The church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva and Piazza della Minerva

The church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva

The church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Saint Mary above Minerva) stands beside the Pantheon, on a small square, Piazza della Minerva. This church is an exception: it is the only Gothic church in Rome.

Getting there : In the heart of Rome, it is best reached on foot or by bus; many bus lines run along Corso Vittorio Emmanuele II (40, 46, 62, 63, 64, 70 …)

Address : Piazza della Minerva, 42

Opening hours : open Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 20:00. On Saturdays and Sundays, open from 10:30 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 19:30.

Ticket prices: free admission

The original church dates from the 8th century and was built on a sanctuary of Minerva, from which it takes its name. In the 13th century the church was given to the Dominicans, who decided to rebuild it in the Gothic style. Work began in 1280 and lasted until the 15th century. The church saw later alterations, such as its Renaissance façade, but the interior remains Gothic.

Inside, the church has a nave and two side aisles. The whole is of modest size. Fine antique columns punctuate the arcades and rise to the vaults painted in blue and gold.

Santa Maria sopra Minerva contains several masterpieces, the best known of which is a set of 15th-century frescoes by Filippino Lippi in the Carafa Chapel. The altarpiece shows the Virgin to whom Saint Thomas Aquinas presents Cardinal Carafa. The fresco above is a magnificent Assumption of the Virgin. The right-hand wall is devoted to Saint Thomas Aquinas. On the left-hand wall you will find the tomb of Pope Paul IV, who was a member of the Carafa family.

Beside the chapel, a very fine tomb of a bishop, surmounted by a mosaic of a Virgin and Child.

Under the high altar of the choir you will find the tomb of Saint Catherine of Siena. The choir also houses the tombs of Popes Clement VII and Leo X.

To the left of the choir a fine statue by Michelangelo, the Risen Christ. A bronze veil was added later to hide his nudity. He holds the cross and the instruments of the Passion.

Piazza della Minerva

This small square draws the eye with the unusual monument at its centre, an elephant carrying an obelisk.

The obelisk was found in the 17th century in the garden of the monastery of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. The obelisk is Egyptian in origin and dates from the 6th century BC. It was brought to Rome in antiquity and probably adorned a temple of Isis nearby.

The monks commissioned Bernini to create a sculpture incorporating this obelisk. Bernini’s workshop produced the elephant, a symbol of intelligence and piety, the foundations of Christianity.