Just one block behind the Pantheon, Santa Maria sopra Minerva is Rome’s most significant Dominican church and the only major Gothic church downtown. The facade is in Renaissance style (the church was begun in 1280 but worked on until 1725), but inside, the arched vaulting is pure Gothic. The main art treasures here are the “Statua del Redentore” (1521), a statue of Christ by Michelangelo (just to the left of the altar), and a wonderful fresco cycle in the Cappella Carafa (on the right before the altar), created by Filippino Lippi between 1488 and 1493 to honor St. Thomas Aquinas. Devout Catholics flock to the tomb of Saint Catherine of Siena under the high altar—the room where she died in 1380 was reconstructed by Antonio Barberini in 1637 (far left corner of the church). Fra Angelico, the Dominican friar and painter, also rests here, in the Cappella Frangipane e Maddaleni-Capiferro. A delightful elephant statue by Bernini holds up a small obelisk in the piazza in front of the church.
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Rome› Attraction
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Piazza della Minerva 42 , Rome
Our Rating
Hours
Mon–Fri 6:55am–7pm; Sat 10am–12:30pm and 3:30–7pm; Sun 8:10am–12:30pm and 3:30pm–7pm.
Transportation
Bus: 51, 53, 62, 63, 83, 85, 117, 160, 492
Phone
06-69920384
Prices
Free admission
Web site
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Map
Piazza della Minerva 42 Rome RomeNote: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.