Sant'Agnese in Agone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sant'Agnese in Agone is a basilica church in Rome. Construction started in 1652 under the planning of Carlo Rainaldi on the site where Saint Agnes was martyred in the Circus of Domitian, now the Piazza Navona in Rome.
Current Cardinal Deacon of the Titulus S. Agnetis in Agone is Lorenzo Antonetti.
Contents |
[edit] History
The first designs, by Girolamo Rainaldi in 1652, were for a Baroque church. They were commissioned by Pope Innocent X, whose funerary monument is housed within the church. The Pope's family, the Pamphilj, had a large palace adjacent and the church was to be a sort of personal chapel annexed to the their residence. For example, the tambour of the dome was provided of an opening from which the Pope could assist to the celebrations from his apartment in the palace. In the years 1653-1657 the works of the facade were completed by the important Baroque architect Francesco Borromini, who changed the distance between the two side towers and introduced a concave volume in the centre. Sant'Agnese in Agone is considered among Borromini's most restrained creations.
The construction was completed by Carlo Rainaldi, son of Girolamo.
The church has a Greek cross plan. The interior of the dome has paintings portraying the martyrdom of St. Agnese, executed in 1670-1689 by Ciro Ferri and Sebastiano Corbellini. Ercole Ferrata, among the others, took part in the decoration of the main altar. Under the church there are substantial remains of an ancient Roman house.
[edit] Trivia
Despite the curious assonance, the name of this church is unrelated to the agony of the martyr: in agone was the ancient name of piazza Navona ("piazza in agone"), and meant instead (from Greek) "in the site of the competitions", because piazza Navona was an ancient stadium on the Greek model (with one flat end) for footraces. From "in agone", the popular use and pronunciation changed the name into "Navona", but other roads around kept the original name (like the Corsia Agonale, a short road that connects with the Palazzo Madama.
A famous fountain by Bernini, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, lies in front of the church. According to a legend, Bernini positioned the cowering sculpture of the Nile River as if the sculpture was fearing the facade by his rival Borromini could crumble against him.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- "Sant'Agnese in Agone", by Nyborg.
