Sant' Agostino in Campo Marzio

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Map of the Churches of Rome

Sant' Agostino

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The 15th century church of Sant' Agostino was built for Cardinal d'Estouteville by Giacomo da Pietrasanta. Sant' Agostino in Campo Marzio, to give the church its full name, is dedicated to St Augustine of Hippo (354-430), whose mother St Monica is buried here. The inscription on the façade proclaims: GVILLERMVS · DE · ESTOVTEVILLA · EPISC · OSTIEN · CARD · ROTHOMAGEN · S · R · E · CAMERARIVS · FECIT · MCCCCLXXXIII (William d'Estouteville, Bishop of Ostia, Cardinal of Rouen of the Holy Roman Church, Camerlengo, built this in 1483).

Nave

The frescoes in the dome are by the Roman painter-cum-architect Pietro Gagliardi (1809-90), who, in 1855, was given the commission to decorate the interior of the church by Pope Pius IX (r. 1846-78). ​

Dome

The frescoes depict Christ the Redeemer accompanied by the twelve Apostles and the four Evangelists. Gagliardi also painted the frescoes on the ceiling and pillars of the nave.

High Altar

The ornate high altar (1628), the work of Orazio Turriani (1578-1657), enshrines a tiny Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary, which was rescued from the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople when the city was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453. 

At the back of the apse, above the high altar, is a 19th century stained glass window depicting St Augustine Defeating Heresy. 

In the chapel to the left of the choir is the tomb of St Monica, the mother of St Augustine. 

Madonna of Childbirth by Jacopo Sansovino

On the counter-facade of the church stands the famous Madonna del Parto (Madonna of Childbirth), 1521, a much-venerated statue by Jacopo Tatti (1486-1570), better known as Jacopo Sansovino. Tatti was the pupil of Andrea Sansovino (c. 1467-1529), whose name he adopted. For centuries, the statue has been visited by mothers-to-be, who have prayed for a safe delivery.  In 1822, Pope Pius VII (r. 1800-1823) granted an indulgence to the faithful who kissed Mary's left foot. The response was so great that the marble foot eventually had to be replaced by a silver one. The Latin inscription above the statue proclaims: VIRGO TVA GLORIA PARTVS (Virgin, Childbirth is Your Glory). 

The statue of the Madonna and Child with St Anne, in front of the third pillar on the left of the nave, is the work of Andrea Sansovino (1460-1529). 

Isaiah by Raphael

The fresco of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah is by Raphael (1483-1520).

​Both statue and fresco are part of the funerary monument to Johannes Goritz. Above Isaiah is an inscription in Greek, which translates: 'To St Anne, mother of the Virgin; to the Virgin, mother of God; to Christ the Saviour. Johannes Coricius'. The prophet holds a scroll with a text in Hebrew, which translates as 'Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in' (Isaiah 26:2 KJV). 

The story goes that Goritz complained to Michelangelo about being overcharged for the fresco, which is clearly influenced by the latter's work in the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo's response was simply to declare that the knee alone was worth the fee.

Madonna dei Pellegrini by Caravaggio

In the first chapel on the left is the painting of the Madonna del Loreto (c. 1604), also known as the Madonna dei Pellegrini (Madonna of the Pilgrims), by Caravaggio (1571-1610). The painting, which was commissioned by Ermete Cavalletti, depicts Mary standing at the entrance to a house, holding the Christ Child. Two elderly pilgrims are kneeling in prayer outside the dwelling.

​The painting caused quite a furore when it was first unveiled. Serious objection was taken to the painter's choice of the model used for Mary, a prostitute called Maddalena Antognetti, who features in other paintings by Caravaggio. This objection was significant, and it is to Cavalletti's credit that he kept the painting. The rather grubby appearance of the two pilgrims also offended many sensibilities

Funerary Monument to Cardinal Lorenzo Imperiali by Domenico Guidi

The church boasts several very fine funerary monuments, such as the ones to cardinals Giuseppe Renato Imperiali and Lorenzo Imperiali, which can be found in the transepts. 

Funerary monument to Cardinal Giuseppe Renato Imperiali

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