Santa Maria Maggiore:
Cappella Paolina

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Cappella Paolina

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The grand and sumptuously decorated Cappella Paolina (Pauline Chapel), which is part of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, was built at the behest of Pope Paul V (r. 1605-21) to house the ancient and much-venerated icon known as the Salus Populi Romani (Health/Salvation of the Roman People). The icon is at least a thousand years old and derives its name from the assistance it is said to have once provided in keeping the plague away from Rome. 

The Cappella Paolina, which was designed by Flaminio Ponzio (1560-1618) and built between 1606 and 1612, was consecrated on January 27th, 1613.

The Madonna Salus Populi Romani

​ The enormous gilded bronze, marble and alabaster altar dominates the far wall. It was designed by Girolamo Rainaldi and  executed by Pompeo Targone. 

The much-venerated icon of the Virgin Mary was enshrined here in 1613. It is set within an extremely elaborate frame that is made up of five bronze angels by the French sculptor Guillaume Berthelot (1580-1648). 

St Joseph

The side walls flanking the altar have statues below the cantorie (singing galleries). To the left is St John the Evangelist by Francesco Mochi, while to the right is St Joseph by Ambrogio Buonvicino. ​

Dome

The fresco (1612) in the cupola is the work of Ludovico Cardi (1559-1613), better known as il Cigoli, who was charged to paint the Woman of the Apocalypse, as described in the Book of Revelation: 'And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars' (12:1, KJV). The Woman of the Apocalypse is widely identified as the Virgin Mary.

The pendentives feature frescoes by Giuseppe Cesari (1568-1640), better known as the Cavalier d'Arpino, which depict four prophets: Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel.

The Virgin Mary

The painter was a close friend of the great scientist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) and in his depiction of the Virgin Mary we see the first example of Galileo's discoveries about the physical nature of the moon. Before this, the moon, when included in images of the Virgin Mary, was always perfectly smooth. Here it is pock-marked with craters, just as Galileo himself drew it in his ground-breaking astronomical treatise Sidereus Nuncius (The Starry Messenger), which he published on March 13th, 1610. 

Funerary Monument of Pope Clement VIII

The side walls are taken up with funerary monuments to Pope Clement VIII (r. 1592-1605) and Pope Paul V.

Pope Clement VIII by Silla Longhi

The monument to Pope Clement VIII is on the right. The statue of the pope is the work of Silla Giacomo Longhi (1569-1622), also known as Silla da Viggiù. The statue is flanked by two bas-reliefs: The Conquest of Esztergom in Hungary From the Ottomans in 1595 (left) is by Camillo Mariani (completed by Francesco Mochi) and The Conquest of Ferrara, which is thought to be by Giovanni Antonio Paracca (1546-99), better known as Il Valsoldo.  

The second storey has four caryatids by Pietro Bernini. The three marble reliefs are: The Reconciliation of Kings Philip II of Spain and Henry IV of France by Ippolito Buzio, The Coronation of Pope Sixtus by Pietro Bernini, and The Canonisation of St Julian of Cuenca and St Raymond of Peñafort by Il Valsoldo.

The statues on the side walls are by the French sculptor Nicolas Cordier (1567-1612) and depict Aaron (left) and St Dionysius the Areopagite. 

Funerary Monument of Pope Paul V

The matching monument to Pope Paul V is on the left. The statue of the pope is by Longhi, but the head had to be finished by Cordier

Pope Paul V

The two lower relief panels are: The Emperor Rudolf In Battle Against the Turks by Maderno and Pope Paul Orders the Fortification of Ferrara by Buonvicino. The caryatids are by Ferucci and Buzio.

The upper reliefs are The Canonisation of St Frances of Rome and St Charles Borromeo by Il Valsoldo, The Coronation of Pope Paul by Buzio and The Papal Audience by Cristoforo Stati.

The statues in the side wall niches are by Cordier and depict St Bernard (left) and King David.

King David

The small chapel to the right, just inside the entrance gate, is dedicated to St Charles Borromeo, while the matching chapel to the left is dedicated to St Frances of Rome. Pope Paul V canonised both figures. ​

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