When in Rome, it's not possible to visit every church you see, otherwise all your time would be spent in churches. Often, churches are closed, either for repairs or for the siesta from noon to 3 p.m. We saw a lot of interesting facades of churches as we wandered the streets. Here's a sampling.
First up is the
San Luigi dei Francesi, the French national church built in the 1500s. It's named after
King St. Louis who is represented outside, at least.
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| A Roman figure |
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| King St. Louis |
Near
Piazza Navona is the
Basilica of Sant'Agostino, one of the first Renaissance churches.
Also near Piazza Navona is
Sant'Andrea della Valle, a fine Baroque church which was the setting of the church scene in the first act of Puccini's
Tosca (or so my guide book says, I haven't seen the opera).
Over on the Esquiline Hill is
San Martino ai Monti, an ancient Roman church that was one of the first to be built after Emperor
Constantine legalized Christianity. Naturally, it's gone through similar rebuilding as other churches.
San Nicola in Carcere by the Tiber River was built over a medieval prison (hence the "carcere") which was itself built over three Republican-era (1st century BC) temples.
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