Santa Maria in Publicolis is a Baroque

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

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 located in the rione of

Sant'Eustachio Sant'Eustachio is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, named for the martyr Saint Eustace. It is located on Via di Sant'Eustachio in the rione Sant'Eustachio, a block west of the Pantheon and via della Rotonda, and a ...

. The facade was designed by

Giovan Antonio de' Rossi Giovanni Antonio de' Rossi (1616–1695) was an Italian architect of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. Life He was a contemporary of Carlo Rainaldi. In 1657, he completed the sacristy of Tivoli Cathedral. That same year, he designed the ...

History and Description

The derivation of the suffix name of the church is unclear; some sources said that Valerio Publicola named the church. But others state the family of the prince Santacroce founded the church. Cardinal

Marcello Santacroce Marcello Santacroce (7 June 1619 – 19 December 1674) was a Roman Catholic cardinal who served as Bishop of Tivoli (1652–1674). Biography Marcello Santacroce was born in Rome on 7 June 1619, the son of Son of Valerio and Elena Maria Santac ...

rebuilt this parish church in 1645 using the designs of

Giovanni Antonio de Rossi Giovanni Antonio de' Rossi (1616–1695) was an Italian architect of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. Life He was a contemporary of Carlo Rainaldi. In 1657, he completed the sacristy of Tivoli Cathedral. That same year, he designed the ...

. The first chapel on the right and the main altarpiece were by Ottavio Vannini. The ''St Francis'' painted for an altar is a copy by

Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi (1606 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian painter, draughtsman, printmaker and architect. He was an accomplished fresco painter of classical landscapes which were popular with leading Roman families. Life Grimaldi ...

of a work by Carracci. Grimaldi also fashioned the tomb monument of the Santacroce family. The portrait of D. Scipione was completed by

Giovanni Battista Maini Giovanni Battista Maini (6 February 1690 – 29 July 1752) was an Italian sculptor of the Late-Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. He was born in Cassano Magnago in Lombardy, and died in Rome. He may have had contacts with Foggini in Florence ...

.Guida metodica di Roma e suoi contorni
by Giuseppe Melchiorri, Rome (1836); page 423.

References

M 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1643 Baroque architecture in Rome Churches of Rome (rione Sant'Eustachio) {{Italy-church-stub