication of a modern monograph in 1968. Life Though he was born and died in ...

who provided an acceptable substitute, which remains ''in situ''. Above the altar is a stature of the

Infant Jesus of Prague The Infant Jesus of Prague ( cs, Pražské Jezulátko: es, Niño Jesús de Praga) is a 16th-century wax-coated wooden statue of the Child Jesus holding a '' globus cruciger'' of Spanish origin, now located in the Discalced Carmelite Church o ...

. * Chapel of the Crucifixion * Chapel of St John the Baptist - The first chapel on the right is dedicated to St John the Baptist. The altarpiece, the "Beheading of St. John the Baptist", is by

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

. * Chapel of St Hyacinth - The second chapel on the right is dedicated to St Hyacinth; the altarpiece of "Our Lady with SS Hyacinth and Catherine of Siena" is by

Antiveduto Grammatica Antiveduto Grammatica (1571 – April 1626) was a proto- Baroque Italian painter, active near Rome. Grammatica was born in either Siena or Rome. According to Giovanni Baglione the artist was given the name Antiveduto ("foreseen") because his ...

. * Chapel of St Joseph - The third chapel on the right contains

Giovanni Odazzi Giovanni Odazzi (1663 – 6 June 1731) was an Italian painter and etcher of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. Biography Rest on Flight to Egypt He was a pupil of Ciro Ferri, then worked under the guidance of Giovanni Battista Gaulli. He ...

's ''Dream of Joseph''. * Chapel of Our Lady of the Stairs - the left side transept holds the original miraculous icon. * Chapel of the Relic - left of the sanctuary, this chapel contains a

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

of St

Teresa of Avila Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

. * Chapel of St Teresa of Jesus - The right transept altar is dedicated to St Teresa of Avila. San Giuseppe Hall houses a collection by

Tito Sarrocchi Tito Sarrocchi (5 January 1824 – 1900) was an Italian sculptor. Biography Sarrocchi was born at Siena to a humble family, as a boy was orphaned of mother. He had to help support his two sisters and his father, who had become nearly blind. At ...

. File:Sta. Maria della Scala.TIF, Sta. Maria della Scala File:Carlo Saraceni - Mort de la Vierge.jpg, ''Death of the Virgin'',

File:Gerrit van Hothorst, Decollazione del Battista, Roma, Santa Maria della Scala.jpg, Decollazione del Battista, Gerrit van Hothorst

Burials

Giovanni Antonio Guadagni Giovanni Antonio Guadagni (14 September 1674 – 15 January 1759) – in religion Giovanni Antonio di San Bernardo – was an Italian cardinal and a professed member from the Discalced Carmelites. His rise in the ranks became rapid after his ...

Pharmacy

Around 1600, the friars built a monastery next door famous for containing the Papal court's 17th century

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

(''Antica Spezieria di Santa Maria della Scala'') on the second floor. The friars prepared their medicines with herbs from the attached garden. In the 18th century, the apothecary also began to train future pharmacists. In 1873 the convent and garden was confiscated by the government and the convent turned into a police station; the Carmelites retained the church. The former pharmacy now houses a museum, containing the herbarium, and the original scales for weighing medicines, the machines for making pills, oil mills, mortars, and alembic stills.
/ref> The furnishings, shelves, showcases and counter are from the eighteenth century.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria della Scala, Santa 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Maria Scala Religious organizations established in 1610 1610 establishments in the Papal States 1610 establishments in Italy Churches of Rome (rione Trastevere) Roman Catholic churches completed in 1610