| Church of Saint Lucy at Selci | |
|---|---|
Santa Lucia in Selci | |
 Entrance of the church. | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view. | |
| 41°53′40.6″N12°29′47″E / 41.894611°N 12.49639°E /41.894611; 12.49639 | |
| Location | Rome |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Carlo Maderno,Francesco Borromini |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 7th century |
| Completed | 1638 |
| Clergy | |
| Cardinal protector | P. Andrea Sampers[1] |
TheChurch of Saint Lucy in Selci (Italian:Santa Lucia in Selci, also known asSanta Lucia in Silice orSanta Lucia in Orfea (in Orphea, in Orthea)) is anancient Roman Catholic church, located in Rome, dedicated toSaint Lucy, a 4th-century virgin and martyr.
The church was built no later than the 8th century above the ruins of a Roman structure, thePortico of Livia. According to the tradition, the first church was built underPope Symmachus (498-514) back in the 6th century. The building was restored byPope Honorius I in the 7th century and again byPope Leo III in the 9th century.
The deaconry of Saint Lucy in Silice (or in Orpha) created around 300 is one of the seven original deaconries in Rome.[2] It was confirmed byPope Sylvester I ca. 314. The church was restored byPope Honorius I ca 630 in the vicinity of the monumental fountainlacus orphei. It was assigned to one of the seven deacons byPope Agatho ca. 678. According toLiber Pontificalis, this deaconry received donations fromPope Leo III (795-816).[citation needed] After the 10th century it was known asSanta Lucia in Silice orin Selci because it was decorated with large flintstones (selci).[3] The deaconry was suppressed in 1587 byPope Sixtus V.[4]
In the 13th century, a monastery was attached to the church, enclosing it. In 1370, it was granted to theCarthusians.[citation needed] In 1534, it was given to theBenedictines, and in 1568 PopePius V granted it to theAugustinians, who still serve the church. PopeUrban VIII altered the monastery in 1624, enlarging it and dividing it into three parts. One was kept by the Augustinians, one was given toDominican friars and the last was given to thePoor Clares. The monastery was amplified in 1603 according to designs byBartolomeo Bassi, active in Rome at that time. However, all that remains of this amplification is the portal of the exterior. In 1878 the Italian state expropriated the convent of the Poor Clares, adjacent toSan Lorenzo in Panisperna, but the nuns came to the monastery of Santa Lucia in Selci.
Carlo Maderno reconstructed the church in 1604, keeping it enclosed within the Augustinianmonastery.Francesco Borromini worked in the restoration of the church in 1637-1638, in the decoration of the Trinity Chapel, in 1628-1639.[citation needed]
The church is built on a rectangular ground plan andbarrel vault. It has a single nave with three shallow chapels on each side. The barrel vault has a 19th-century fresco by an unknown artist that replaced one with the same motif byGiovanni Antonio Lelli, depicting theGlory of St Lucy.[5] The counterfaçade is decorated with the paintingGod the Father byCavaliere d'Arpino. The high altar dates from the 19th century, and replaces one made by Borromini. The painting above the high altar depictingthe Annunciation is a work of the Florentine painterAnastasio Fontebuoni.
The Landi Chapel, commissioned by the prioress Vittoria Landi, is the first chapel on the left. It was decorated by Borromini, and the altarpiece depictsThe Holy Trinity withSaint Augustine andSaint Monica byCavaliere d'Arpino .[6]
The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, the second on the left, contains works attributed to Carlo Maderno: a tabernacle in polychrome marble and gilt bronze and the alabaster statues.
At the first altarpiece on the right depictsMartyrdom of St Lucy byGiovanni Lanfranco.[7]
TheVision of St Augustine byAndrea Camassei is at the second altar on the right. In the choir, attributed to Francesco Borromini, several paintings byBaccio Ciarpi are displayed .
List of the Cardinal-deacons until the suppression of the deaconry in 1577:
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