San Pietro in Montorio

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Map

San Pietro in Montorio

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Of ancient foundation, the church of San Pietro in Montorio was built on what was wrongly thought to be the site of the execution of St Peter. The church was rebuilt during the reign of Pope Sixtus IV (r. 1471-84), at the expense of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castille.

Flagellation of Christ by Sebastiano del Piombo

Perhaps, the most famous work of art in the church is the Flagellation of Christ by the Venetian artist Sebastiano Luciani (c. 1485-1547), better known as Sebastiano del Piombo, which can be found in the first chapel on the right. 

Cappella del Monte

The fifth chapel on the right is the Cappella del Monte and is dedicated to St Paul. The chapel was designed by Giorgio Vasari, who painted the altarpiece of The Conversion of St Paul. To the sides are memorials to Antonio and Fabiano del Monte. Above the reclining statues are allegories of Justice and Religion. All the sculptures are the work of Bartolomeo Ammannati (1511-92).

The beautiful balustrade features eight marble putti and two bas-relief portraits of a man and woman.

Chapel of the Pietà

The Chapel of the Pieta (fourth left) boasts a good painting of the Deposition (1617), the work of the young Dutch artist Dirk van Baburen (c. 1595-1624), who was a follower of Caravaggio. 

Chapel of the Pieta

The very fine stucco work of the vault is attributed to Giulio Mazzoni (1525-1618). ​

Cappella Raimondi

The second chapel on the left is the Cappella Raimondi, which is dedicated to St Francis of Assisi. It was designed (c. 1640s) by Bernini. The altarpiece is a bas-relief of The Ecstasy of St Francis by Francesco Baratta (1590-1666). 

There are no inscriptions in the chapel, but the monument on the left wall is to Francesco Raimondi, while the one on the right is to Girolamo Raimondi. Each monument comprises a bust of the deceased above a sarcophagus. The raised lids of the sarcophagi reveal their 'bodies' inside. The idea of depicting the deceased both dead and alive on the same tomb originated in France and was common from the Middle-Ages onwards.  

Funerary Monument to Francesco Raimondi

The busts and the pairs of putti are by Andrea Bolgi (1605-56), while the reliefs on the sarcophagi, which depict the resurrection of the dead, are by Niccolo Sale. 

In the courtyard to the right of San Pietro in Montorio stands Bramante's Tempietto, one of the iconic buildings of Renaissance architecture. ​​

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