The Church of Santa Caterina and Manyanapoli
   Photo: Church of Santa Caterina and Manyanapoli

Santa Caterina and Manyanapoli - the church of the 16th century, dedicated to St. Catherine of Siena. It is located on the Quirinal Hill in Piazza Manyanapoli.

The first church on the site was built around 1575 and was part of standing close to the Dominican monastery, built in 1568 by order of Pope Pius V. Today the building of the monastery is located Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Construction of the current church began in 1608 - on a project by the architect Carlo Maderno, and the money is allocated by Cardinal Scipione Borghese. In 1613, construction work was stopped and resumed only after a decade and a half. A year later, Carlo Maderno died, and it took Giovanni Battista Soria, which significantly changed the initial design of the church. Between 1631 and 1641 years, the facade was completed, and appeared on the balustrade of the heraldic symbol of the Chigi family, which belonged to the former power Pope Alexander VII.

The facade of the church is in the late Baroque style. Inside the building consists of a central nave with six chapels - three on each side. The interior is decorated with works of art of the 17th and part of the 18th centuries. Thus, the dome is decorated with the work of Francesco Rosa, and the ceiling frescoes in Rococo painted by Luigi Harz. Chapel of lapis lazuli, agate and gilded bronze made in 1787 by Carlo Marchione. The stucco decorations - work of Pietro Bracci. In the corridor leading to the sacristy, frescoes Antoniazzi Romano and his pupils. In addition, the interior of the church attracted the attention of numerous sculptures, including colored marble. In one of the chapels of exhibited works by Giovanni Battista Madonna Passero - it is considered one of his best works.

A double staircase leads to the cloister, built in the 20th century, and the crypt is located under the stairs of the Fallen, erected in 1934 and dedicated to all priests who died during the First World War.

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