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The church was built in Piazza Navona over the
site where, according to tradition, young Agnes was exposed naked in a brothel which had
risen over the ruins of the Circus of Domitian.
This was done to punish her for having refused the overtures of the evil pagan Sempronius.
Naturally, a miracle occurred: the hair of the young girl miraculously loosened to protect
her nudity (a
 statue by
Algardi in the crypt commemorates the prodigy). The statue inside the church sculpted by
Ercole Ferrara shows her during the ordeal she was then subjected to: she was condemned to
die on the stake, but a miraculous shower of rain extinguished the flames. Her tormentors
thus decided to behead the young saint. The supposed tomb of Saint Agnes on via Nomentana
gradually became an important place of pilgrimage. Only the crypt, rarely accessible,
evokes the Roman and Medieval past of the building: here you can see Roman mosaic paving,
the vaulted halls of the Circus of Domitian, as well as
Medieval frescoes. Today’s church is the work of Girolamo and Carlo Rainaldi (1652)
who were responsible for the ingenious Greek-cross plan. The two Rainaldis were superseded
by Borromini up to 1657, who was dismissed by his
patron, Prince Camillo Pamphilj: the building was carried out by Carlo Rainaldi, with some
additions made by Bernini and Pietro da Cortona. Today we
admire the splendid concave façade over which soar the two twin belltower and the high
dome. We know there was a strong feeling of rivalry between Bernini
and Borromini: according to tradition, the statue of
Saint Agnes on the façade of the church is making a gesture of reassurance towards the
statue of the Ganges (belonging to the Fountain of the Four Rivers) which appears to fear
an imminent collapse. Inside the church, the dome and the pendentives are covered with
Baroque frescoes, the work of two 18th century artists, Ciro Ferri, and
Gianbattista Gaulli, better known as "il Baciccia". The sculptures also
constitute a good example of the taste for theatrical and fantastic effects which
characterize the Baroque style. They represent the death of early martyrs. Visitors
intending to go to Sant’Eustachio, or who intend
to go from here, may want to inspect the 17th century relief over one of the
side altars, showing "St.Eustace among the beasts", the work of a promising
Maltese artist called Melchiorre Caffà. According to the intentions of Pope Innocent X
Pamphilj, this church was built close to Palazzo Pamphilj
to contain his tomb and those of his relatives. Although he died in 1655, the monument
erected in his honour was only erected in 1750, and is now visible above the entrance. To
see other works by Borromini in the vicinity, one can reach Corso Rinascimento by via dei
Canestrari and enter the courtyard of Palazzo della Sapienza to admire the church of
Sant' Ivo. Accessibility
The church is not easily accessible to people with mobility restrictions, as its entrance
is at the top of a stairway (twelve steps, 13 cms high), and there are no handrails, nor
ramps.
in the photo: façade of Sant'Agnese |
