Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri - Roma, Italy - Roman Catholic Churches on Waymarking.com

The thermae of Diocletian, built in 306, dominated the Viminal Hill with their ruined mass. Michelangelo Buonarroti worked from 1563 to 1564 to adapt a section of the remaining structure of the baths to enclose a church. He achieved a sequence of shaped architectural spaces, developed from a Greek cross, with a dominant transept, with cubical chapels at each end, and the effect of a transverse nave.

There is no true facade; the simple entrance is set within one of the coved apses of a main space of the thermae. The vestibule with canted corners and identical side chapels—one chapel has the tomb of Salvator Rosa, the other of Carlo Maratta—leads to a second vestibule, repeated on the far side of the transept, dominated by the over lifesize Saint Bruno of Cologne by Jean Antoine Houdon (1766).

Bianchini's sundial was built on the floor of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs, along the meridian that crosses Rome, at longitude 12° 30' E. Bianchini had been commissioned by Pope Clement XI to make it for the Holy Year of 1700. It took a bit longer; it was completed in 1703 with the assistance of the astronomer Giacomo Filippo Maraldi. Then it provided the standard for local Roman time until 1846, when it was replaced by a cannon being fired at noon from the Janiculum. This was controlled by an accurate chronometer.

In 2006, Polish-born sculptor Igor Mitoraj created new bronze doors as well as a statue of John the Baptist for the basilica. In April 2010, a five-metre-high (16 ft) bronze statue of Galileo Galilei Divine Man (designed by 1957 Nobel laureate Tsung-Dao Lee) was unveiled in a courtyard within the complex. The statue (a dedication to the 17th-century scientist and philosopher) was a donation from CCAST (China Center of Advanced Science and Technology) and WFS (World Federation of Scientists).

Santa Maria degli Angeli was the official state church of the Kingdom of Italy (1870–1946). More recently, national burials have been held in the church. The church hosts the tombs of General Armando Diaz and Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel, who were successful commanders during World War I on the Italian front. Also today the Basilica is used for many ceremonies, including the funeral of soldiers killed abroad.

Opening hours: Daily 7:30 to 18:30 (19:00 on Sundays and Solemnities)

Source: Wikipedia (visit link)

Type of Church: Basilica Status of Building: Actively in use for worship Date of building construction: 01/01/1563 Dominant Architectural Style: Roman Archdiocese: Rome Diocese: Rome Address/Location: Piazza della Repubblica, Roma, Italy 00185 Relvant Web Site: [Web Link] Date of organization: Not listed Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/12/2023 GURUGU visited it 08/28/2011 Ariberna visited it

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