By Pat Murphy

 

There are approximately 500 churches in Rome, and 26 of them dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. As it’s the month of May, a month dedicated to Our Lady, I thought I would write about one of these churches that I love to visit when in Rome.

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To me, it’s the most unusual and quirky. It’s where ancient Rome meets modern sculpture, with the Gregorian calendar thrown in for good measure. Of course, it’s Santa Maria degli Angeli dei Martiri. A church that many pilgrims may miss, as it looks like a Roman ruin. Indeed, the building is the former Roman baths of Diocletian built at the turn of the 4th century by Christian slaves. The baths were in use until the fall of Rome, when the aqueduct supplying water was destroyed.

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The ruins lay empty for around 1,000 years when the Pope asked an aged Michelangelo to redesign the building into a place of worship - recycling at its best in the mid-16th century. The 1700-year-old Roman baths are now a huge church.

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The church is dedicated to Christian Martyrs known and unknown – a nice touch. Since the 16th century, it was added to over the next few hundred years - it really is ancient Rome meeting Renaissance and modern Rome. For instance, the organ in the chapel of St Bruno was a gift from Pope St John Paul II to the city. In recent times, new bronze doors have been added that include a statue of Galileo. There is, of course, the reference in this church to the Gregorian calendar. The Pope wanted to check the accuracy of the changes to the calendar, and had a meridian line – a sundial constructed in the middle of the church (the calendar is indeed correct).

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There are a great number of sculptures around the church, and if you venture further at the back of the church around the ruins, you can really picture the colossal size of this Roman bath. To me, this building has the brilliance of Roman civil engineering, with the wonderful calmness as you enter the church. It’s never as busy as the large basilicas are. If you are visiting Rome, do add this church to your itinerary – it’s a little gem.

be missed even on a short visit to the eternal city.