When someone asked me to name one of my favorite places in Rome recently, I was lost for words. There are so many choices. Are we thinking food? Wine? Art? Roman rubble? Too late I realised I should have mentioned one of the favorite stops on my morning run.
The Church of Santa Maria dell’Anima (Our Lady of the Soul) next to Piazza Navona has one of the most beautiful works of art I have ever seen in the Eternal City. There is something about Francesco Salviati’s poignant rendition of the Deposition, that always takes my breath away.
Salviati was born Francesco de’ Rossi in Florence in 1510 and later took the name of his patron, Cardinal Giovanni Salviati, when he moved to Rome. He completed several frescoes before painting the very moving deposition of Christ in 1550.
But the Church of Santa Maria dell’Anima is filled with art treasures - paintings, sculptures, marble tombs - and I highly recommend a visit.
It’s easy to miss this church. Especially when there are so many churches to choose from in Rome.
But beyond the Renaissance exterior, the richly decorated church has a fascinating history. The church was founded in the 14th century by Dutch merchants and later became the Rome church for the Holy Roman Empire.
From there it evolved into being the church for German-speaking Catholics. It survived the Sack of Rome in 1527 but was later desecrated during the French invasion of 1798.
The Dutch Pope Adrian VI and two cardinals are buried inside the vast church which has gilded ceilings and tall columns.
In one of the side chapels, there is a beautiful reinterpretation of Michelangelo’s Pieta. There are two paintings by Carlo Saraceni that are also worth a look, The Miracles of Saint Benno, and the Martyrdom of Saint Lambert (1618).
While it has been propagated as a German institution, it was until 1918 under the patronage of the Habsburg emperors.
Perhaps its best kept secret - the church served as a ‘ratline”, ensuring an escape route for Nazi war criminals. Layers of history in one location.
