The Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo in Traspontina (Saint Mary of Carmel Across the Bridge) is a Roman Catholic

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 des ...

in Rome, run by the

Carmelites , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount C ...

. The bridge referred to is the

Ponte Sant'Angelo Ponte Sant'Angelo, originally the Aelian Bridge or Pons Aelius, is a Roman bridge in Rome, Italy, completed in 134 AD by Roman Emperor Hadrian (Publius Aelius Hadrianus), to span the Tiber from the city centre to his newly constructed m ...

. The church is on the

Via della Conciliazione Via della Conciliazione (Road of the Conciliation) is a street in the Rione of Borgo within Rome, Italy. Roughly in length, it connects Saint Peter's Square to the Castel Sant'Angelo on the western bank of the Tiber River. The road was constru ...

, the primary road of the Roman Rione of Borgo.

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 ...

designated the church as a cardinalitial '' titulus'' on 13 April 1587. The current cardinal of Santa Maria in Traspontina is the former

Archbishop of Quebec The archbishop of Quebec is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encompassin ...

, Marc Ouellet, and is the Prefect of the

Dicastery for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed. The Dica ...

of the Roman Curia. He was

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 ...

from 2003 to 2018, and continued there when co-opted to suburbicarian rank. It is the

national church A national church is a Christian church associated with a specific ethnic group or nation state. The idea was notably discussed during the 19th century, during the emergence of modern nationalism. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in a draft discussing ...

for Danish Catholics.

History

The first church named Santa Maria in Traspontina, which lay much nearer to the Tiber than today's church, was demolished during the pontificate of

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 ...

(1559–1565) to clear the line of fire for the

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s of the

Castel Sant' Angelo The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausol ...

, who wished to practice shooting on the

Janiculum The Janiculum (; it, Gianicolo ), occasionally the Janiculan Hill, is a hill in western Rome, Italy. Although it is the second-tallest hill (the tallest being Monte Mario) in the contemporary city of Rome, the Janiculum does not figure among t ...

, which would have been blocked behind the church."Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
/ref> Designs by

Giovanni Sallustio Peruzzi Giovanni Sallustio Peruzzi (1511/12 – between 6 May and 24 November 1572) was an Italian architect. Biography Born in Siena, he was the son of architect Baldassare Peruzzi. In Rome he designed the ceremonial entrance to the Castel Sant'Angelo, ...

(with contributions by Ottaviano Nonni and

Francesco Peparelli Francesco Peparelli (died 6 November 1641, Rome) was an Italian architect during the 17th century. According to a contemporary historian, Giovanni Baglione, between palaces, castles, churches and convents, Peparelli participated in about seventy c ...

) for a replacement church were in place by 1566, though the papal artillery officers insisted that its dome be as low as possible to avoid a recurrence of the previous problem — for this reason this is the only church in Rome whose dome does not lie on a

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

. The new church was erected along the North side of Borgo Nuovo, which was at that time - and until its destruction in 1937 - the main road of Borgo. The inscriptions found in Santa Maria in Traspontina, a valuable source illustrating the history of the church, have been collected and published by Vincenzo Forcella. On 21 October 2019

Alexander Tschugguel Alexander Tschugguel (born 24 June 1993) is an Austrian conservative political and Traditionalist Catholic activist. He has been active in the anti-abortion movement, critical of the international community's focus on climate change, and has cam ...

and an accomplice stole five statues, reportedly of

Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

fertility goddess

Pachamama Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous peoples of the Andes. In Inca mythology she is an "Earth Mother" type goddess, Dransart, Penny. (1992) "Pachamama: The Inka Earth Mother of the Long Sweeping Garment." ''Dress and Gender: Making ...

, from the church and threw them into the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by th ...

. The statues were on display in one of the church's side chapels as part of an educational installment about Amazonian culture during the

Amazon Synod The Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region (), commonly referred to as the Amazon synod (), met in Rome from 6 to 27 October 2019. Pope Francis announced on 15 October 2017 that a special assembly of the Synod of Bishops would work "to ident ...

Architecture

The façade is built in travertine blocks. The campanile (1637) was designed by Peparelli."Santa Maria del Carmelo in Traspontina", Churches of Rome
/ref>

Interior

The main altar (1674) was designed by

Carlo Fontana Carlo Fontana (1634 or 1638–1714) was an Italian architect originating from today's Canton Ticino, who was in part responsible for the classicizing direction taken by Late Baroque Roman architecture. Biography There seems to be no proof tha ...

, and has a copy of a medieval icon lost during the period of the Roman Republic (1798-1799). The statues (1695) around the altar are by Alessandro Rondoni, Giacomo Antonio Lavaggi, Vincenzo Felici, and Michel Maille. The ceiling of the left crossing (1697) was frescoed by

Biagio Puccini Biagio Puccini (1673–1721) was an Italian painter, active in his native Rome, but also in Tuscany, Umbria and the Marche in a late Baroque style. He was born in Rome. He trained with Antonio Gherardi, but was influenced by Giacinto Brandi, Giu ...

; the crossing to the right, has an ''Apparition of the Trinity and 3 saints'' (1639) by Giovanni Domenico Cerrini. The choir is located behind the main altar, separate from the name. It has paintings (1760) by Angelo Papi.

Chapels

* Chapel of the Pietà: The first chapel on the left was built by

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 ...

. On either side of the altar are two angels in wood sculptured by Ercole Ferrata. This chapel is also the baptistery. * Chapel of the Prophet Elijah: Second on the left, has an altarpiece depicting ''Santa Elia with St Anthony Abbot and the blessed Francesco Lippi'' painted by

Giacinto Calandrucci Giacinto Calandrucci (Palermo 20 April 1646 – 22 February 1707, Palermo) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Originally from Palermo, he moved to Rome with his fellow Palermitan painter and engraver Pietro del Pò. Like many pai ...

. * Chapel of SS Peter and Paul: Third on the left, contains the two columns to which Peter and Paul were said to have been bound prior to their martyrdom in the circus of Nero nearby. It has a ''Flagellation of Saints Peter and Paul'' by

Giovanni Battista Ricci Giovanni Battista Ricci (Novara, circa 1537 – Rome, 1627) nicknamed Il Novara after his birth town, was an Italian painter of the late-Mannerist and early-Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. Biography Ricci moved to Rome from his native Pie ...

. * Chapel of St. Teresa of Avila: Fourth on the left, has an altarpiece, the ''Ecstasy of Santa Teresa'' (1698) by Antonio Gherardi. Transpontina Hl Knut

* Chapel of St Angelus of Jerusalem: Fifth chapel on the left, has an altarpiece by Ricci of ''Preaching by San Angelo Martire'' (1612) and stories of the saint. * Chapel of St Andrew Corsini: left transept; in 1684 a painting by

Maria de Dominici Suor Maria de Dominici (6 December 1645 – 18 March 1703) was a Maltese painter, sculptor, and a Carmelite tertiary nun. Born into a family of artists based in the city of Birgu (Vittoriosa), she was the daughter of a goldsmith and appraiser f ...

in honor of St. Andrew was hung in this chapel.Gaze, Delia et al. ''Dictionary of Women Artists'', Taylor & Francis, 1997, p. 462
* Chapel of St Barbara:The first on the right, is dedicated to the patron saint of gunners. The chapel was established through donations from the confraternity of bombardiers of Castel Sant'Angelo. This chapel has an altarpiece of ''Santa Barbara'' (c. 1597) by

Cavalier d'Arpino Giuseppe Cesari (14 February 1568 – 3 July 1640) was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called ''Cavaliere d'Arpino'', because he was created ''Cavaliere di Cristo'' by his patron Pope Clement VIII. He was much patroniz ...

, with frescoed scenes (1610–20) from the life of the saint by Cesare Rossetti. * Chapel of St Knud: Second on the right, was established as a Danish chapel in Rome. The altarpiece is the ''Ecstasy of S. Canuto'' (1686) by Daniel Seiter, with frescoed ceiling and lunettes by Alessandro Francesi depicting ''The Glory of St Knud'', with angels carry the saint in triumph to Heaven. King

Christian X of Denmark Christian X ( da, Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 to his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, in the form of a personal union rathe ...

and Queen Alexandrina visited the church in 1920. * Chapel of Our Lady of Carmel Third on the right, * Chapel of the Holy Cross: Fourth on the right, has a ''Madonna & St. John Evangelist'' (1587) by Cesare Conti with frescoes of the Passion (1649) by Bernardino Gagliardi. * Chapel of St. Alberto Avogadro: Fifth on the right, the frescoed stories were by

Niccolò Circignani Niccolò Circignani (c. 1517/1524 – after 1596) was an Italian painter of the late- Renaissance or Mannerist period. Biography Born in Pomarance, he is one of three Italian painters called Pomarancio. His first works are documented from ...

. * Chapel of St Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi: right transept

References

Books

External links

website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Traspontina Renaissance architecture in Rome Maria Traspontina Carmelite churches in Italy 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches of Rome (rione Borgo)