Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso (usually known simply as ''San Carlo al Corso'') is a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

church in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy, facing onto the central part of the

Via del Corso The Via del Corso is a main street in the historical centre of Rome. It is straight in an area otherwise characterized by narrow meandering alleys and small piazzas. Considered a wide street in ancient times, the Corso is approximately 10 metres w ...

. The apse of the church faces across the street, the

Mausoleum of Augustus The Mausoleum of Augustus (; ) is a large tomb built by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 28 BC on the Campus Martius in Rome, Italy. The mausoleum is located on the Piazza Augusto Imperatore, near the corner with Via di Ripetta as it runs along th ...

Via di Ripetta Via di Ripetta, also called Via Ripetta, is a street in the historic centre of Rome (Italy), in the Rioni of Rome, rione Campo Marzio, that links Piazza del Popolo to Via del Clementino and, with other toponyms (Via della Scrofa, Via della Dogan ...

. This church is dedicated to

Saint Ambrose Ambrose of Milan (; 4 April 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose, was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promoting Roman Christianity against Ari ...

and

Saint Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo (; ; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was made a cardinal in 1560. Borromeo founded the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and was a ...

, the patron saints of Milan. It is one of at least three churches in Rome dedicated to Borromeo, others including

San Carlo ai Catinari San Carlo ai Catinari, also called Santi Biagio e Carlo ai Catinari ("Saints Blaise and Charles at the Bowl-Makers"), is an early-Baroque style church in Rome, Italy. It is located on Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, 117 just off the corner of Via Arenu ...

and

San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane The church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (Saint Charles at the Four Fountains), also called , is a Roman Catholic church in Rome, Italy. The church was designed by the architect Francesco Borromini and it was his first independent commission. ...

Construction

Basilica dei Santi Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso

The church of the Saints Ambrogio and Carlo al Corso is the national church of the Lombards, to whom in 1471 Pope Sixtus IV gave, in recognition of their valuable construction work of the Sistine Chapel, the small church of S. Niccolò del Tufo, which was first restored and then dedicated to S. Ambrogio, the patron saint of Milan. Its construction was begun in honour of the canonization of St. Charles Borromeo in 1610, under the direction of

Onorio Longhi Onorio Longhi (1568–1619) was an Italian architect, the father of Martino Longhi the Younger and the son of Martino Longhi the Elder. Born in Viggiù, Lombardy, Longhi began as assistant for his father, and inherited the latter's commission a ...

and, after his death, of his son

Martino Longhi the Younger Martino Longhi the Younger (March 18, 1602– December 15, 1660) was an Italian architect of the Baroque period active in Rome, in a milieu when the most prominent competition for commissions came from no less than Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Francesc ...

. The site was that of the former church of ''San Nicola de Tofo''. The ground plan is based on the Latin cross. The dome, resembling that of

Santi Luca e Martina Santi Luca e Martina is a church in Rome, Italy, situated between the Roman Forum and the Forum of Caesar and close to the Arch of Septimus Severus. History The church was initially dedicated to Saint Martina, martyred in 228 AD during the reig ...

, was designed by

Pietro da Cortona Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...

(1668), who was also responsible for the apse and rich internal decorations. The façade was designed by Cardinal Luigi Alessandro Omodei, who financed the completion of the church, and did not like the project prepared by

Carlo Rainaldi Carlo Rainaldi (4 May 1611 – 8 February 1691) was an Italian architect of the Baroque period. Biography Born in Rome, Rainaldi was one of the leading architects of 17th-century Rome, known for a certain grandeur in his designs. He worked at f ...

. Since 1906, the maintenance of the basilica has been entrusted to the priests of the

Institute of Charity The Rosminians, officially named the Institute of Charity (), abbreviated I.C., are a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men founded by Antonio Rosmini and first organised in 1828. The order was formally approve ...

Decoration

The central vault is frescoed with a ''Fall of the Rebel Angels'' (1677–1679) by

Giacinto Brandi Giacinto Brandi (1621 – 19 January 1691) was an Italian painter from the Baroque era, active mainly in Rome and Naples. left, 250px, ''Christ in Gesthemane'', Pinacoteca Vaticana left, 250px, Dome of the church of San Carlo al Corso B ...

. The altarpiece, depicting the ''Saints Ambrose and Charles Borromeo with the Virgin and Jesus'', was painted around 1685–1690 by

Carlo Maratta Carlo Maratta or Maratti (18 May 162515 December 1713) was an Italian Baroque painter and Drawing, draughtsman, active principallly in Rome where he was the leading painter in the second half of the 17th century. He was a fresco and canvas painte ...

. The stucco decoration was by Giacomo and

Cosimo Fancelli Cosimo Fancelli (c.1620 – 3 April 1688) was an Italian sculptor of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. He worked on a number of commissions with Pietro da Cortona from 1647 until Cortona's death in 1669. Gian Lorenzo Bernini ...

. The statue of the saints was by

Francesco Cavallini Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional cha ...

. Frescos of Justice and Peace were painted by

Girolamo Troppa Girolamo Troppa (1637–1710) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, depicting mainly sacred subjects. He was active in Rome and Umbria. He was a follower of Carlo Maratti. He painted for the church of San Giacomo delle Penitenti, in c ...

. There are also paintings by the baroque painter

Giovanni Battista Beinaschi ''The Deploration of Abel'', Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Italian painter and engraver active in the Mannerism">Mannerist and Baroque style. Life He was born in Turin. He first trained in the Piedmont, under a painter by the n ...

San Carlo is the only church in Rome to have an

ambulatory The ambulatory ( 'walking place') is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th century but by the 13t ...

which contains the heart of

Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo (; ; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archdiocese of Milan, Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was made a Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal in 156 ...

, who was canonised on 1 November 1610 by

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...

. It was donated to the church in 1614 by his cousin,

Federico Borromeo Federico Borromeo (; 18 August 1564 – 21 September 1631) was an Italian cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan, Archbishop of Milan, and prominent figure of the Counter-Reformation in Italy. His acts of charity, ...

. The 16th-century oratory of St. Ambrose is beyond the left transept. The first chapel on the right is dedicated to the Crucifixion and has a fresco of ''Vigilance'' by Paolo Albertoni. The second chapel, on the right, is dedicated to ''Mary, Aid of Christians'' (Maria Auxilium Christianorum), and has an image of the Virgin donated by St Vincent Pallotti in the 19th century. The third chapel on the right is dedicated to the Holy Family. On its left side is a depiction of ''The Redemptor and Sts Ambrose and Charles'' as well as the sepulchral monument of Federico Borromeo. On the exterior, to the sides of the apse and facing the ancient

, are two giant statues of the titular saints, among the largest in Rome. Other artists active in the church include Pasquale de' Rossi,

Luigi Garzi Luigi Garzi (1638–1721) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period whose style was strongly influenced by the work of the Bolognese painter Guido Reni. Biography He was born in Pistoia. He started learning from a poorly known landscape paint ...

, Francesco Rosa,

Giovanni Battista Buonocore Giovanni Battista Buonocore (1643 in Campli, Province of Teramo, Abruzzo – May 22, 1699 in Rome) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He became Rector (1679), then ''Principe'' (1698) (replacing the Maratta) of the Accademia di San Luc ...

, and Fabbrizio Chiari.

Chapel of St. Olav

The Chapel of St. Olav of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, to the left of the nave, is dedicated to the martyr king who converted to Christianity and was slain in the

Battle of Stiklestad The Battle of Stiklestad (; ) in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle, King Olaf II of Norway () was killed. During the pontificate of Pope Alexander III, the Roman Catholic Church declared Olaf a saint ...

in 1030. The chapel was inaugurated by Cardinal

Lucido Maria Parocchi Lucido Maria Parocchi (13 August 1833 – 15 January 1903) was an Italian cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Ho ...

on 9 April 1893, on the 50th anniversary of the first Mass celebrated legally in Norway since the Reformation. The painting, by the Polish artist

Pius Weloński Pius ( , ; ) is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Monarch * Antoninus Pius (86–161), Roman emperor Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918–2009), who led the breakaway True Cat ...

, depicts the Viking king's victory over his own pagan past, which is represented by a dragon. It was a gift, presented on 3 March 1893, to Pope

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...

for the 50th anniversary of his episcopal ordination. Bishop

Johannes Olav Fallize Johannes Olav Fallize, Ph.D., D.Th. (9 November 1844, Bettelange, Luxembourg, Belgium – 23 October 1933, Luxembourg, Luxembourg), was the first Roman Catholic bishop in Norway since the Reformation. As the head of the Catholic Church of Norway ...

, then the

Vicar Apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

of Norway, had asked that it be placed in this chapel and it was unveiled by the

Papal chamberlain A papal gentleman, formally a Gentleman of His Holiness, is a lay attendant of the pope and his papal household in Vatican City. Papal gentlemen serve in the Apostolic Palace near St. Peter's Basilica in ceremonial positions, such as escorting d ...

, Baron

Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg Wilhelm Christian Wedel-Jarlsberg (February 20, 1852 at Vækerø Manor – September 16, 1909 in Einsiedeln) was a Norwegian nobleman and papal chamberlain. He was the son of Baron Herman Wedel-Jarlsberg (Bogstad) and Edle Frederikke Rose ...

. The Pope supported the idea of a Norwegian chapel in Rome. A smaller picture on the altar shows St. Anne and her daughter, the Blessed Virgin. St Anne was a very popular saint in pre-Reformation Norway. The relics of a Roman martyr, St. Saturninus, are interred in the altar. Nothing is known about him except his name. The chapel was restored, and it was reinaugurated by John Willem Gran, the

Bishop of Oslo The Diocese of Oslo is the Church of Norway's bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese in 1068. ...

, in 1980. The initiative for this restoration came from Cecilie "Ciss" Riber-Mohn (who was not herself a Catholic, and who died in 1978, before the restoration was complete), Olga Térése "Olgese" Mowinckel Ringler and her Italian husband Andrea Ringler. Rieber-Mohn had also preserved the chapel in the 1960s when there was talk about using it for other purposes. Mass is celebrated in Norwegian at Christmas, on 17 May (Constitution Day) and 16 October (feast of St. Olav's conversion), and many Norwegian expatriates, including non-Catholics, take part. Requiem masses are celebrated for Norwegians with connections to Rome. Norwegian pilgrim groups can make an appointment to celebrate Mass here, and at times tourist groups come here for ecumenical services.

Marriage of Liszt

San Carlo al Corso is the church where the marriage was planned to be solemnized between

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

and

Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (née Iwanowska, ; 8 February 18199 March 1887) was a Polish noblewoman who is best known for her 40-year relationship with musician Franz Liszt. She was also an amateur journalist and essayist. It is conj ...

. From 1849, this Polish princess granted hospitality to Liszt, her great lover, at the Altenburg in Weimar. In 1860 she left for Rome to dissolve her marriage with the Russian officer Nikolaus - which had already been done in Russia five years earlier. When this succeeded in January 1861, she organized her union with Liszt on 22 October 1861, Liszt's 50th Birthday, in the San Carlo, her parish church. On 20 October Liszt arrived in Rome, and made a marriage statement with Carolyne. Meanwhile, Bishop Von Hohenlohe, a brother of Carolyne's son-in-law, succeeded, with help of Carolyne's relatives, in preventing the marriage ceremony - and thus in keeping Carolyne's capital in the families: on the eve of the marriage Carolyne received a message from the pastor of San Carlo that the request was being reconsidered and the wedding postponed. Thereupon she broke her relationship with Liszt off - who remained in Rome, where he studied theology, became friendly with Von Hohenlohe, received from him the Minor Orders, and proceeded life as ‘Abbé Liszt’.Lisztomania: Liszt in Rome
/ref>

List of Cardinal-Priest

* Desiderio Scaglia, O.P., 16 October 1627 – 21 August 1639 *

Angelo Dell'Acqua Angelo Dell'Acqua (9 December 1903 – 27 August 1972) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as vicar general of Rome from 1968-1972, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967. Biography Dell'Acqua was born in ...

, O.SS.CA, 9 June 1967 – 27 August 1972 * Ugo Poletti, 5 March 1973 – 25 February 1997 *

Dionigi Tettamanzi Dionigi Tettamanzi (14 March 1934 – 5 August 2017) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who was named a cardinal in 1998. He was Archbishop of Genoa from 1995 to 2002 and Archbishop of Milan from 2002 to 2011. Early years Tett ...

, 21 February 1998 – 5 August 2017

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlo Al Corso 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Basilica churches in Rome Titular churches Churches of Rome (rione Campo Marzio) Church buildings with domes Churches dedicated to Saint Olav Via del Corso