Sant' Andrea delle Fratte

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Map

Sant' Andrea delle Fratte

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Of ancient foundation, the church of Sant' Andrea delle Fratte was built in the 17th century. Its name translates as St Andrew of the hedges, an indication of how rural this area once was. 

Dome and Bell Tower

The brick dome and distinctive bell tower are the work of Francesco Borromini (1599-1667). The work was funded by Marchese Paolo del Bufalo, whose palace was close by. 

Bell Tower

The bell tower, which is made up of six separate storeys, is an absolute delight. The campanile is crowned with a curious form that is decorated with the head of an ox, the symbol of the Bufalo family.  

Bell Tower

​The nave is barrel-vaulted and has three main chapels on each side. 

Apse

The fresco in the apse conch, the work of Pasquale Marini (c.1650-1712), depicts The Feeding of the Five Thousand. The three large paintings of the Crucifixion, Death and Burial of St Andrew are the work of Giovanni Battista Lenardi (1656-1704), Lazzaro Baldi (c.1624-1703) and Francesco Trevisani (1656-1746).  ​

Dome

​The dome with its pendentives were frescoed by Pasquale Marini in the 17th century. The fresco in the cupola depicts the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Angel with Crown of Thorns by Bernini

Angel with Superscription by Bernini

By the high altar are two beautiful marble angels by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), which were originally intended for the Ponte Sant' Angelo. 

St Anne by Giovanni Battista Maini

The left transept chapel is dedicated to St Anne. The marble sculpture under the altar is by Giovanni Battista Maini (1690-1752 and is clearly indebted to Bernini's sculpture of the Blessed Ludovica Abertoni in the church of San Francesco a Ripa. 

The right transept chapel is dedicated to St Francis da Paola (1416-1507), who founded the Order of Minims, and was designed by Filippo Barigioni (1672-1753). The altarpiece of the eponymous saint is by the Roman painter Paris Nogari (c. 1536-1601), while the gilded stucco angels are by Giovanni Battista Maini.

Memorial to Angelica Kauffman

The Swiss Neo-classical painter Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann (1741-1807) is interred in the church. Kauffman died on November 5th 1807, aged sixty-six. ​​​

Cappella del Miracolo

On January 20th 1842, in the third chapel on the left, a French Jew by the name of Alphonse Ratisbonne is said to have had an apparition of the Virgin Mary. He immediately converted to Christianity and later founded the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, an order originally intended for the conversion of the rest of the Jews, but now working for interfaith dialogue. Hence, this chapel is called the Cappella del Miracolo, and contains a venerated icon of Mary as she appeared to Ratisbonne, the work of Domenico Bartolini. There is a bust of Ratisbonne to the left of the chapel. 

The great Sicilian composer Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) was married in Sant' Andrea delle Fratte on April 12th 1678. His bride was Antonia Anzalone, a native of Rome.  ​

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