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The church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti, often called merely the Trinità dei Monti ( French: ''La Trinité-des-Monts''), is a Roman Catholic late Renaissance
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 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 * Chri ...
in Rome, central Italy. It is best known for its position above the
Spanish Steps The Spanish Steps ( it, Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) in Rome, Italy, climb a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top. The monumental stairway ...
which lead down to the famous
Piazza di Spagna Piazza di Spagna ("Spanish Square"), at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is one of the most famous squares in Rome, Italy. It owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, the seat of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. There is also the famed Col ...
. The church and its surrounding area (including the Villa Medici) are a French State property.


History

In 1494,
Saint Francis of Paola Francis of Paola, O.M., (or: Francesco di Paola or Francis the Fire Handler; 27 March 1416 – 2 April 1507) was an Italian mendicant friar and the founder of the Roman Catholic Order of Minims. Unlike the majority of founders of men's religiou ...
, a hermit from Calabria, bought a vineyard from the papal scholar and former
patriarch of Aquileia The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
, Ermolao Barbaro, and then obtained the authorization from Pope Alexander VI to establish a monastery for the Minimite Friars. In 1502,
Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and b ...
began construction of the church of the Trinità dei Monti next to this monastery, to celebrate his successful invasion of Naples. Building work began in a French style with pointed late
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
arches, but construction lagged. The present Italian Renaissance church was eventually built in its place and finally consecrated in 1585 by the great urbanizer
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 ...
, whose ''via Sistina'' connected the Piazza della Trinità dei Monti (outside the church) to the
Piazza Barberini Piazza Barberini is a large piazza in the ''centro storico'' or city center of Rome, Italy and situated on the Quirinal Hill. It was created in the 16th century but many of the surrounding buildings have subsequently been rebuilt. The current ap ...
across the city. The architect of the facade is not known for certain, but Wolfgang Lotz suggests that it may have originated in a design by
Giacomo della Porta Giacomo della Porta (1532–1602) was an Italian architect and sculptor, who worked on many important buildings in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica. He was born at Porlezza, Lombardy and died in Rome. Biography Giacomo Della Porta was ...
(a follower of Michelangelo), who had built the church of
Sant'Atanasio dei Greci The Church of Saint Athanasius ( it, Sant’Atanasio, la, S. Athanasii), also known as Sant'Atanasio dei Greci (, ''Ekklisia Agiou Athanasiou ton Ellinon''), is a Greek Catholic titular church located on Via del Babuino 149, near the Spanish step ...
, which has similarities, a little earlier. The double staircase in front of the church was by
Domenico Fontana Domenico Fontana (154328 June 1607) was an Italian architect of the late Renaissance, born in today's Ticino. He worked primarily in Italy, at Rome and Naples. Biography He was born at Melide, a village on the Lake Lugano, at that time join ...
. In front of the church stands the ''Obelisco Sallustiano'', one of the many
obelisks in Rome The city of Rome harbours thirteen ancient obelisks, the most in the world. There are eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Roman obelisks in Rome, together with a number of more modern obelisks; there was also until 2005 an ancient Ethiopia ...
, moved here in 1789. It is a Roman obelisk in imitation of Egyptian ones, originally constructed in the early years of the Roman Empire for the
Gardens of Sallust The Gardens of Sallust ( la, Horti Sallustiani) was an ancient Roman estate including a landscaped pleasure garden developed by the historian Sallust in the 1st century BC. It occupied a large area in the northeastern sector of Rome, in what woul ...
near the Porta Salaria. The hieroglyphic inscription was copied from that on the obelisk in the Piazza del Popolo known as
Flaminio Obelisk Flaminio may refer to: Geography * Flaminio (Rome), a quartiere * Flaminio – Piazza del Popolo (Rome Metro), an underground station * Rignano Flaminio, a comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome * Stadio Flaminio The Stadio Flaminio is a stadi ...
. During the
Napoleonic occupation of Rome The Kingdom of Italy (1805–1814; it, Regno d'Italia; french: Royaume d'Italie) was a kingdom in Northern Italy (formerly the Italian Republic) in personal union with Napoleon I's French Empire. It was fully influenced by revolutionary F ...
, the church, like many others, was despoiled of its art and decorations. In 1816, after the
Bourbon restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...
, the church was restored at the expense of Louis XVIII.Macadam p.171 The inscriptions found in Santissima Trinità dei Monti, a valuable source illustrating the history of the church, have been collected and published by Vincenzo Forcella.


Interior

In the first chapel to the right is a ''Baptism of Christ'' and other scenes of the life of ''John the Baptist'' by the Florentine Mannerist painter Giambattista Naldini. In the third chapel on the right is an ''Assumption of the Virgin'' by a pupil of Michelangelo,
Daniele da Volterra Daniele Ricciarelli (; 15094 April 1566), better known as Daniele da Volterra (, ), was a Mannerist Italian painter and sculptor. He is best remembered for his association with the late Michelangelo. Several of Daniele's most important works ...
(the last figure on the right is said to be a portrait of Michelangelo). In the fourth chapel, the ''Cappella Orsini'', are scenes of the ''Passion of Christ'' by
Paris Nogari Paris Nogari (c. 1536–1601) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, a minor pupil of Cesare Nebbia active mainly in Rome. He painted in the library of the Vatican in a style resembling Raffaellino da Reggio and was among the painters ...
and the funeral monument of Cardinal
Rodolfo Pio da Carpi Rodolfo Pio da Carpi (22 February 1500 – 2 May 1564) was an Italian Cardinal, humanist and patron of the arts. The nephew of a diplomat, he himself became a diplomat by the age of thirty, and came to know both Emperor Charles V and King Fra ...
by Leonardo Sormani. In a chapel near the high altar is a canvas of the ''Crucifixion'' painted 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 ...
. In the Cappella Pucci, on the left, are frescoes (1537) by Perino del Vaga finished by
Federico Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. People with the given name Federico Artists * Federico Ágreda, Venezuelan composer and DJ. * Federico Aguilar Alcua ...
and Taddeo Zuccari in 1589. The second chapel on the left has a well-known canvas of the ''Deposition'' in grisaille, by
Daniele da Volterra Daniele Ricciarelli (; 15094 April 1566), better known as Daniele da Volterra (, ), was a Mannerist Italian painter and sculptor. He is best remembered for his association with the late Michelangelo. Several of Daniele's most important works ...
, which imitates in '' trompe-l'œil'' a work of sculpture; flanking it are frescoes by
Pablo de Céspedes Pablo de Céspedes (1538 – July 26, 1608) was a Spanish painter, poet, and architect. Biography His father, Alonso Céspedes, was descended of a noble Castilian family, once settled at Ocaña, and the name of his mother, who was a native ...
and Cesare Arbasia. The first chapel on the left has frescoes by Nebbia. In the sacristy anteroom are more frescoes by Taddeo Zuccari: a ''Coronation of the Virgin'', an ''Annunciation'', and a ''Visitation''. In a niche along a corridor that opens onto the cloister, is the fresco (reputed to be miraculous) of the '' Mater Admirabilis'', depicting the
Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
, painted by Pauline Perdreau, a young French girl, in 1844. File:Interior of Trinità dei Monti.jpg, The Nave File:TrinitàMontiAltare2-SteO153.JPG, The High Altar File:Trinitadeimonti8b7.jpg, ''Deposition'' by
Wilhelm Achtermann File:Trinita dei Monti assumption of the virgin.jpg, ''Assumption of the Virgin'' by
Daniele da Volterra Daniele Ricciarelli (; 15094 April 1566), better known as Daniele da Volterra (, ), was a Mannerist Italian painter and sculptor. He is best remembered for his association with the late Michelangelo. Several of Daniele's most important works ...
File:Mater Admirabilis.JPG, The Virgin Mary (the fresco known as
' Mater Admirabilis')


Convent

The refectory has a frescoed ceiling by
Andrea Pozzo Andrea Pozzo (; Latinized version: ''Andreas Puteus''; 30 November 1642 – 31 August 1709) was an Italian Jesuit brother, Baroque painter, architect, decorator, stage designer, and art theoretician. Pozzo was best known for his grandiose fresc ...
. In the cloister there is an astrolabes table, and along a corridor are the anamorphic frescoes (steeply sloping perspectives that have to be viewed from a particular point to make pictorial sense), portraying ''St John on Patmos'' and ''St Francis of Paola as a hermit'' all by
Emmanuel Maignan Emmanuel Maignan (Emanuel) (b. at Toulouse, 17 July 1601; d. at Toulouse, 29 October 1676) was a French physicist and Catholic Minimite theologian. His writings were particularly influential in Spain, where they were resisted by his fellow Minim ...
(1637). An upper room was painted with ruins by
Charles-Louis Clérisseau Charles-Louis Clérisseau (28 August 1721 – 9 January 1820) was a French architect, draughtsman, antiquary, and artist who became a leading authority on ancient Roman architecture and Roman ruins in Italy and France. With his influence extending ...
.


Religious affiliations

The kings of France remained patrons of the church until the French Revolution and the church continued to be the church of the Minimite Friars until its partial destruction in 1798. It has been 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 since the ''Titulus Santissimae Trinitatis in Monte Pincio'' was established by
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 ...
in 1587 and has been held ever since by a French
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
. The current (2010)
Cardinal Priest 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 ...
is
Philippe Barbarin Philippe Xavier Christian Ignace Marie Barbarin (born 17 October 1950) is a French Roman Catholic prelate who was the Archbishop of Lyon from 2002 to 2020. He was made a cardinal in 2003. He was charged in 2017 and convicted in 2019 of failing ...
,
Archbishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (Latin: ''Archidiœcesis Lugdunensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Lyon''), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The Archbishop ...
and Primate of the Gauls. By the Diplomatic Conventions of 14 May and 8 September 1828 between the Holy See and the
Government of France The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...
the church and monastery were entrusted to the 'Religieuses du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus' ( Society of the Sacred Heart), a French religious order, for the purpose of educating young girls. In 2003 the French government were proposing to make funds available for necessary work on the church but was concerned that the Society might find it difficult to continue their work there in the future and in March 2003 the Society decided that it would withdraw from the Trinità no later than the summer of 2006. On July 12, 2005, the Vatican and the French Embassy to the Holy See announced that the Church, Convent and school would be entrusted from 1 September 2006 to the
Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem The Monastic Communities of Jerusalem were founded in 1975 by Brother Pierre-Marie Delfieux (died March 2013), until then prior general, with the aim of promoting the spirit of the monastic desert (cf. Charles de Foucauld) in the heart of cities. ...
.RSJCinternational.org
, website of the Society of the Sacred Heart for the history of the change


See also

* Jean-Marie Villot


References

;Additional sources * * Hutton, Edward: Rome (1911. 7th revised & enlarged edn:1950) * Lotz, Wolfgang: Architecture in Italy 1500–1600. (1974. Yale U.P.edition 1995) * Macadam, Alta: Rome (Blue Guides. 6th edition. London. 1998)


External links


More pictures of the church from RomeArtLover.it
*Gabriel Chow, ''GCatholic.org''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trinita Dei Monti Titular churches Renaissance architecture in Rome Religious buildings and structures completed in 1585 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy National churches in Rome Rome R. IV Campo Marzio Carlo Maderno buildings