Santa Maria degli Angeli (Rome, Italy) : View looking south down the central space of what was the tepidarium of the Baths of Diocletian

Creator:
Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1475-1564
Published/Created:
Rome, Lazio, Italy
ca. 1562-1565 ; ca. 1749 (alteration)
Date Depicted:
ca. 1990's
1500 AD - 1699 AD
Materials:
marble
stone
Notes:
As part of his urban improvements to this area of Rome, Pope Pius IV took up the campaign of a Sicilian visionary Antonio del Duca (brother of the architect Giacomo del Duca) that a part of the ancient Baths of Diocletian (298-306 CE) should be re-dedicated for Christian use. Michelangelo was called in to convert the tepidarium into the Carthusian church of S Maria degli Angeli (built from 1562). He oriented it north-east/south-west, with the main door and high altar on the short axis and long 'transepts' ending in side-entrances. His interventions were minimal. Because the original groin vaulting and the great rose-granite columns that supported it were largely intact, Michelangelo simply walled off the transepts from the rooms beyond, built a long barrel-vaulted choir behind the altar, whitewashed the vault and tiled the roof. The present opulent interior is the result of a major reworking by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century, which obscures Michelangelo's intentions.
Variant Titles:
Santa Maria degli Angeli
Topics:
Architecture -- Italy -- 16th century -- (YVRC)
Period/Style:
Renaissance
Culture:
Italian
Accession Number:
1A2-I-R-SMA-A1
Genre:
architecture (AAT)
churches (AAT)
Format:
Image
Content Type:
Sculptures, Models, & Architecture
Rights:
Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.
Access Restrictions:
Yale Community Only
Digital:
architectural exteriors; rulers and leaders; Pius IV, Pope, 1499-1565; Roman Empire construction buildings; religious buildings; churches
Source Creator:
Gilchrist, Scott
Source Title:
Archivision Module One
Source Created:
2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
ca. 1990's
Source Note:
Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist
Yale Collection:
Visual Resources Collection
Digital Collection:
Visual Resources Collection
Local Record Number:
4152
OID:
10112476
PID:
digcoll:1850272