Santa Maria in Montesanto
You’re at Santa Maria in Montesanto, the Chiesa degli artisti—a Baroque church that sits in Piazza del Popolo between Via del Corso and Via del Babuino. Its nickname as the “twin” of Santa Maria dei Miracoli is popular, but the plans differ in important ways. This church carries a chain of church politics and art history in its bones. The name points to a replacement: it took over from a smaller Carmelites’ church tied to Monte Santo in Sicily. Construction began in 1662 under Pope Alexander VII, with Carlo Rainaldi designing the original layout, and Girolamo Gastaldi—who commissioned it—was later buried here. Work paused after the Pope’s death in 1667, resumed in 1673, and finished in 1679, with Carlo Fontana among those overseeing the completion. In 1825, Pope Leo XII elevated the church to the dignity of a minor basilica. …
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