Sant'Onofrio al Gianicolo - lat. ' - is a

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 ...

Trastevere Trastevere () is the 13th of Rome, Italy. It is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin (). Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lion on a red background, the meaning of which i ...

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, ...

. It is the official church of the papal

order of knighthood An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is a society, fellowship and college of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and pai ...

Order of the Holy Sepulchre Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre may refer to: * Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic), chivalric order belonging to the Holy See (the Roman Catholic Church) * Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Orthodox), chivalric ...

. A side chapel is dedicated to the Order and a former grand master, Nicola Canali is entombed there. It is located on the

Janiculum The Janiculum (; ), occasionally known as 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 the pro ...

. Since 1946, the church has been under the care of the American congregation of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement.

History

The monastery was built around 1439 on the site of a hermitage founded two decades earlier by Nicola da Forca Palena and is dedicated is to St

Onuphrius Onuphrius (also Onoufrios; ) lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the 4th or 5th centuries. He is venerated as Saint Onuphrius in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic churches, as Venerable Onuphrius in Eastern Orthodoxy, a ...

, a 4th century Egyptian hermit. The attached cloister was added in the mid-15th century. The "Salita di Sant'Onofrio", a rather steep driveway to the monastery, was used as a location for the 1958 film ''

Big Deal on Madonna Street ''Big Deal on Madonna Street'' (; released as ''Persons Unknown'' in the UK) is a 1958 Italian comedy caper film directed by Mario Monicelli. Regarded as one of the masterpieces of Italian cinema, the film received an Academy Award nomination fo ...

''. Cardinal

Pierbattista Pizzaballa Pierbattista Pizzaballa (; also Petrus Battista Pizzaballa; born 21 April 1965 in Italy) is part of the Order of Friars Minor (commonly called Franciscans) founded by Francis of Assisi and a Catholic Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal who has ...

is the current Cardinal-Priest.

Architecture

Behind the Renaissance portico are three

lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', 'little moon') is a crescent- or half-moon–shaped or semi-circular architectural space or feature, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be ...

s by

Domenichino Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoe ...

, painted in 1605, commemorating the hermits who lived here and depicting scenes from the life of

St Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian priest, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known for his translation of the Bible i ...

. The fountain in the center of the churchyard was assembled from salvage partly from the destroyed Piazza Giudia’s fountain. When the latter was re-created as the Fontana di Piazza della Cinque Scole, the one at the monastery was given modern bits to replace those taken back. The original tomb slab of the founder, Blessed Nicholas of Forca Palena, is on the wall to the right of the church entrance."Church of Sant'Onofrio al Gianicolo", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
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Interior

The church has a single cross-vaulted nave with five chapels. The church also contains an altarpiece, ''The Madonna of Loreto'' by

Agostino Carracci Agostino Carracci ( , , ; also Caracci; 16 August 1557 – 22 March 1602) was an Italian painter, printmaker, tapestry designer, and art teacher. He was, together with his brother, Annibale Carracci, and cousin, Ludovico Carracci, one of the fo ...

, (his only work in a church in Rome) and frescoes in the apse of ''Scenes from the Life of Mary'', attributed to

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 l ...

S Onofrio - cappella s Onofrio con Annunciazione di Antoniazzo Romano 1080317

Next to the main altar is a Monument to Giovanni Sacco attributed to the school of

Andrea Bregno Andrea di Cristoforo Bregno (1418–1506) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect of the Early Renaissance who worked in Rome from the 1460s and died just as the High Renaissance was getting under way. Early life He was born in Oste ...

with frescoes of ''St. Anne Teaching the Virgin to Read'' by a painter of the

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

n school. * The first chapel to the right has an ''Annunciation'' by

Antoniazzo Romano Antonio di Benedetto Aquilo degli Aquili (c. 1430 – c. 1510), known as Antoniazzo Romano, was an Italian Early Renaissance painter, the leading figure of the Roman school during the latter part of the 15th century. He "made a speciality of ...

and an ''Eternal Father'' attributed to

Baldassarre 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 ...

. * The second chapel has frescoes and stuccoes (1605) by

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

with an altarpiece of the ''Madonna di Loreto'' by pupils of

Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci ( , , ; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother Agostino Carracci, Agostino and cousin Ludovico Carracci, Ludovico (with whom the Ca ...

. * In the first chapel to the left, is a monument to

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

(1857) by Giuseppe De Fabris. * In the second chapel is a ''Trinity'' fresco on the ceiling by Francesco Trevisani. * In the third chapel on the left, is a monument of the Cardinal-Priest Filippo Sega with a portrait by

. The sacristy ceiling has frescoes by Girolamo Pesci, while the walls have a '' Peter of Pisa'' by Francesco Trevisani. The cloister, which is perhaps the oldest part of the complex, has frescoes by the Cavaliere d'Arpino (Giuseppe Cesari) and others depicting scenes from the life of Saint Onuphrius.

List of Cardinal-Priests

Diaconia

* Giovanni di Lorena (7 January 1519 - 10 May 1550 deceased) *

Innocenzo Ciocchi del Monte Innocenzo Ciocchi del Monte (1532 – 2 November 1577) was a notorious cardinal whose relationship with Pope Julius III (born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte) caused grave scandal in the early 16th century. Born in Borgo San Donnino (now Fidenza ...

(1 September 1550 - 4 May 1562 appointed cardinal deacon of San Callisto) *

Ludovico Madruzzo 200px, Portrait of Ludovico Madruzzo by Chicago.html" ;"title="Giovanni Battista Moroni. Art Institute, Chicago">Giovanni Battista Moroni. Art Institute, Chicago. Ludovico Madruzzo (1532-1600) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal (Catholicism) ...

(4 May 1562 - 1 October 1586 appointed cardinal presbyter of Sant'Anastasia)

Title of Cardinal

* Philippe de Lenoncourt (15 January 1588 - 13 December 1592 died) * Filippo Sega (5 December 1594 - 29 May 1596 died) *

Flaminio Piatti 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 stad ...

(10 June 1596 - 24 April 1600 appointed cardinal presbyter of Santa Maria della Pace) *''Vacant title'' (1600 - 1604) *

Domenico Toschi Domenico Toschi (June 11, 1535 – March 26, 1620) was an Italian soldier, jurist, and cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was born in Castellarano in Reggio Emilia to a poor family. After having originally served as a soldier, Toschi trained in ...

(25 July 1604 - 5 May 1610 appointed cardinal presbyter of San Pietro in Montorio) *

Maffeo Barberini Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

(5 May 1610 - 6 August 1623 elected pope with the name of Urban VIII) * Francesco Barberini, deaconry pro hac vice (20 November 1623 - 13 November 1624 appointed Cardinal Deacon of Sant'Agata dei Goti alla Suburra) *

Antonio Barberini Antonio Barberini (5 August 1607 – 3 August 1671) was an Italian people, Italian Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts a ...

, O.F.M.Cap. (13 November 1624 - 7 September 1637 appointed Cardinal Priest of San Pietro in Vincoli) *''Vacant Title'' (1637 - 1645) * Orazio Giustiniani, C.O. (24 April 1645 - 25 July 1649 deceased) *''Vacant title'' (1649 - 1652) * Giovanni Girolamo Lomellini (12 March 1652 - 4 April 1659 deceased) * Benedetto Odescalchi (21 April 1659 - 21 September 1676 elected Pope with the name of Innocent XI) * Piero de Bonzi (19 October 1676 - 19 October 1689 appointed cardinal presbyter of San Pietro in Vincoli) * Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg (14 November 1689 - 10 April 1704 deceased) *''Vacant title'' (1704 - 1707) * Orazio Filippo Spada (21 March 1707 - 28 June 1724 deceased) * Vincenzo Petra (20 December 1724 - 11 February 1737 appointed Cardinal Priest of San Pietro in Vincoli) *''Vacant title'' (1737 - 1744) * Francesco Landi (15 June 1744 - 13 September 1745 appointed Cardinal Priest of San Giovanni a Porta Latina) *''Vacant title'' (1745 - 1749) * Giovanni Battista Mesmer (22 September 1749 - 20 June 1760 died) *''Vacant title'' (1760 - 1773) *

Giovanni Angelo Braschi Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

(10 May 1773 - 15 February 1775 elected Pope with the name of Pius VI) * Marcantonio Marcolini (28 July 1777 - 18 June 1782 died) *''Vacant title'' (1782 - 1794) * Giovanni Battista Caprara Montecuccoli (February 21, 1794 - June 21, 1810 deceased) *''Vacant title'' (1810 - 1816) * Giovanni Battista Zauli (29 April 1816 - 21 July 1819 deceased) *''Vacant title'' (1819 - 1836) * Luigi Frezza (21 November 1836 - 14 October 1837 deceased) * Giuseppe Mezzofanti (15 February 1838 - 15 March 1849 deceased) *''Vacant title'' (1849 - 1852) *

Carlo Luigi Morichini Carlo Luigi Morichini (1805–1879) was a Roman Cardinal. Born on 21 November 1805 in Rome,Bräuer, p. 49. he was the son of the noted Roman physician Domenico Lino Morichini (1773–1837). He studied philosophy and law for seven years (1822– ...

(18 March 1852 - 12 March 1877 appointed Cardinal Bishop of Albano) * Francesco Saverio Apuzzo (20 March 1877 - 30 July 1880 deceased) *''Vacant title'' (1880 - 1894) * Domenico Svampa (21 May 1894 - 10 August 1907 deceased) * Pierre Andrieu (19 December 1907 - 15 February 1935 deceased) * Emmanuel Célestin Suhard (19 December 1935 - 30 May 1949 deceased) *''Vacant title'' (1949 - 1958) *

José Garibi y Rivera José Mariano Garibi y Rivera (30 January 1889 in Guadalajara – 27 May 1972 in Guadalajara), was a cardinal and Archbishop of Guadalajara. He was the first Mexican cardinal of the Catholic Church. Education Garibi was educated at the Colegi ...

(18 December 1958 - 17 May 1972 deceased) * Pio Taofinu'u, S.M. (5 March 1973 - 19 January 2006 deceased) * Carlo Furno (10 May 2006 - 9 December 2015 deceased) *''Vacant title'' (2015 - 2023)c *

, O.F.M., from 30 September 2023

Burials

* Blessed Nicola da Forca Palena * Cardinal Filippo SegaCardella, V, p. 324. Fernández Collado, p. 34. * Cardinal Luigi Frezza * Archbishop Lorenzo Vitturi, his funeral monument is above the entrance door. * Poet

Tasso

, the author of ''

Gerusalemme Liberata ''Jerusalem Delivered'', also known as ''The Liberation of Jerusalem'' ( ; ), is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, first published in 1581, that tells a largely mythified version of the First Crusade in which Christian knights, l ...

'', the epic poem that retells the deeds of the crusaders who fought to regain possession of the

Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection, is a fourth-century church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The church is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Some ...

, requested and obtained shelter at the monastery of Sant'Onofrio after wandering all over Italy. He spent the last years of his life there, dying in the cloister on 25 April 1595, the evening before he was to be crowned with laurels on the

Capitoline Hill The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; ; ), between the Roman Forum, Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn (mythology), Saturn. The wo ...

. The monastery houses a collection of manuscripts and editions of his work, as well as his

death mask A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead or be used for creation of portraits. The m ...

, in the Museo Tassiano.

Gallery

File:Trastevere - sant'Onofrio - chiostro esterno 3108-10.JPG, Convent of Sant'Onofrio File:Albert Eichhorn Terrasse der Klosterkirche Sant'Onofrio al Gianicolo in Rom.jpg, Sant'Onofrio painted by Albert Eichhorn (before 1851)

References

Sources

Rome Art Lover

*'' Tête d'enfant de trois quarts à droite'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Onofrio, Santo, Rome Buildings and structures completed in 1439 Churches completed in the 1430s 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Titular churches Order of the Holy Sepulchre Churches of Rome (rione Trastevere)