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Chiesa di San Lorenzo de Piscibus

Typology: Church closed for worship

Address

Address: Via Padre Pancrazio Pfeiffer, 24
Zone: Rione Borgo (Castel Sant'Angelo) (Roma centro)

Contacts

Opening times

For the timetable of the masses and visiting conditions, please use the contacts above.

Description

Tucked away in the shadow of modern buildings, a few metres from St Peter's Basilica, the church of San Lorenzo is one of the buildings 'saved' from destruction during the urban redevelopment of 1936-1950. However, at the time of the construction of Via della Conciliazione, parts of the church, the atrium and the façade, were destroyed.

The oldest mention of this church dates back to 1143, mentioned under the name Sanctus Laurentius in Portico Maiore, although its origin would be even more remote, being built on a church dedicated to Saint Stephen or Saint Galla, a 6th century widow, a noble Roman matron to whom, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared. This ancient basilica, which housed a monastery of virgins, was most likely destroyed during the barbarian raids. Rebuilt in honour of St Lawrence, the martyr who distributed Church goods to the poor so that they would not fall into the hands of the pagans, it was called San Lorenzo in Piscibus because of its proximity to a fish market.

In the 16th century, the church was entrusted to the Poor Clares, but under Leo X (1513-1521) they were transferred to another location. The church then passed to a lay community from Santo Spirito in Sassia before being incorporated into a majestic patrician palace, owned by Cardinal Francesco Armellini, to whom we owe the first restoration work. It was later Cardinal Cesi who carried out the opening of the windows and the embellishment of the main altar with an altarpiece depicting 'The Marriage Ceremony of the Virgin'. In 1659, the Brothers of the Christian Schools took possession of the church: it was in a pitiful state, if one judges from an inventory of the time. Major reconstruction work was undertaken, directed by the decorator Francesco Massan, a pupil of Borromini. In 1733, the Brothers of the Christian Schools bought three houses adjacent to the church and received a large sum of money: they then asked the architect Domenico Navone to build a large atrium and a new façade.

In the first half of the 20th century, when it was decided to demolish the spina di Borgo, the monument was saved from destruction and was sold in 1941 by the Italian government to the Holy See, but was deprived of its façade and hidden behind the bulk of the buildings in Via della Conciliazione, completed in 1950. The architects Galeazzi and Prandi, who were responsible for continuing the restoration work, initially tried to save the Baroque decoration, but due to the enormous expense and the threat of collapse, they decided on a restoration that led the church back to its presumed original Romanesque lines, cancelling the later interventions and stripping it of its Baroque furnishings. The extensively remodelled interior is divided into three naves divided by eleven ancient columns; the roof has wooden trusses. Walls and apse are of exposed terracotta brick without any decoration. At the end of the nave, a door leads to an inner courtyard, overlooked by the façade, flanked on the left by a small 12th-century Romanesque bell tower. Despite extensive renovations, one can still recognise large portions of the original masonry, concealed for centuries under Baroque plaster and stucco. Deconsecrated and converted into a study room by the 'Pius IX' pontifical school, it was later converted into a studio for the sculptor Pericle Fazzini, who produced the work 'The Resurrection' for the Vatican audience hall between 1970 and 1977. In 1983, it was reconsecrated by Pope John Paul II for the San Lorenzo International Youth Centre. Excavations under the church have uncovered many Roman remains.

Last checked: 2022-07-06 16:37