| Church of Sacred Heart of Christ the King Chiesa del Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re (Italian) |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Titular church, Minor basilica |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Marcello Piacentini |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Italian rationalism |
| Groundbreaking | 1920 |
| Completed | 1934 |
| Specifications | |
| Dome(s) | 1 |
| Dome height (outer) | 36 meters (118 ft 1.3 in) |
| Dome dia. (inner) | 20 meters (65 ft 7.4 in) |
Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re is a Roman Catholic church (minor basilica) in Rome, designed between the 1920s and 1930s by Marcello Piacentini.
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The idea for a new church in the new district of Della Vittoria (literally Of Victory, after the victory in World War I) came from Ottavio Gasparri, member of the Sacred Heart of Jesus religious order. At first the church should be named Tempio della Pace[1], to remember and honour the fallen of World War I. The construction began in May 1920[2], the first project proposed by Marcello Piacentini was inspired by the churches built in Rome in the 16th century.
The construction halted with the death of Ottavio Gasparri, in 1929. In the next two years Piacentini worked for radical changes, following the emerging Rationalism that became Italian rationalism, and the Sacro Cuore di Gesù became the braeking point of the sacred architecture in the Rome context. The construction started again in 1931 and the church was inaugurated in 1934.
The church was named parish by pope Pius XI on October 31st, 1926 with the apostolic constitution Regis pacifici. On February 5th, 1965 was appointed titular church by Pope Paul VI with the apostolic constitution Sacrum Cardinalium Collegium. Later that year, with the motu proprio Recentioris architecturae was elected minor basilica.
The church has a bricks facing, the facade with brik rows of different projection alternated; facade upper side, portals and windows are boarded with travertine. The floor plan, with a nave flanked byt two aisles, is between a Latin cross and greek cross, with a length of about 70 m. The church present a dome of 20 meters of diameter. Over the main portal an high relief by Arturo Martini, that depicts the sacred heart of Jesus. In the inside the Stations of the Cross made by Alfredo Biagini.