Santa Maria della Scala

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Map of the Churches of Rome

Santa Maria della Scala

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The  convent church of Santa Maria della Scala is served by friars of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites. 

​Santa Maria della Scala was built to house an icon of the Madonna and Child, which had originally been placed on the landing of an external staircase attached to a nearby house. In 1592 a deformed child, whose mother often prayed before the image, was cured.

The church was begun in the following year. The architect Francesco Capriani (1535-94), who died having completed the nave and side chapels. It is uncertain who took over, but the building was completed in 1610. 

Virgin and Child by Francesco di Cusart

There is a statue of the Virgin and Child (1633) above the entrance, the work of the sculptor Francesco di Cusart. The Virgin sits and Christ stands on a small set of stairs. 

Nave

The interior takes the form of a single nave with three chapels on either side.

High Altar

The high altar (c. 1650) was designed by the Roman architect Carlo Rainaldi (1611-91). At its centre is the Lamb of the Apocalypse. To either side of the altar are doors leading into the choir of the friars. Over the doors are statues of St Joseph and St Teresa of Avila (1706), the work of Simone Giorgini. The apse of the choir has a painting of The Queen of Heaven, 1612, by il Cavalier d'Arpino (1568-1640).  

Dome

The dome is painted with trompe l'oeil coffering. The vault of the right transept has genuine stucco decoration in contrast  with that in the left transept, which is paintwork. 

Chapel of Our Lady of the Staircase

The altar in the chapel in the left transept enshrines the original miracle-working icon. 

Icon of the Virgin and Child

This is also the funerary chapel of the Santacroce family. 

Bust of Prospero Santacroce by Alessandro Algardi

The bust of Prospero Santacroce is by Alessandro Algardi (1598-1654), who also designed the altar. ​

The chapel in the right transept is dedicated to St Teresa of Avila. The altarpiece, 1745, the work of Francesco Mancini, depicts The Ecstasy of St Teresa. 

Organ and Singing Gallery

Above the entrance is a spectacular singing gallery and organ loft, which was commissioned by Cardinal Luigi Antonio di Borbone Spagna, and executed in 1756 to a design by Giuseppe Pannini, son of the celebrated painter Giovanni Paolo Pannini (1691-1765), who became famous for his views of Rome. 

Chapel of the Crucifix

In the Cappella del Crocifisso (third left) the altarpiece depicts St John of the Cross Venerating the Crucifixion, the work of the sculptor Pietro Francesco Papaleo (c. 1642 - 1714). 

The Death of the Virgin by Carlo Saraceni

The second chapel on the left is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The altarpiece is The Death of the Virgin by the Venetian painter Carlo Saraceni (c. 1579-1620). 

The Death of the Virgin by Caravaggio

Saraceni's painting replaced a controversial depiction of the same theme by Caravaggio (1571-1610), which is now in the Louvre. ​

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