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Podtour of Santa Maria del Popolo

A treasurehouse of art

Santa Maria del Popolo is one of the most interesting churches in Rome.

This audio tour explores the mixture of Renaissance and Baroque works in the church, giving you a feel for the styles and themes of the period. There's not a lot of Renaissance architecture in Rome - partly because of the huge building boom of the Baroque period - and the mix of both styles in this church makes it an unusual monument.

For instance the nave is a standard Renaissance work, but Bernini's remodelling of the church added thoroughly baroque style figures of saints perched above the arches of the arcade. In the same way, the Chigi Chapel off the north aisle is an amazing collaboration across a century and a half. Started by Raphael as a Renaissance funerary chapel, it was completed much later by the baroque architect Bernini. What's perhaps surprising, if you've seen Bernini's other work, at St Peter's for instance, is just how much he pulls his punches here, exercising restraint in order not to overshadow Raphael's contribution.

In the Cerasi Chapel, you can see two Caravaggio paintings still in the position for which they were intended - the Crucifixion of St Peter, and the Conversion of St Paul on the way to Damascus. But the altarpiece isn't a Caravaggio - it's by Carracci, an artist who had a quite different idea of the Baroque.

Santa Maria del Popolo also has a skeleton in the cupboard - literally. We'll show you where he is and explain some of the symbolism behind this intriguing and unique monument.

Podtour of Santa Maria del Popolo

Price: £3

 

Other tours of Baroque Rome:

Around Santa Maria del Popolo

Santa Maria del Popolo stands at the beginning of the Flaminian Way - the main road north out of classical Rome and still a major traffic artery. But just to the north-west are the gardens of the Pincian Hill,

 

Rainaldi's churches

Anglican church