Santa Prassede
Santa Prassede
The 9th century church of Santa Prassede is dedicated to St Praxedes, the daughter of St Pudens, in whose house St Peter may have stayed when he was in Rome. A church has stood on this site since the late 4th century when it was one of the twenty-eight tituli, the first parish churches of Rome. According to legend, the Titulus Praxedis was built over the house where St Praxedes sheltered her fellow Christians who were in pursuit from persecution.
However, the church we see today was begun at the end of the 8th century by Pope Adrian I (r. 772-95) and completed by Pope Paschal I (r. 817-24). We now enter the church from via Santa Prassede, but it is worth visiting the original entrance in Via San Martino ai Monti, which comprises two antique granite columns supporting a gable, and is known as a prothyrum. It leads to what was once a quadriporticus and is now a courtyard.
However, the church we see today was begun at the end of the 8th century by Pope Adrian I (r. 772-95) and completed by Pope Paschal I (r. 817-24). We now enter the church from via Santa Prassede, but it is worth visiting the original entrance in Via San Martino ai Monti, which comprises two antique granite columns supporting a gable, and is known as a prothyrum. It leads to what was once a quadriporticus and is now a courtyard.
Nave
The nave is separated from the aisles by 16 ancient columns and 8 pillars. The eight frescoes, the work of several artists, were painted between 1594 and 1596 at the behest of the titular cardinal, Alessandro de’ Medici. The cycle, which illustrates the Passion of Christ, starts at the end of the nave on the left hand side and proceeds counter-clockwise.
Apse Mosaic
The mosaics in the apse, and on the triumphal arch, were created during the reign of Pope Paschal I (r. 817-24).
High Altar
The high altar (1730) was designed by the architect Francesco Ferrari. The porphyry columns are thought to come from the mediaeval baldacchino. The angels are by Giuseppe Rusconi (1688-1737.
Altar, Confessio
Steps lead down to the confessio, where we find the relics of St Praxedes and St Pudentiana, which were brought here from the catacombs in 822. They were placed in an ancient sarcophagus, which is also said to contain the sponge, which St Praxedes is believed to have used to collect the blood of the martyrs, some of whose relics lie in the other three sarcophagi. One of the sarcophagi is decorated with a relief depicting Christ as the Good Shepherd and Jonah resting on the beach after his encounter with the whale.
Chapel of St Zeno
The tiny Chapel of St Zeno was built by Pope Paschal I as a mausoleum for his mother, Theodora. The plan of the chapel, which was known in the middle-ages as Il Orto del Paradiso (the Garden of Paradise), resembles that of a cubiculum, a small room found in the catacombs.
Column of the Flagellation
The Chapel of St Zeno leads into the Chapel of the Flagellation, so-called because of the column of oriental jasper, supposedly the one against which Christ was scourged. The column was brought to Rome in 1233 by Giovanni Colonna, titular cardinal of the church and papal legate to Constantinople.
Funerary Monument of Giovanni Battista Santoni
On a pillar, opposite the entrance to the Chapel of St Zeno, is the funeral monument of Giovanni Battista Santoni. Most experts now agree that the portrait bust of the deceased is by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). The precocious sculptor, who happened to live very close to Santa Prassede, was no more than seventeen years old when he finished carving the bust. How much help the teenager received from his father Pietro, also a professional sculptor, we shall never know.
Funerary Monument of Alano Coetivy of Taillebour
Across from the pillar, in a chapel now used as a bookshop, is a beautiful funerary monument to Alano Coetivy of Taillebour, titular cardinal of Santa Prassede from 1448-74. The cardinal lies asleep on his sarcophagus, while in the background we see, sculpted in high-relief, St Peter and St Paul. In the foreground, standing in small niches to either side, are St Praxedes and St Pudentiana. The work has been attributed to Andrea Bregno (1418-1506), the great Renaissance sculptor.
Tomb of Cardinal Pantaleone Anchier de Troyes
In the chapel to the right of the sanctuary, is the tomb of Pantaleone Anchier de Troyes, titular cardinal of Santa Prassede from 1262 to 1286. He died on November 1st 1286, as the plaque above his tomb records. The cardinal was actually assassinated in this very chapel during a popular uprising. The monument has been attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio.
A 9th century stone plaque, which is embedded into the last pillar on the right hand side of the nave, commemorates the remains of the 2,300 martyrs, which Pope Paschal I ordered to be brought here from the catacombs.
A 9th century stone plaque, which is embedded into the last pillar on the right hand side of the nave, commemorates the remains of the 2,300 martyrs, which Pope Paschal I ordered to be brought here from the catacombs.
Floor Tomb of Giovanni da Montopoli
The simple floor tomb of Giovanni da Montopoli, which lies outside the Chapel of Pope St Pius X (right aisle), has been dated to the late 13th century. The figure can be identified as a pilgrim from his staff and the two shells which decorate his hat and scrip.
Floor Tomb of Giovanni Carbone
Set into the floor, to the left of the main entrance, is a fine example of a late-medieval floor tomb, that of Giovanni Carbone. The deceased, dressed in armour, rests his head on a little pillow and holds down two puppies with his feet. His tomb tells us that he died in Rome on September 24th 1388.
At the foot of the left aisle, let into the wall, is the marble slab on which St Praxedes is said to have slept.
At the foot of the left aisle, let into the wall, is the marble slab on which St Praxedes is said to have slept.
Olgiati Chapel
The third chapel off the left aisle is the Cappella Olgiati. Situated directly opposite the Cappella Zeno, the large chapel was commissioned by Bernardo Olgiati, a banker by profession, and designed by Martino Longhi the Elder (1534-91).
The altarpiece depicts St Veronica Meets Christ Carrying His Cross, the work of Federico Zuccari (1539-1609).
The altarpiece depicts St Veronica Meets Christ Carrying His Cross, the work of Federico Zuccari (1539-1609).
Funerary Monuments of Marcantonio & Bernardo Olgiati
Completed in 1587, the chapel contains the funerary monuments of three members of the Olgiati family: Marcantonio and Bernardo Olgiati (left wall) and Settimio Olgiati (right wall).
Vault
The beautiful frescoes in the vault are the work of Giuseppe Cesari (1568-1640), better known as Il Cavaliere d’Arpino. The central fresco depicts The Ascension of Christ.
Chapel of St John Gualbert
The fourth chapel off the left aisle is dedicated to San Giovanni Gualberto (c. 985 - 1073), the Florentine founder, in 1038, of the Vallombrosans, a monastic religious order. The paintings and mosaics, in the distinctive style of the nineteen-thirties, are the work of the Florentine painter Giulio Bargellini (1875-1936).
Apse Vault
The apse mosaic depicts San Giovanni Gualberto being venerated by angels. The mosaic in the vault depicts Vallombrosan Monks and Nuns Venerating the Virgin Mary's Assumption into Heaven.
The painting on the left wall depicts Giovanni Gualberto forgiving his brother's assassin. As a member of the noble Visdomini family, it was his duty to avenge the death of his brother. He came across the murderer on Good Friday and was just about to kill him, when the man threw himself upon the ground with arms outstretched in the form of a cross. He begged for mercy and John forgave him. A popular legend holds that on his way home, Giovanni entered the Benedictine church at San Miniato al Monte to pray, and the figure of Christ on a crucifix bowed His head to him in recognition of his generosity.
The painting on the right depicts San Giovanni Gualberto suppressing heresies.
The painting on the right depicts San Giovanni Gualberto suppressing heresies.