| Church of Saint Anne in the Vatican | |
|---|---|
Sant'Anna de' Parafrenieri | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Catholic Church |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Parish church |
| Leadership | P. Bruno Silvestrini[1] |
| Year consecrated | 1583 |
| Location | |
| Location | Vatican City |
  Location on a map of Vatican City | |
| Coordinates | 41°54′15″N012°27′27″E / 41.90417°N 12.45750°E /41.90417; 12.45750 |
| Architecture | |
| Architects | Borromini,Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola[2] |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 1565 |
| Completed | 1775 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | S |
| Length | 28 metres (92 ft) |
| Width | 12 metres (39 ft) |
| Height (max) | 20 metres (66 ft) |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheChurch of Saint Anne in the Vatican (Italian:Sant'Anna in Vaticano), known asSant'Anna de' Palafrenieri (English:Saint Anne of the Grooms), is aCatholic parish church dedicated toSaint Anne inVatican City. The church is theparish church of the State of Vatican City and is placed under the jurisdiction of theVicariate of the Vatican City and is located beside thePorta Sant'Anna (Saint Anne's Gate), an international border crossing between Vatican City State and Italy.[3][4]
Commissioned by theVenerabile Arciconfraternita di Sant'Anna de Palafrenieri,Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola introduced the oval plan to church design, for the first time in the churches ofSant'Andrea in Via Flaminia and Saint Anne in Vatican, pioneering a plan which was to become influential toBaroque architecture.[5]
On 20 November 1565,Pope Pius IV authorized the Archconfraternity of the Pontifical Grooms to build a church dedicated toSaint Anne close to theApostolic Palace.[6] The construction began that same year on a design attributed to Renaissance architectGiacomo Barozzi da Vignola.[2][7] It was one of the first churches in Rome with an elliptical plan. According toDavid Watkin, Vignola introduced the oval plan to church design for the first time in the churches ofSant'Andrea in Via Flaminia and Saint Anne in the Vatican, pioneering a plan which was to become influential toBaroque architecture.[5]
After a smooth start, the construction of the church slowed because the Archconfraternity was in financial trouble. After Vignola's death in 1573, the church was finished by his sonGiacinto Barozzi, according to a payment made by the Archconfraternity.[6] When it was consecrated in 1583 it had a temporary roof. The facade attributed toBorromini and later attached to the oval church[when?] prefigured the facade of the church ofSant'Agnese in Agone in attempting to reconcile a front with five bats to two towers.[8] The facade was completed between 1700 and 1721 byAlessandro Specchi while the dome was finally built in 1763 and completed in 1775.[6]
The Archconfraternity briefly exhibited in St. Anne a painting of the saint it commissioned in 1603 fromCaravaggio. Destined for the altar of the papal Grooms in theBasilica of Saint Peter, it was painted in 1605–1606,Madonna and Child with St. Anne. It was later sold toCardinal Scipione Borghese and now hangs in the museum of theGalleria Borghese.[citation needed]
The church belonged to the Archconfraternity until theLateran Treaties of 1929, which constituted theVatican City.Pope Pius XI elevated the church into a parish, with the Apostolic Constitution"Ex Lateranensi pacto" of 30 May 1929. The pastoral care of the new parish was entrusted to theAugustinian Order.[9]
In return, Pope Pius XI granted the Archconfraternity the church ofSanta Caterina della Rota.[10]
The interior, built to Vignola's design, iselliptical with eight side chapels. The main entrance is located at one end of the major axis of theellipse. The minor axis ends with two chapels.
Four doors surmounted by a pediment and framed by travertine columns with Corinthian capitals are distributed between the main altar and the side chapels. Four large arches rise at the ends of the two main axes, framing the areas of entry, the altar and the two chapels. The sacred area of the main altar is a square enclosed by four arches as a clear counterpoint to the oval part of the church.
The dome itself rests on a plinth with a cornice with three strips, pierced at the base by eight windows. At the top of the dome stands the lantern, the only source of natural light onto the main altar. It is decorated with the dove of theHoly Spirit, from which golden rays radiate in circle.
Until the mid-18th century, the inner walls of the church were white and the columns showed the natural color of thetravertine stone, typical ofRenaissance churches. Influenced by the rise of the Baroque in Rome, the Archconfraternity started redecorating the church with more lavish decorations and plenty ofgilt andstucco. The façade was re-decorated in the Baroque style byAlessandro Specchi who added the upper facade toVignola's church. The dome was designed byFrancesco Navole.[citation needed] They commissioned in 1746 the sculptorGiovan Battista de' Rossi (Il Rosso) to redecorate the church with angels holding garlands instucco above the doors.[11] Four windows were walled and replaced with four frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Saint Anne. Giovan Battista de' Rossi also made in stucco shells withfestoons decorating the frescoes. The decoratorAnnibale Rotati (c. 1673–1750) colored the walls in blue, cream and light gray.[11] The doorjambs were decorated with marble stucco marbled byGiacomo de Rocchi. The gold and silver stucco was made byPietro Ricci. Despite the Baroque decoration, the initial plan of the church is still visible.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Ecclesiam S. Annae in paroeciam Vaticanae Civitatis erigimus; ac praeterea mandamus ut templum ipsum baptismatis fonte instruatur, ibique paroeciales omnes perfunctiones, funebribus non exceptis, posthac celebrentur..
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Media related toSant'Anna dei Palafrenieri at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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