The Cloisters of Rome

A selection of some of the most beautiful cloisters in Rome. 
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San Paolo fuori le Mura
During the night of  July 15/16th 1823, a fire broke out in the roof of the church of San Paolo fuori le Mura (St Paul Outside the Walls), almost completely destroying the ancient basilica. Thankfully, its beautiful medieval cloister survived the conflagration. The cloister was begun under Abbot Pietro da Capua and finished after 1228. It was created, at least in part, by the Vassalletto family, Roman sculptors who also worked on the cloister of San Giovanni in Laterano. 
Latin Inscription, Cloister, San Paolo fuori le Mura (St Paul Outside the Walls), Rome
Inscription
A long inscription in Latin snakes around the sides of the garth (the inner part of the cloister):  AGMINA SACRA REGIT LOCUS HIC QUEM SPLENDOR HONORAT / HIC STUDET ATQUE LEGIT MONACHORUM CETUS ET ORAT / CLAUSTRALES 
CLAUDENS CLAUSTRO DE CLAUDO VOCATUR / CUM CHRISTO GAUDENS FRATRUM PIA TURMA SERATUR / HOC OPUS EXTERIUS PRE CUNCTIS POLLET IN URBE / HIC NITET INTERIUS MONACHALIS REGULA TURBE / CLAUSTRI PER GIRUM DECUS AURO STAT DECORATUM / MATERIAM MIRUM PRECELLIT MATERIATUM / HOC OPUS ARTE SUA QUEM ROMA CARDO BEAVIT / NATUS DE CAPUA PETRUS OLIM PRIMITIAVIT / ARDEA QUEM GENUIT QUIBUS ABBAS VIXIT IN ANNIS / CETERA DISPOSUIT BENE PROVIDA DEXTRA IOHANNIS. ​
Cloister, church of San Cosimato, Rome
San Cosimato
Tucked away in the heart of Trastevere, and well-hidden by the rather bland and functional buildings of the Nuovo Ospedale Regina Margherita, sits one of Rome's oldest cloisters.

The cloister once belonged to the Benedictine monastery of San Cosimato and dates back to the beginning of the 13th century. In 1234 the monastery was given to the Franciscan Order of St Clare, making it one of its earliest convents.

In 1475, the nuns began to rebuild and enlarge their convent, adding a second cloister in the Renaissance style.
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San Giovanni in Laterano
The 13th century cloister of San Giovanni in Laterano (St John Lateran) was begun by Pietro Vassalletto during the latter part of the reign of Pope Innocent III (r. 1198-1216) and completed by his son during the pontificate of Gregory IX (r. 1227-41).

The son signed the work with an inscription, which has survived in the form of a 19th century copy: NOBILIT[er] DOCT[us] HAC / VASSALLECTVS I[n] ARTE / CV[m] PATRE CEPIT OPVS / Q[uo]D SOL[us] PERFICIT IP[s]E (Noble and learned in his craft, Vassalletto began this work with his father, which he finished alone).  

The cloister, which forms a perfect square (each side is 36 metres long), is the largest in Rome. 
Cloister, church of Santi Quattro Coronati, Rome
Santi Quattro Coronati
The tiny cloister of the church of Santi Quattro Coronati, which dates back to the early 13th century, is one of the most secluded spots in Rome. The fountain in the centre of the cloister was designed by Antonio Muñoz (1884-1960) in 1913, using a medieval marble basin. 
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San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
The 17th century cloister of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane was designed by Francesco Borromini for the Order of the Trinitarians. 
Cloister by Bramante, church of Santa Maria della Pace, Rome
Santa Maria della Pace
The delightful cloister (chiostro) of the church of Santa Maria della Pace, the work of Donato Bramante (1444-1514), and a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, was commissioned by Cardinal Oliviero Carafa (1430-1511). 

Built on a square plan, the cloister is made up of two storeys. The lower storey is a spacious vaulted portico with four arches on each side. The arches are articulated with Ionic pilasters. The upper storey is an open gallery with alternating Corinthian pilasters and columns and a wooden ceiling. The most unusual feature of the design is the placing of a column above the centre of each of the ground-floor arches, thus breaking the hallowed rule of void over void and solid over solid.

The inscription reads: DEO OPT MAX ET DIVE MARIE VIRGINI GLORIOSE DEIPARE CANONICIS REGULARIBVS CONGREGATIONIS LATERANENSIS OLIVERIVS CARRAPHA EPS HOSTIENSIS CARD NEAPOLITAN PIE A  FVNDAMENTIS EREXIT ANNO SALVTIS CRISTIANE MDIII. (To God the best and greatest and the blessed virgin Mary, glorious Mother of God, for the Canons Regular of the Lateran congregation, Oliver Carrafa, Neapolitan, Cardinal and bishop of Ostia devotedly erected [this] from the foundations in the year of Christian salvation 1503).
Cloister, church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, Rome
San Lorenzo fuori le Mura
The charming little cloister of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura was built at the end of the 12th century. It is one of the earliest monastic cloisters in Rome to survive intact, being erected during the reign of Pope Clement III (r 1187-91).
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Santa Maria degli Angeli
The church of Santa Maria degli Angeli has two cloisters. The construction of the large cloister, which is probably based on designs by Michelangelo, began in 1565, one year after his death. However, the upper floor was only completed in 1676.
Cloister, church of Sant' Onofrio al Gianicolo, Rome
Sant' Onofrio al Gianicolo
The cloister of Sant' Onofrio al Gianicolo, which used a motley collection of ancient columns, was built in the middle of the 15th century. 

​To celebrate the Jubilee of 1600, a series of frescoes was painted with scenes from the life of St Onuphrius. From the entrance doorway to the right, the first four frescoes have been attributed to the painter Giuseppe Cesari (1568-1640), better known as il Cavalier d'Arpino, and the rest to his pupils Sebastiano Strada and Claudio Ridolfi. The frescoes have captions in Latin and Italian. St Onuphrius lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the 4th or 5th centuries. In art, he is depicted naked apart from his long hair and a girdle of leaves.
Cloister, church of San Giovanni Battista dei Genovesi, Rome
San Giovanni Battista dei Genovesi
Work on the cloister of San Giovanni Battista dei Genovesi was started under Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484); the design has been attributed to Baccio Pontelli.

Strictly speaking this is not a cloister as it never belonged to a monastic community. But this has not stopped everyone from referring to it as a chiostro, the Italian word for cloister. Cloister comes from the Latin word claustrum (enclosure).