This Church dedicated to Saint Agnes was begun in 1652, so it’s another “new” Church in Rome. A church has been on this site for centuries, however. The 1652 is the most recent iteration. Despite the way the name in Italian sounds, it is not named for her martyrdom, but in homage to the 1st century stadium of Domitian that was originally on the site of the Plaza where the Church is located. The ancient Romans watched the agones ("games") here. However, the church is on the traditional site of Agnes’ martyrdom in 304, so we can take agony in both senses.
Inside the church is artistically impressive. The main altar features two kinds of marble columns, paintings, sculptures, and much architectural detail. It’s a lot to take in.
The relief over the main altar is of the Holy Family with lots of angels above them. It’s a very dynamic work. This website gives a brief, but fair description of what all is going on.
If you’ve been following along on this virtual pilgrimage, you know my reminder to look up.
Very intricate, very pretty. I really don’t understand why the guidebook only gives this church two stars.
Of course, you can’t very well have a church dedicated to St. Agnes without her. She’s above one of the side altars.
That’s fire at her feet. The traditional account of her martyrdom says her persecutors first tried to burn her, but the flames swept toward them instead, so she crossed into glory by beheading.
The church also has a statue of St. Sebastian,
a relief of St. Eustace and Family Exposed to Wild Beasts,
a relief of the death of St. Cecilia,
and one of the Martyrdom of St. Emerentiana, Agnes’ foster-sister who was stoned for praying at Agnes’ tomb. If this sounds familiar, it’s because we also discussed it here.
There is also a relief of the Death of St. Alessio, showing the Pope and Emperor coming to see his body after his death.
Of special note (especially for my wife whose confirmation saint was baptized in a previous iteration of this church) is the St. Frances of Rome Chapel.
We’ll dig deeper into the life of St. Frances when we visit her basilica later in our pilgrimage. Since she lived her whole life in Rome, she will be present in several churches along the way.
You almost forgot to look up, didn’t you?
A plaque in four languages in the chapel tells a bit about the saint and what is in the chapel.
Time to head back out into the piazza. Why yes, I could use a coffee.
Grace & peace,
Chris