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This page displays two of the more interesting churches in Rome. They are the first Baroque church (il Gesu) and San Nicola in Carcere, which was built over three ancient Roman temples, incorporating the temple ruins into the foundation and walls of the church.
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Chiesa del Gesu
Facade Apse and Vault Transept and Pier
Chapel of St. Ignatius Adoration of the Trinity Triumph of the Name of Jesus Apse and Dome detail
Apse Vault and Dome detail Apse and Vault at Night Altars: St. Ignatius and Francis Xavier
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San Nicola in Carcere
Archaeological Excavations Dedication Plaque and Story Temple of Spes (254 BC) Temple of Janus (260 BC) Facade and Nave
Apse and Baldachino Our Lady of Pompeii, St. Christopher Our Lady of Guadalupe Crucifixion Chapel, St. Nicholas Trinita by Guercino Temple of Juno (194 BC), Crypt
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website. The Banner below leads to the Rome Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Link to the Gallery with images of Roman Churches: Gesu and Carcere
There are a number of images in this section that are not yet on the Photoshelter site. If an image you want is not yet uploaded, contact Ron Reznick (info at bottom of page).
There are 18 Galleries in the Photoshelter Rome Collection
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Chiesa del Gesu (Church of the Gesu: the Jesuit Mother Church)
“The most Baroque church in all of Rome”.
Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesł all'Argentina (Church of the Holy Name of Jesus) is the mother church of the Jesuit Order, and introduced the Baroque style into architecture. Its facade, the first truly Baroque facade, was first designed by the Florentine architect Nanni di Baccio Bigio then modified by Michelangelo Buonarroti, who offered to design the church for free. Instead, the Cardinal Alessandro Farnese funded the project (to continue the association of his family name with the church, as his grandfather Pope Paul III authorized the founding of the Jesuit Order).
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Chiesa del Gesu Facade detail 6577 794 x 1290 (354 KB)
The austere facade of the Chiesa del Gesu, by Giacomo della Porta. The Farnese architect (Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola) and Giacomo della Porta received the project. Vignola altered Michelangelo’s design, and upon his death della Porta altered Vignola’s design, reflecting the early Jesuit approach to art.
Below the curved and triangular tympana of the main entrance is the Farnese inscription and a massive shield with the IHS monogram (Jesus: Ihesus) executed in 1576 from a wax mold by Bartolomeo Ammannati. Below the IHS shield is a second curved tympanum, which holds an SPQR shield and a Papal shield (SPQR: Senate Populusque Romanus, the Senate and People of Rome, an initialism seen all over Rome).
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Chiesa del Gesu Facade detail 6613 741 x 1290 (348 KB)
Based on the simple lines of the exterior, you would never guess that the interior decoration exhibits the drama and theatrical character of the High Baroque period.
In the second half of the 17th century, the Jesuits decided to use the ornate character of Baroque art to illustrate the triumphs of their order, and they redesigned the church interior into a showpiece of High Baroque art.
The statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola stomping on a native, by an unknown stucco artist, is not explained anywhere. Hmmm...
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Chiesa del Gesu 6579 795 x 1290 (528 KB)
Apse, High Altar and Left Transept.
Michelangelo’s design for a single nave (no aisles), a shallow transept with terminating chapel, an apse and 8 side chapels was altered somewhat by Vignola based on the Cardinal’s desires into a single nave with three small chapels on each side and two shallow transepts with terminating chapels. Upon entering the church, the wide vista of the nave is immediately visible, and the golden frescoes and high vaults induce awe.
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Chiesa del Gesu Vault Detail 6584 771 x 1290 (522 KB)
Entrance Vault, Drum of the Dome, and Apse Vault.
Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Antonio Raggi and Leonardo Reti were responsible for the ceiling decoration (pupils of Bernini). Gaulli received the commissions for painting the vaults when he was only 22 years old, on the recommendation of Bernini. Raggi and Reti did the stucco accents and statues, and Raggi created the trompe-l’oeil stucco and wooden figures.
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Chiesa del Gesu Vault Detail 6584c 1500 x 1150 (549 KB)
Detail of the trompe-l’oeil stucco and wooden figures on the vault ceiling (Antonio Raggi). These are at the bottom of Gaulli’s masterpiece Triumph of the Name of Jesus (detail below).
Trompe-l’oeil is French for “fool the eye”, a method of creating a three-dimensional illusion.
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Chiesa del Gesu 6592 795 x 1290 (535 KB)
Detail of the apse, pier and organ over the truncated left transept (the Chapel of St. Ignatius of Loyola). On the right is a closer detail shot of the organ and pier detail, showing the ornate reliefs and highly detailed gilded decorations.
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Chiesa del Gesu Chapel St. Ignatius 6594 M 939 x 1600 (729 KB)
Note Raggi’s trompe-l’oeil figures (pendentive, top right). The gilded decorations and the reliefs are spectacular.
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Chiesa del Gesu Chapel St. Ignatius 6598 M 1500 x 1290 (901 KB)
The truncated left transept holds the Chapel of St. Ignatius of Loyola (altar is at left). The Chapel of St. Ignatius was designed by the Jesuit artist Andrea Pozzo (1695-99) and executed by more than 100 artists. The columns of the altar are faced with lapis lazuli as is the IHS monogram above the altarpiece. Over the altar is a split pediment which contains Leonardo Reti and Lorenzo Ottoni’s sculpture of the Holy Trinity, with an orb of travertine faced with lapis lazuli representing the world. The entire altar is on a base of malachite with gilded bronze reliefs depicting scenes from the life of St. Ignatius, by Renato Fremin, Angelo de Rossi and others. The columns, capitals, frames and accents are gilded, and on the right is Pierre le Gros’s sculpture Triumph of Faith over Heresy, a militant Jesuit sculpture depicting Mary throwing Martin Luther out of heaven while an angel rips his scripture to shreds. Brutal.
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Adoration of the Trinity Chiesa del Gesu 6591 M 1000 x 1600 (587 KB)
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Adoration of the Trinity 6591c 960 x 1290 (396 KB)
St. Michael Archangel and Angels Adoring the Trinity Federico Zuccari (altarpiece in the Cappella degli Angeli).
Zuccari also painted the frescoes on the walls and ceiling.
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Chiesa del Gesu Triumph Name of Jesus 6588 M 1000 x 1600 (705 KB)
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Triumph of the Name of Jesus by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (Baciccia)
Considered to be the finest ceiling fresco in Rome other than the Sistine Chapel. Gaulli received the commission to create his masterwork when he was only 22 years old. His patron, GianLorenzo Bernini (the foremost Baroque artist in Rome), was successful in recommending him for this most prestigious job. Gaulli, Antonio Raggi and Leonardo Reti decorated the entire dome, lantern and pendentives, vault, transept ceilings and window recesses with frescoes and the foreshortened trompe-l’oeil stucco and wooden figures used to create the 3D effects that make the fresco work so striking.
Triumph of the Name of Jesus (also known by several similar names) was created within a gilded frame which is supported by stuccoed angels and unveiled on Christmas Eve, 1679 to a stunned audience. A horde of floating children surround the luminous golden monogram IHS, and the children are in turn surrounded by older figures clamoring for a view. Men and women, Kings and peasants surround the outer group, sitting on clouds and staring at the spectacle. An angel peeks out of the lower cloud at the scene of trompe-l’oeil figures of fallen angels and heretics tumbling in disarray out of the lower edge of the composition. The scene can give you a pain in the neck as you strain to take it all in. A masterwork of Baroque theater.
Raggi’s foreshortened wood and stucco figures were attached to the ceiling and then painted by Gaulli so they seemed to be a part of the fresco. You really have to look twice when you first see it. There were a number of classic double-takes by people who walked over to look while I was shooting (I understood completely). The effect must have been astounding in the 1680s when people first saw it.
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Chiesa del Gesu Triumph Name of Jesus detail 6581 M 1500 x 1290 (757 KB)
Detail of the upper section of Giovanni Battista Gaulli’s masterpiece Triumph of the Name of Jesus showing the wood and stucco trompe-l’oeil figures created by Antonio Raggi, which were placed in a U-shaped arrangement around and through the fresco and painted by Gaulli to create a 3D illusion. The superb shading makes the illusion seem extremely realistic.
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Chiesa del Gesu Altar Apse 6601 M 1000 x 1600 (709 KB)
The marble and alabaster in the nave was added between 1858-61 and the high altar was built by Antonio Sarti (who also covered the apse in marble). The antique yellow marble columns support a Neo-Classical pediment over which are two angels (Francesco Benaglia and Filippo Gnaccarini) on either side of the aureole containing the IHS monogram with three smaller angels below the aureole (by Rinaldo Rinaldi). The altarpiece is the Circumcision by Alessandro Capalti.
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Chiesa del Gesu Dome 6605 M 1000 x 1600 (751 KB)
The dome was frescoed by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, as was the apse vault. More of Antonio Raggi’s trompe-l’oeil stucco and wooden figures were used in the pendentives of the piers. The dome frescoes depict figures from the Old Testament. The apse vault fresco (detailed below), also by Gaulli, is the Adoration of the Mystical Lamb (1679-80). The lamb is laying on a lounge in a wash of golden light, surrounded by a diverse group of figures all gazing raptly towards the lamb.
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Chiesa del Gesu Apse Vault detail 6601 M 1500 x 1290 (778 KB)
Detail of the apse vault frescoes by Giovanni Battista Gaulli. The main vault depicts the Adoration of the Mystical Lamb (1679-80), in which the reclining lamb is surrounded by a group of raptly gazing figures. The fresco in the arch vault has musical angels playing a harp, trumpet, viola and a tambourine while watching another group of three angels, floating overhead carrying a Latin inscription reading “Calling the Name of Jesus”.
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Chiesa del Gesu Vault Detail 6606 M 1500 x 1290 (811 KB)
Detail of the apse vault, the piers and the drum of the dome, showing the reliefs and Raggi’s trompe-l’oeil stucco and wooden figures in the pendentives below the dome.
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Chiesa del Gesu Dome detail 6605 M 1500 x 1290 (871 KB)
Detail of the trompe-l’oeil stucco and wooden figures in the pendentive below the dome.
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Chiesa del Gesu Altar Apse 8465 767 x 1290 (514 KB)
I came back to shoot the apse at night. The frescoes look entirely different with the lighting in the vaults.
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Chiesa del Gesu Altar Apse 8453 M 1000 x 1600 (683 KB)
A large, M-sized detail shot of the apse vault and high altar, showing the Circumcision altarpiece by Alessandro Capalti and Adoration of the Mystical Lamb in the vault by Gaulli. Detail of the entire apse vault is shown in a large crop below.
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Chiesa del Gesu Apse Vault detail 8465 M 1500 x 1290 (821 KB)
A large detail crop of the image shown above left, detailing the entire apse vault and arch. In the apse vault is Adoration of the Mystical Lamb, and the arch vault has figures of musical angels playing a harp, trumpet, viola and tambourine while watching a group of three angels hovering overhead carrying a Latin inscription which reads: “Calling the Name of Jesus”.
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Chiesa del Gesu Altar St. Ignatius 8457 M 1000 x 1600 (638 KB)
Altar of the Chapel of St. Ignatius of Loyola in the left transept. Designed by Andrea Pozzo, the malachite base and four gilded columns with lapis lazuli faces and gilded Corinthian capitals support an ornate malachite entablature with a curved pediment, whose split apex contains a sculpture of the Holy Trinity and an orb of travertine faced with lapis lazuli representing the world. Note the gilded bronze base reliefs.
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Chiesa del Gesu Altar St. Francis Xavier 8461 M 1000 x 1600 (563 KB)
Altar of the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier in the right transept. Designed by Pietro da Cortona, it has four red marble columns with gilded Corinthian capitals, an entablature with a curved pediment with a split apex which encloses the relief: “St. Francis Xavier Carried into Heaven by Angels”. The altar painting is by Carlo Maratta: “Death of St. Francis Xavier”. Note the gilded bronze angel directly below the altarpiece.
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— Return to the top of this page —
Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website. The Banner below leads to the Rome Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Link to the Gallery with images of Roman Churches: Gesu and Carcere
There are a number of images in this section that are not yet on the Photoshelter site. If an image you want is not yet uploaded, contact Ron Reznick (info at bottom of page).
There are 18 Galleries in the Photoshelter Rome Collection
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San Nicola in Carcere (St. Nicholas in Prison)
San Nicola in Carcere stands behind the Theater of Marcellus, with Palazzo Orsini in between. The church was built over three temples in the Forum Holitorium (Olitorio), the vegetable market of ancient Rome. Before the first church was built (6th-7th century), one of the temples was used as a prison (based on Pliny’s History of Rome), thus the name. In the 7th c., the ban on converting ancient temples to churches was lifted, and that is most likely when the first church was built (although there is no definitive information on the founding date). The church is interesting in many ways, but the most unusual aspect is that it incorporates the Temples of Juno Sospita, Janus and Spes into the church foundations and walls.
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Archaeological Excavations Forum Holitorium 8081 1500 x 1092 (746 KB)
Archaeological excavations behind the church, revealing part of the ancient Forum Holitorium, the vegetable market of ancient Rome. The ancient sinks were very likely used to wash the vegetables before they were put on display.
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San Nicola in Carcere Plaque 8083 1250 x 990 (458 KB)
A dedicatory plaque on the exterior wall of the church.
The story told about the name in carcere is as follows:
“A prison stood on the site of the church. It was torn down and a Temple to Piety was built in its place by Consuls Quinto and Attilio. This was instigated by a prisoner sentenced to starve to death in the prison. His daughter, who visited him every day, fed him with her milk. The wardens eventually discovered why he continued to look healthy, and they told the Senate, who were impressed with the filial devotion and pardoned both the man and his daughter, giving them a pension for the rest of their lives. The Senators then decided to turn the prison into the temple of Piety.”
It is a nice story, but the temple was actually dedicated to Pietas, Roman goddess of duty to the State, gods and family, built in the 2nd century BC by Acilius Glabrius (consul in 191 BC). The prison referred to in the name of the church was an Imperial and later a Byzantine prison (the Byzantine Empire dominated Rome from the late 5th century until the early 8th century). The first church was built in the 7th century during the Byzantine period, and the prison was in existence sometime in the period during which Pliny the Elder was alive (d. 79 AD) as he included a reference to it in his History of Rome. It is not known when the prison was torn down.
The Temple of Pietas was torn down to make way for the building of the Theater of Marcellus by Julius Caesar, who cleared the space just before he was assassinated in 44 BC (the theater was completed in 13 BC). The timing does not support the story. There are a number of stories like this in Rome, possibly invented to entertain the tourists. Colorful, interesting, but false.
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San Nicola in Carcere Temple of Spes Columns 8082 1500 x 1092 (720 KB)
The Doric columns and the entablature of the Temple of Spes (254 BC) built into the south wall of the church. Spes was the Roman goddess of Hope. The temple was built during the first Punic War by Aulus Atilius Calatinus, the Roman general who led the first army outside Italy, and was consul, praetor and censor.
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San Nicola in Carcere Temple of Janus Columns 8152 1500 x 1092 (902 KB)
The Ionic columns and the entablature of the Temple of Janus (260 BC), built into the north wall of the church. Built by Gaius Duilius in 260 BC at the beginning of the First Punic War, who was the first Roman admiral to achieve success in a naval engagement (against Hannibal Gisco, at the Battle of Mylae).
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San Nicola in Carcere Temple of Janus Columns 8157 1500 x 1092 (838 KB)
Detail of the ancient Ionic columns of the Temple of Janus (260 BC), in the north wall of the church of San Nicola in Carcere. Note the brick buttresses added as reinforcement to shore up weaker areas of the wall when Mussolini demolished the medieval houses surrounding the temples.
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San Nicola in Carcere Facade 8151 761 x 1290 (339 KB)
The early Baroque facade by Giacomo della Porta (1599), who also completed the facade of Chiesa del Gesu (above). The fellow in the doorway was nice enough to lead me into the crypts to see the Temple of Juno Sospita (end of this section). Three columns of the Temple of Juno Sospita were used in the facade (one of the Ionic capitals is seen at the top right). The stars on the facade are a heraldic device of Cardinal Aldobrandini, who financed the restoration in 1599.
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San Nicola in Carcere Nave 8085M 1000 x 1600 (460 KB)
The view down the center of the nave. The style of the church is a typical Roman basilica, with a wider central nave and two side-nave aisles separated from the central nave by ancient columns with Corinthian capitals, which support an arcade.
Some remains of the ancient temple structure are also in the aisles of the church, as the church was built entirely within the boundaries of the Temple of Juno Sospita cella, with the outer side walls using columns of the Temples of Spes and Janus as part of their structure (filling in the spaces with spoila).
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San Nicola in Carcere Nave 8088 1500 x 1092 (517 KB)
A wide view of the nave and arcade, the apse, altar and ciborium (baldachino). Note the Chi-Rho symbol on top of the baldachino, which was an ancient symbol of Christianity (Chi and Rho being the first two Greek letters in Christ’s name).
Also, note the Ionic columns (the last two on either side of the arcade, near the altar). These are ancient columns from the Temple of Juno Sospita pronaos (inner portico).
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San Nicola in Carcere Apse 8092 M 955 x 1600 (502 KB)
The baldachino over the altar, with Corinthian columns which support a plain canopy with the Chi-Rho symbol on top.
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San Nicola in Carcere Apse Fresco 8095 M 1000 x 1600 (377 KB)
The apse frescoes behind the baldachino. The vault fresco “Angels and Prophets” was created by Luigi Martoni (1862). The lower fresco is earlier, possibly by Romano (1470), who also did the frescoes in the right part of the nave.
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Our Lady of Pompeii San Nicola in Carcere 8093 770 x 1290 (371 KB)
Two Madonna cults are represented within the church. One is Our Lady of Pompeii. The chapel above has a reproduction of the painting from Bartolo Longo’s church in Pompeii.
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St. Christopher San Nicola in Carcere 8104 751 x 1290 (241 KB)
The statue of St. Christopher in a late Renaissance style. I was not able to track down any information on this statue.
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Our Lady of Guadalupe San Nicola in Carcere 8089 777 x 1290 (422 KB)
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Our Lady of Guadalupe San Nicola in Carcere 8089c 1095 x 1290 (476 KB)
A large detail crop of the painting in the chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe in San Nicola in Carcere.
The other Madonna cult represented in the church is the Mexican Our Lady of Guadalupe. The chapel contains a reproduction of the miraculous painting, sent from Mexico to San Nicola in Carcere in 1773.
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Crucifixion Chapel San Nicola in Carcere 8100 770 x 1290 (371 KB)
The Crucifixion Chapel, with its 15th-16th century wooden crucifix and sculpture, and icon of St. Nicholas (known as St. Nicholas of Bari or St. Nicholas of Myra).
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St. Nicholas San Nicola in Carcere 8100c (detail crop — no linked image) Perspective-corrected detail crop of the icon.
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St. Nicholas of Myra (St. Nicholas of Bari, aka Santa Claus)
Yes... there really is a Santa Claus.
Pope Urban II (1088-1099) rededicated the first church to St. Nicholas of Myra (aka Nicholas of Bari). Urban II promoted the cult of St. Nicholas and placed the saint’s relics in a church in Bari. At the time, the church was known as the church of the Pierleoni, a powerful Roman family of the 11th-13th c. who controlled the part of Rome the church was located in (and who rebuilt San Nicola in Carcere in 1128).
St. Nicholas was patron saint of prisoners. San Nicola in Carcere (in prison)... maybe a connection.
St. Nicholas of Myra had a reputation for secret gift-giving (putting coins in the shoes people left out) and was the model for Santa Claus (from the Dutch Sinterklaas). Sinterklaas has pagan origins based on ancient Norse religion (Odin), but as the culture became Christianized, St. Nicholas became the model.
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Trinity between Angels Barbieri San Nicola Carcere 8106 M 1000 x 1600 (377 KB)
This painting was originally the altarpiece in the Baptistry (now the vestry). It is now in the right aisle of the church. It is identical to the altarpiece on the high altar of Santa Maria della Vittoria’s Cappella della santa Trinita. They say that San Nicola’s Trinita is a copy, and they are “not sure if the master did it or if it was painted by one of his pupils”. Altarpiece envy. That’s a new one.
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (known as il Guercino) painted Trinity between Angels c. 1650. He was called il Guercino (squinter) because he was cross-eyed. It didn’t seem to affect his painting. He was an amazingly prolific painter, creating 106 large altarpieces for churches and 144 other paintings. Guercino was one of the leading masters of the Bologna school. His style included dramatic lighting effects, bright colors and broad brushstrokes. In 1642, he took over Guido Reni’s Bologna studio after Reni died.
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Temple Juno Podium San Nicola in Carcere Crypt 8130 1350 x 1175 (465 KB) 1/8 second, f/1.4, hand-held
Following are several images taken in the crypt of San Nicola in Carcere of the podium of the Temple of Juno Sospita. These were incredibly difficult hand-held shots, taken in a very dark area lit by a couple of distant incandescent bulbs.
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Temple Juno Podium San Nicola in Carcere Crypt 8109 M 1500 x 1290 (485 KB) 1/2 second, f/2.0, hand-held
The Temple of Juno Sospita was built in 194 BC by the consul and censor Gaius Cornelius Cethegus. Juno Sospita (Savior) was an aspect of the goddess who was protector of Rome. February owes its name to the februae (rites of Juno Sospita).
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Temple Juno Podium San Nicola in Carcere Crypt 8144 1500 x 1092 (483 KB) 1/10 second, f/1.4, hand-held
I am providing shutter speed and aperture information for those who may be interested. These shots were a nightmare, both to shoot and to process. To get these shutter speeds, I had to underexpose the meter 2.67 stops and then push the image in processing. Tricky.
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Temple Juno Podium San Nicola in Carcere Crypt 8116 795 x 1290 (376 KB) 1/40 second, f/1.4, hand-held
Detail of part of the podium, Temple of Juno Sospita.
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Temple Juno Treasure Room San Nicola in Carcere Crypt 8136 767 x 1290 (337 KB) 1/13 second, f/1.4, hand-held
This was identified as the Treasure Room.
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Temple Juno Podium San Nicola in Carcere Crypt 8140 1500 x 1092 (460 KB) 1/10 second, f/1.4, hand-held
Podium of the Temple of Juno Sospita (194 BC), Crypt of San Nicola in Carcere, Rome.
San Nicola in Carcere was built wholly within the cella of the temple of Juno Sospita. It incorporated some of the columns into its facade and used others at the front of the nave to hold up the arcade (along with Corinthian columns from another ancient source). The church foundation incorporates the podium of the Temple into part of its structure. Much of the temple podium can be seen in the crypt, and is detailed in these images.
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— Return to the top of this page —
Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website. The Banner below leads to the Rome Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Link to the Gallery with images of Roman Churches: Gesu and Carcere
There are a number of images in this section that are not yet on the Photoshelter site. If an image you want is not yet uploaded, contact Ron Reznick (info at bottom of page).
There are 18 Galleries in the Photoshelter Rome Collection
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