Santa Barbara dei Librai

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Church of Santa Barbara dei Librai (St Barbara of the Booksellers), Rome
Santa Barbara dei Librai
The small church of Santa Barbara dei Librai (St Barbara of the Booksellers), which is tucked away at the back of an equally small piazza, was built (date unknown) in the ruins of the Theatre of Pompey. 

In 1600, the church was given to the Università dei Librai, the guild of publishers, bookbinders, printers and booksellers, hence its name. The guild immediately added its own patron saint, St Thomas Aquinas, to the dedication so the church should strictly be called Santi Barbara e Tommaso d'Aquino. 

Santa Barbara dei Librai was rebuilt in the Baroque style during the reign of Pope Innocent XI (r. 1676-89). The statue of Santa Barbara on the facade is the work of Ambrogio Parisi.
Statue of St Barbara by Ambrogio Parisi, church of Santa Barbara dei Librai, Rome
St Barbara by Ambrogio Parisi
St Barbara's special attribute is a tower, commonly one with three windows, which we can see at the base of her statue.

St Barbara is the patron saint of armourers and firemen and is invoked against sudden death by lightning. The stucco detail beneath her statue actually depicts two firing cannons.