Sant'Andrea delle Fratte

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sant'Andrea delle Fratte is a 17th century basilica church in Rome, devoted to St. Andrew. The Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Andreae Apostoli de Hortis is Ennio Cardinal Antonelli.

Facade of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte.

The current church was built over a pre-existing one, erected in 1192, called infra hortes ("between orchards", whence the name fratte, "woods") for it was located in a countryside area. It was the national church of the Scottish people in Rome, until 1585, when Pope Sixtus V donated it to the Minor Friars of San Francesco di Paola.

In 1604 the construction of the new church was begun, under the design of Gaspare Guerra. The project, halted eight years later, was revamped in 1653 by Francesco Borromini, who is responsible of the apse, the tambour of the cupola and the fine square campanile with four orders. After his death, the construction was continued by Mattia De Rossi. The late Renaissance style façade, with two orders divided by parastades, was completed in 1826.

The interior has a single nave. The first chapel on the right is a wooden tempietto painted by Borgognone. The Baroque decoration has its main point of interest in the two angels by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, originally sculpted for Ponte Sant'Angelo and brought here in the 18th century.