Church of the Holy Spirit in the Saxon District (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''La chiesa di Santo Spirito in Sassia'') is a 12th-century

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 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 ...

. It is in '' Borgo Santo Spirito'', a street which got its name from the church, placed in the southern part of

Rione A (; plural: ) is a neighbourhood in several Italian cities. A is a territorial subdivision. The larger administrative subdivisions in Rome are the , with the being used only in the historic centre. The word derives from the Latin , the 14 su ...

Borgo. The current holder of the ''titulus'' is

Cardinal-Deacon A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

Dominique Mamberti Dominique François Joseph Mamberti (born 7 March 1952) is the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in the Roman Curia. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015. Early life and education Dominique Mamberti was born in Ma ...

. It has been the official sanctuary of

Divine Mercy The Divine Mercy is a form of God's compassion, an act of grace based on trust or forgiveness. In Catholicism, it refers specifically to a devotion which had its origin in the apparitions of Jesus Christ reported by Faustina Kowalska. Etym ...

since 1994.

History

The church stands on the site of King

Ine of Wessex Ine, also rendered Ini or Ina, ( la, Inus; c. AD 670 – after 726) was King of Wessex from 689 to 726. At Ine's accession, his kingdom dominated much of southern England. However, he was unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecess ...

's ''Schola Saxonum'', or "Saxon School", a charitable institution for

West Saxon West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

pilgrims. According to

Roger of Wendover Roger of Wendover (died 6 May 1236), probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century. At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell o ...

, Ine founded the Schola Saxonum in AD 727. It included a hostel and a chapel dedicated to Santa Maria. In mediaeval times a substantial number of pilgrims from Wessex, including fighting men, traveled the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome.Merkle, Benjamin R. (2009-11-02). ''The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great'' (Kindle Locations 266-275 and 366-370). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Nashville Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Co. 2009) It was rebuilt in the 12th century and subsequently restored several times. In 1475

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

commissioned joining the church to the nearby Hospital of the Holy Spirit for foundlings (which

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

had built and whose history is given in wall-paintings in the church's sacristy) and given a

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tow ...

. In 1538–1545, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, or

Baldassare Peruzzi Baldassare Tommaso Peruzzi (7 March 1481 – 6 January 1536) was an Italian architect and painter, born in a small town near Siena (in Ancaiano, ''frazione'' of Sovicille) and died in Rome. He worked for many years with Bramante, Raphael, and lat ...

, rebuilt the church after it had been damaged during the Sack of Rome. An organ, which survives, was added in 1547. In 1585–1590,

Pope Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

had the exterior restored, giving the church its present façade by

Ottavio Mascherino Ottaviano Nonni (1536 – 6 August 1606), called Il Mascherino, was an Italian architect, sculptor, and painter born in Bologna. Apprentice of Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, he was active in Emilia and in Rome, where he had been living in the rione ...

, inspired by a design of Sangallo. This facade has two stories, with Corinthian

pilasters In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

dividing the lower one into five sections, and the upper divided into three sections. In the upper middle section is a circular window, and above that is the coat-of-arms of Pope Sixtus V. The façade is crowned by a

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

. It is a typical example of

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought ...

. In the stational procession for the first Sunday after the Octave of the Epiphany, instituted by Pope Innocent III (1198–1216), a procession carried the veil of

Saint Veronica Saint Veronica, also known as Berenike, was a woman from Jerusalem who lived in the 1st century AD, according to extra-biblical Christian sacred tradition. A celebrated saint in many pious Christianity by country, Christian countries, the 17th-c ...

from

Saint Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal ...

, and the Pope celebrated Mass in this church. Indulgences were granted to those who took part, and money was distributed to the poor. The inscriptions found in Santo Spirito in Sassia, a valuable source illustrating the history of the church, have been collected and published by Vincenzo Forcella.V. Forcella, ''Iscrizioni delle chiese e d'altri edifici di Roma, dal secolo XI fino al secolo XVI'' Volume VI (Roma: Fratelli Bencini, 1875), pp. 377-505.

n Italian and Latin N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

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Art and architecture

The church has a single nave, and ten apsidal chapels along the sides. The counter-facade has a ''Visitation'' (1545) by

Marco Pino Marco Pino or Marco da Siena (1521–1583) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance and Mannerist period. Born in Costalpino and first trained in Siena, he later worked in Rome and in Naples, where he died. He was putatively a pupil of the pain ...

, and a ''Conversion of St. Paul'' begun by Francesco Salviati and completed by Francesco Rubiale. The first chapel to the right in the apse, has a fresco of the ''Pentecost'' by the Florentine

Jacopo Zucchi Jacopo Zucchi (c. 1541- c. 1590) was a Florentine painter of the Mannerist style, active in Florence and Rome. His training began in the studio of Giorgio Vasari, and he participated in decoration of the ''Studiolo'' and the ''Salone dei Cinque ...

and his brother. The second chapel has an ''Assumption'' by

Livio Agresti Livio Agresti (1508–1580), also called Ritius or Ricciutello, was an Italian painter of the late Renaissance or Mannerist period, active both in his native city of Forlì and in Rome, where he died. He was one of the members of the " Forlì p ...

, who also painted the ''Trinity'' in the fourth chapel as well as frescoes in the third chapel. The fifth chapel has an ''Annunciation'' and an ''Ascent'' (1570) by

Giuseppe Valeriano Giuseppe Valeriano (L'Aquila, August, 1542 – Naples, July 15, 1596) was an Italian painter and architect, priest of the Jesuit order, and active in Rome, Spain, and Naples. Biography He began training in his native town under a minor paint ...

. The sacristy is decorated by stories of the ''Schola Saxonum'' by Guidobaldo Abbatini. The apse is frescoed (1583) by both Jacopo and

Francesco Zucchi image:Francesco Zucchi.JPG, 250px, ''Self-portrait'' by Francesco Zucchi, 1733 Francesco Zucchi (Venice, 1692–1764), was an Italian people, Italian engraving, engraver, active mainly in Northern Italy. Biography He was the brother of Andrea Zucch ...

. The fifth chapel on the left has a ''Martyrdom of St. John the Evangelist'' by

Marcello Venusti Marcello Venusti (1512 – 15 October 1579) was an Italian Mannerist painter active in Rome in the mid-16th century. Native to Mazzo di Valtellina near Como, he was reputed to have been a pupil of Perino del Vaga. He is known for a scaled cop ...

. The second and first chapels contain paintings by

Cesare Nebbia Cesare Nebbia (c.1536–c.1614) was an Italian painter from Orvieto who painted in a Mannerist style. Biography Nebbia was born in Orvieto. He trained with Girolamo Muziano, and under this master, he helped complete a flurry of decoration th ...

, including a ''Coronation of the Virgin''.

Burials

Burgred of Mercia Burgred (also Burhred or Burghred) was an Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia from 852 to 874. Family Burgred became king of Mercia in 852, and may have been related to his predecessor Beorhtwulf. After Easter in 853, Burgred married Æthelswith, daughte ...

Cardinal-Deacons

Since the 1991 consistory of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, the church has been used as a Deaconry with a Cardinal assigned as its Cardinal Protector (a term created by Pope Paul VI in 1966). *

Fiorenzo Angelini Fiorenzo Angelini (1 August 1916 – 22 November 2014) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers in the Roman Curia, and was elevate ...

(28 June 1991 – 22 November 2014) *

(14 Feb 2015 – ''present'')

References

Sources

* Emilio Lavagnino, ''La chiesa di Santo Spirito in Sassia: e il mutare del gusto a Roma al tempo del Concilio di Trento'' (Rome: Banco di Santo Spirito, 1962). * Louise Smith Bross, ''The Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia: A Study in the Development of Art, Architecture and Patronage in Counter Reformation Rome'' hD thesis, University of Chicago, 1994 * Sivigliano Alloisi and Luisa Cardilli Alloisi, ''Santo Spirito in Saxia'' (Rome: Istituto nazionale di studi romani, Palombi Editori 2002). * Gianfranco Grieco and Jòzef Bart, ''Santo Spirito in Sassia'' (Gorle: Elledici: Editrice Velar, 2007). vailable in English {{Authority control 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1580 Spirito 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Renaissance architecture in Rome Divine Mercy Churches of Rome (rione Borgo)

History

Art and architecture

Burials

Cardinal-Deacons

See also

References

Sources