The Church of Saint Athanasius (, ), also known as Sant'Atanasio dei Greci (, ''Ekklisia Agiou Athanasiou ton Ellinon''), is a

Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...

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 located on Via del Babuino 149, near the

Spanish Steps The Spanish Steps () in Rome, Italy, climb a steep slope between Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top. The monumental stairway of 135 steps is linked with the Trinit� ...

, in the

rione A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed a ...

Campo Marzio Campo Marzio () is the 4th of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. IV. It belongs to the Municipio I and covers a smaller section of the area of the ancient Campus Martius. The logo of this rione is a silver crescent on a blue background. ...

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.

History

The church was built in 1577 for use of a Greek College for the formation of Catholic clergy in the

Eastern Rite Eastern Rite or Eastern liturgical rite may refer to: * a liturgical rite used in Eastern Christianity: ** liturgical rites of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which mainly use the Byzantine liturgical rites ** liturgical rites of the Oriental Orthodox ...

. Construction was patronized by the

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...

and the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

order to promulgate and serve the interests forming a Congregation of the Greeks. In 1872 the church was entrusted to the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named the Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches (), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible f ...

. On 22 February 1962

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

made it a cardinalitial

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...

. At present the ''Titulus San Athanasii'' is held by Lucian Cardinal Mureșan.

Architecture

The main layout was designed by

Giacomo della Porta Giacomo della Porta (1533–1602) was an Italian architect and sculptor. Most likely born in Genoa or Porlezza, Italy, his work was inspired by famous Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola. He started in his car ...

, although the facade was attributed to Martino Longhi the Elder. The facade is placed between two towers covered with domes, which is divided into two horizontal bands by a marble ledge. Either side of a large window is written an inscription, one in Greek and the other in Latin in honor of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria. On the left stands a tower clock, donated by

Pope Clement XIV Pope Clement XIV (; ; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in September 1774. At the time of his elec ...

in 1771, which faces the palace of the Pontifical Greek College. The interior was frescoed by Francesco Tibaldi, and contained altarpieces by Cavalier d'Arpino. In the past, the library was said to hold the library of Leo Allatius.Accurata, E Succinta Descrizione Topografica, E Istorica Di Roma
Volume 1, by Ridolfino Venturini, published by Carlo Barbellieni, Rome (1768); page 147.

List of Cardinal priests

* Gabriel Acacius Coussa (22 March 1962 - 29 July 1962) * Josyf Ivanovyce Slipyj (25 February 1965 - 7 September 1984) * Lucian Mureșan (18 February 2012 - present) In the 1963 novel and 1968 film, '' Shoes of the Fisherman,'' Ukrainian Kiril Lakota, Eastern rite Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv, is appointed cardinal priest with Saint Athanasius as his titular church (before being elected Pope).

References

Sources

* M. Armellini
''Le chiese di Roma dal secolo IV al XIX'', Roma 1891
pp. 339

p. 381 * C. Rendina, ''Le Chiese di Roma'', Newton & Compton Editori, Milano 2000, p. 40 * M. Quercioli, ''Rione IV Campo Marzio'', in AA.VV, ''I rioni di Roma'', Newton & Compton Editori, Milano 2000, Vol. I, pp. 264–334

External links

{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches completed in 1583 Atanasio National churches in Rome 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Dicastery for the Eastern Churches Eastern Catholic church buildings in Italy Greek diaspora in Italy Greece–Italy relations Atanasio Italo-Albanian Catholic churches