Description

Essentials about Sant’Agnese in Agone in brief

If you go for a drink or a meal in one of the many restaurants in the beautiful Piazza Navona, you should not forget to visit the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone on the western side of the square. It is one of the most beautiful baroque churches in the city of Rome, which is not lacking in churches.

The Legend of Agnes of Rome

The church takes its name from the early Christian Roman martyr Agnes of Rome, who, according to legend, was to be exhibited naked by her persecutors at this point in Domitian’s stadium, whereupon her body was miraculously covered by her long hair and thus withdrawn from the view of onlookers. From the Greek word “agon” for competition derives the name of the church and, incidentally, that of the piazza.

The history of Sant’Agnese in Agone

The earliest evidence attests to a Christian cult site on the site of the present church of Sant’Agnese in Agone in the 8th century. From 920 Benedictines from Farfa Abbey were resident there and built an oratory. Under Pope Calixt II this was converted into a small basilica, which stood almost unchanged until the end of the 16th century.

Finally, in the mid-17th century, under Innocent X, the redesign of Piazza Navona began, as did the construction of a new Baroque church to replace the medieval one. The Pamphilj family, to which he belonged, had long resided in Piazza Navona. From 1644 onwards, Palazzo Pamphilj was renovated and considerably enlarged, but it was not until around 1650 that the intention to make Sant’Agnese the papal mausoleum and integrate it into the palace complex is evident.

In 1652 the new building was begun according to a design by the Pamphilj’s house architect, Girolamo Rainaldi. The initial plan was for an octagonal, mausoleum-like structure with cross arms, a massive porch and a relatively low dome. In addition, an open staircase extending into the Piazza Navona was planned. The Roman travertine for the building was brought from Tivoli or taken from the Roman Forum, the marble came from Carrara.

After disputes between Innocent and Carlo, the son of the architect Rainaldi, who in the meantime had taken over, Francesco Borromini was appointed as the new architect. Borromini modified the original design, replacing the porch with a concave curved facade, adding a tambour to the dome, raising it substantially, and redesigning the interior to better show off the eight marble columns provided.

After the death of Innocent X, disputes broke out again between the Pamphilj family and Borromini, so the original architect Carlo Rainaldi was hired again and finally completed the construction between 1657 and 1672 by finishing the towers and the cupola lantern. On January 17, 1672 the church, not yet completely finished, was consecrated.

The interior of Sant’Agnese in Agone

Sant’Agnese in Agone is a real beauty. The walls are lavishly covered inside with white and red mottled marble and the altars are decorated with precious white marble reliefs. The paintings in the dome depict the Glory of Paradise. On January 17, 1672, the church, which was not yet completely finished, was consecrated. The mortal remains of the commissioner, Innocent X, who had initially been buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, were transferred to Sant’Agnese in Agone in 1677. It was not until 1729 that Giovanni Battista Maini created the marble funerary monument above the main portal.

Website

santagneseinagone.org

Opening hours

Admission fees

None.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Bus lines 30, 70, 81, 87, 492, 628, n70 and n913: Stops Senato and Rinascimento

By car:

There are no parking garages in the immediate vicinity of Piazza Navona and Sant’Agnese in Agone.