Passignano (Domenico Cresti)

Chiesa Nuova

Passignano (Domenico Cresti) 1559 - 1638

Domenico Cresti was born in Passignano near Florence in 1559. It is thought that when he was nine he studied in Florence with Girolamo Macchietti and Giovanni Battista Naldini.

He was mainly influenced by his next teacher, Federico Zuccari with whom he worked with in Florence from 1575 until 1579. In 1580, when Zuccari went to Rome Cresti went with him and worked there for two years.

He traveled to Venice in 1582 where he worked until 1588. Here he was influenced by the works of Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese.

Cresti was employed by several popes and was often summoned to Rome. In 1602 he was commissioned by Pope Clement VIII to paint a Crucifixion of Saint Peter for Saint Peter's, then in 1604 he received the commission from Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, the future pope Urban VIII, to decorate the Barberini family chapel in Sant'Andrea della Valle. His next commission was for the Borghese pope, Paul V to decorate the Sacristy and help in the decoration of the Pauline Chapel in Santa Maria Maggiore.

He worked for many cardinals and wealthy patrons, decorating their palaces and villas around Rome and Frascati.

By 1616 he had returned to Florence where he painted the portrait of Michelangelo and Galileo then in 1627 he once more journeyed to Rome for the commission from Barberini pope, Urban VIII, to paint the Incredulity of Thomas (1624 - 1627) and the Presentation of the Virgin (1627) for Saint Peter's.

Domenico Cresti died in Florence in 1638.

Passignano (Domenico Cresti) Art in Rome
Saint Peter's
Santa Maria Maggiore
Sant'Andrea della Valle
Chiesa Nuova
San Giovanni dei Fiorentini
Pinacoteca Vatican
Galleria Borghese
Adam and Eve

Mattia Preti

Sant'Andrea della Valle

Mattia Preti 1613 - 1699

Mattia Preti, also known as il Cavaliere Calabrese, was born in 1613 in Taverna in Calabria. Around 1630 he joined his brother Gregorio, also an artist, in Rome where he studied the techniques of Caravaggio and was influenced by the Baroque styles of Guercino, Guido Reni, Giovanni Lanfranco and Rubens. In 1641 he was he was made a Knight of Malta by Pope Urban VIII.

In around 1642 he was given the commission in San Carlo ai Catinari to fresco the walls above the entrance with scenes of the Charity of Saint Charles.

Then in 1650 he won the commission to fresco the main altarpiece in the apse of Sant'Andrea della Valle with three frescoes of the Martyrdom of Saint Andrew.

He was a favoured painter of the Pamphilj family who commissioned paintings that are now on display in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj.

In 1653 he moved to Naples and worked extensively there, then traveled  to work in Malta eventually dying there in 1699.

Mattia Preti Art in Rome
Sant'Andrea della Valle
San Carlo ai Catinari
Galleria Spada
Cristo e la donna adultera
Galleria d'Arte Antica Palazzo Barberini
The Raising of Lazarus
Aenaes, Anchises and Ascanius fleeing Troy
Galleria Doria Pamphilj
The Concert
The Tribute Money
Agar and Ismael
Penitent Magdalen
Galleria Corsini
Tribute Money

Santa Pudenziana

where: Via Urbana, 160
getting there: short walk from the termini train station
open: closed Mondays, Tuesday to Saturday 9:00-12:00 & 15:00-18:00

Not far from Santa Maria Maggiore and behind the Via Cavour on Via Urbana is the church of Santa Pudenziana.
A church was first built on this site and dated to the 4th century but in 1588 it was rebuilt.

On the facade are murals by Antonio Manno and Pietro Gagliardi from an 1870 restoration which replaced the damaged fresco by il Pomerancio.

The apse mosaic dates from 390 and is thought to be the oldest mosaic in Rome. A few coins can be inserted to light the apse in the box near the sacristy.

At the high altar are three paintings by Bernardino Nocchi that date from 1803 and the dome fresco and pendantives were by il Pomerancio depicting the Angel and Saints.

On the counterfacade, above main entrance on the right is St Augustine of Hippo by Giacinto Gimignani and on the left wall showing the Baptism of Saint Prudens is a fresco by Avanzino Nucci.

In the enclosed chapel of Saint Augustine on the right is the Assumption by Ludovico Gimignani.

In the Chapel of the Crucifix there is a Guardian Angel by Antiveduto Grammatica and in the Chapel Our Lady of Mercy are the canvases of the Nativity of the Madonna and the Nativity of Christ by Lazzaro Baldi who also frescoed the walls and lunettes.

Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci

where: Piazza di Santa Maria alle Fornaci, 30
getting there: Near the Vatican San Pietro train station
open: 7:00-12:00

Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci (Saint Mary of the Graces at the Furnaces) is a short 10 minute walk from the Vatican.
A church on this site dates back to 15th century and named for the brick kilns or furnaces of the area that were built to make bricks for the rebuilding of Saint Peter's.

The rebuilding of Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornica began in 1694 with the facade completed in 1727 and the Baroque inspired bell tower not added until the 20th century.

The interior is a Greek cross with a single nave and central altar.

In the first altar on the right is Giuseppe Chiari's last work the Sacred Family and on the left is an altarpiece by Pietro Bianchi with lunettes decorated by Marco Benefial.
The dome decorations were by Pietro da Pietri.

The church is open from 7am until 11.30 and reopens at 4pm until 7.30pm.

Santa Maria del Suffragio

where: Via Giulia, 59
open: possibly open 7:00-8:00 & 19:00-20:00

Santa Maria del Suffragio is a 17th century Baroque church on the Via Giulia, designed by Carlo Rainaldi and completed in 1669.  It belonged to the Confraternita del Suffragio – the fraternity who prayed for souls suffering in purgatory.

The church has a single nave and the interior decorations were completed in 1685.

In the third chapel on the right are Giuseppe Chiari's first known commissions, frescoes of the Birth of the Virgin and Adoration of the Magi in the Marchionni chapel.

The vault decorated with frescoes of Our Lady being crowned Queen of Heaven were by Cesare Mariani and date from 1868.

The church once held frescoes by Giovanni Lanfranco which sadly were removed.

Artists in Santa Maria del Suffragio

Giuseppe Chiari

Cesare Mariani

Giuseppe Ghezzi

Nicola Berrettoni

Domenichino

The Communion of St Jerome
St Peter's

Domenichino 1581 - 1641

Domenico Zampieri was born in Bologna and first began his studying under Denis Calvaert. After arguing with Calvaert he left to join Annibale and Agostino Carracci working in their Accademia degli Incammunati studio alongside Guido Reni, Francesco Albani and Giovanni Lanfranco. The Carracci brothers gave him the nickname Domenichino which meant little Domenico because of his short stature.
Domenichino was one of the most talented apprentices from the Carracci studio and his first commission, the Lady and the Unicorn was under the guidance of Annibale for the palazzo Farnese. When Annibale died in 1609 Domenichino, along with Guido Reni, Giovanni Lanfranco and Francesco Albani became the leading painters in Rome and they competed fiercely against each other trying to gain commissions.
Domenichino was commissioned to paint many altarpieces in Rome's churches including the Polet chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi, the pendentives in San Carlo ai Catinari and Sant'Andrea della Valle and became architect for pope Gregory XV.
In 1631 he moved to Naples where he died in 1641 rumored to have been poisoned by a rival.

Domenichino Art in Rome
Palazzo Farnese
Lady with the Unicorn
Death of Adonis
Galleria Doria-Pamphilj
Landscape with Ford
Galleria Borghese
Cumaean Sybil
Hunt of Diana and the Nymphs
Galleria della Nazionale d'Arte Antica
Madonna and Child with Sts John the Baptist and Petronius
Pinacoteca Capitolina
Cumaean Sybil
Communion of St Jerome
San Luigi dei Francesi (Polet Chapel)
Scenes of the life of St Cecilia
Giving Alms to the Poor
Before the Judge
Sant'Andrea della Valle
The Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
Santa Maria in Trastevere
Assumption of the Virgin (Ceiling)
Santa Maria della Vittoria
frescoes
Santa Maria degli Angeli
Santa Maria della Concezione 
Trinità dei Monti
Saint Peter's Basilica
San Carlo ai Catinari
Sant'Onofrio

Giuseppe Chiari

Saint Clement in Glory
Galleria Barberini

Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari 1654 - 1727

Giuseppe Chiari was a late-Baroque painter who was probably born in Rome. He was first apprenticed to painter and art dealer Carlantonio Galliani at the age of ten before leaving his studio to study under Carlo Maratta in 1666.

Chiari worked mainly in Rome and his first known commission was the wall frescoes for the Marchionni chapel in Santa Maria del Suffragio of the Birth of the Virgin and Adoration of the Magi.

In 1686 he was commissioned to decorate the vault of Santa Maria Montesanto with an Assumption and in 1693 he worked in the Palazzo Barberini completing two ceiling frescoes of the Birth of Pindar and Apollo, Aurora and the Seasons. His largest ceiling fresco was for the Palazzo Colonna in around 1700 of Hercules introducing Marcantonio Colonna to Olympus.

One of his most important patrons in the early part of the 18th century was pope Clemente XI who commissioned him to paint the nave in San Clemente and the nave of San Giovanni in Laterano.

His last work was the Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist in Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci.

He was the director of the Accademia di San Luca from 1723 until 1725.

He died  in 1727 leaving a large amount of work in the palaces and churches of Rome.

Giuseppe Chiari Art in Rome
Santa Maria in Cosmedin
Palazzo Barberini
Palazzo Colonna
Palazzo Spada
San Silvestro in Capite
Madonna and Child with Saint Anthony 
Santa Maria di Loreto
San Salvatore in Lauro
Santa Maria in Montesanto
Assumption
San Clemente
Saint Clement in Glory
Saint Peter's Basilica
San Giovanni in Laterano
Sant'Ignazio di Loyola
Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
Glory of Angels
San Francesco di Paola
Santi Apostoli
San Francesco surrounded by Angels
San Francesco a Ripa
Santa Maria del Suffragio
Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica at Palazzo Corsini
Solar Carriage