Santa Maria dell' Anima

---

Map of the Churches of Rome

---

The church of Santa Maria dell' Anima, which is the national church of the Germans, was consecrated in 1543. The sculpture of the Madonna Between Two Souls in Purgatory, above the main door, is a copy of work attributed to Andrea Sansovino (c. 1467-1529); the original is kept in the sacristy. The inscription on the facade proclaims: TEMPLVM · BEATE · MARIE · DE · ANIMA · HOSPITALIS · TEVTONICORVM · M · D · XIIII (Temple of the Blessed Mary of the soul and of the hospice of the Germans 1514). 

Bell Tower

Bell Tower

The church's campanile (bell tower), with its poly-chromatic spire, is one of the most striking in Rome. It was designed by Sansovino and is crowned with a bronze double-headed eagle, the symbol of the Hapsburg Empire. The latter was added in the 19th century. ​

Nave

Sanctuary

Santa Maria dell' Anima  is an example of a Hallenkirche, a style of church in which the aisles are the same height as the nave. 

The 'Emperor' Window (det.)

In honour of the unification of Germany in 1870, the interior was re-fitted between 1875 and 1882. Much of the new decoration, including the stained glass, is the work of Ludovico Seltz (1844-1908), a Roman painter of German ancestry. 

Sanctuary

High Altar

The sumptuous decoration of the sanctuary was designed by the architect Paolo Posi (1708-76). The painting of the Holy Family with Saints (1522), over the high altar, is the work of Giulio Romano (c.1499-1546), a pupil of Raphael. The words above the painting are from the Book of Isaiah: ECCE VIRGO ‎⁠/⁠ CONCIPIET ‎⁠/⁠ ET PARIET FILIUM ‎⁠(Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son). 

Double-headed Hapsburg Eagle with the Virgin and Child Flanked by Two Souls

The altar is crowned with a double-headed eagle flanked by allegorical statues of Charity and Fortitude. The eagle holds the Virgin and Child with two souls. It is flanked by a pair of reclining statues, personifications of Charity and Fortitude.​

The two paintings above the high altar are  by Ludovico Seitz and  depict the birth of the Virgin Mary and her death.

Funerary Monuments

Funerary Monument to Pope Adrian VI

The sanctuary is the final resting place of Pope Adrian VI (r. 1522-23), a Dutchman from Utrecht, who was the last non-Italian pope until the election, almost 500 years later, of John Paul II (r. 1978-2005). His funerary monument was designed by Baldassare Peruzzi (1481-1536) and executed by Angelo di Mariano (1491 - c.1540, known also as Michelangelo Senese, with help from Niccolò Pericoli (1497-1550), better known as il Tribolo. The female figures personify the four cardinal virtues, while the bas-relief depicts the pope's entry into Rome.

Bas-relief

An inscription laments: PROH DOLOR QVANTVM REFERET IN QVAE TEMPORA VEL OPTIMI CVIVSQVE VIRTVS INCIDAT (Alas, how important, even for the best of men, are the times in which he finds himself). Adrian VI, and the even shorter-reigning Marcellus II (r. April 9th-May 1st, 1555), are the only popes of the modern era to have retained their own names. ​

Funerary Monument of Prince Karl Friedrich of Jülich-Cleves-Berg

​On the opposite side of the sanctuary is the funerary monument to Prince Karl Friedrich of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, who died in the Holy Year of 1575 while on a pilgrimage to Rome. He was 19 years old. The monument was created between 1575 and 1579 by three Flemish sculptors: Nicolas d’Arras, Gillis van den Vliete, and Pierre de la Motte. The large marble bas-relief depicts The Last Judgement. 

Funerary Monument to Georg Meisel

There is a fine array of funerary monuments in the body of the church. My favourite is the elaborately carved cenotaph of Georg Meisel of Bamberg (1626/7-1710), which faces the sanctuary. There is no name only a three-word inscription in Latin: VIVENS MORI MEMOR (Live remembering that you will die). 

---