Raphael & Caravaggio inside the Roman Churches Private
Descriptions come from the operator and are translated automatically.
- 3 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 3 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
The masterful paintings of 16th-century artist Michelangelo Merisi (1571-1610), better known as Caravaggio, continue to fascinate more than 400 years after his death. The artist's paintings combine with gritty, realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, and make dramatic use of chiaroscuro. Today Rome hosts about 25 Caravaggio masterpieces that can be viewed by the public: several can be seen in the churches, others by some of the most important art collections in palaces and museums. Raffaello Sanzio known as Raphael was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, which forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period. Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop and, despite his death at 37, leaving a large body of work. Many of his works are found in the Vatican but also in some churches.
Inclusions
What's included
- Entrance in Church Santa Maria della Pace
- Private tour Leader at your disposal (choose the language on the checkout)
- Entrance in the Churche of Sant'Agostino and Santa Maria della Pace
- Pick-up and drop off with luxury transportation and private chauffeur
- Entrance in the Churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and San Luigi dei Francesi
- Private professional guide by your side
What's not
- Food and Beverages
- Gratuities. If you are satisfied with the service, a gratuity is customary.
Itinerary
A legend had it that the site where the church was eventually erected was haunted by the ghost of Nero, the Roman Emperor. On his burial ground had grown a bewitched walnut tree full of crows. To put an end to this myth, Pope Paschal II in 1099 ordered the tree to be cut down and commissioned a Romanesque chapel to be built instead. In 1513, various of the most influential artists of the period, like Pinturicchio, Raphael, Caravaggio and Bernini were requested to decorate the walls and ceilings of the temple. Santa Maria del Popolo's decoration is unlike any other church in Rome. Among the beautiful art work found in the church, it is worth highlighting the Chapel Cerasi, which houses two canvases by Caravaggio from 1600, and the Chapel Chigi, built and decorated by Raphael. The Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo is one of these that are definitely worth visiting, not because of its structure or its façade, but because of its impressively decorated chapels.
Sant'Agostino in Campo Marzio is an important 15th century minor basilica and parish church in the rione Sant'Eustachio. The Madonna di Loreto (or Pilgrim’s Madonna) was commissioned from Caravaggio thanks to a legacy left by Ermete Cavalletti for the family chapel in Sant’Agostino. The subject had been specified by the contract of 1603 as the deceased Marquis was devoted to Our Lady of Loreto. Whereas the Madonna of Loreto is generally depicted in her Holy House, the birthplace of Jesus, enthroned and transported on the wings of angels, here she is depicted as a simple commoner in front of a doorway and holding the well lit Infant Jesus, who blesses pilgrims, common people kneeling down, wearing worn clothes and with dirty, bare feet. The idea of putting Madonna in direct contact with poor pilgrims was absolutely revolutionary and was much criticized.
Santa Maria della Pace the church groundwork on the site of the medieval chapel of Sant'Andrea de Acquaricariis. In the end of the 15th century. Pope Sisto IV commissioned its fabrication to Baccio Pontelli. The building while we know today is rebuilt by Pietro da Cortona, whose facade with a semicircular pronaos his architectural masterpiece and one of the greatest achievements of Roman Baroque architecture. After the discovery, the entire square became like a baroque theater, of which the church is an ideal stage. Inside the masterpieces of Raphael, Maderno and the Cloister of Bramante stand out.
The famous Contarelli Chapel, where you'll find Caravaggio's triptych composed of The Martyrdom of St. Matthew, The Vocation of St. Matthew and St. Matthew and the Angel, deserves a separate chapter. The chapel takes its name from Cardinal Mathieu Cointrel, later Italianized to Contarelli, who commissioned Michelangelo Merisi with the three altarpieces focused on the figure of San Matteo. The Martyrdom of San Matteo is the first canvas created by Caravaggio for the chapel. Compared to the others, the composition is overcrowded with a tangle of bodies that refers to Mannerism while the nudes are clear Michelangelesque elements.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
5.0
- 510
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Ratings come from 10 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Pickup
- Pickup is included for everyone.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Rome Italy Explora
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in Rome
- Its from-price is 282% above the median of the 8352 experiences we list in Rome.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 2303 of 8352.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Rome
Rome layers nearly three thousand years of history into one walkable city, from the Colosseum and Forum to Baroque piazzas and Vatican art.
Ancient Rome is still in plain sight. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill sit together at the city's heart, the Pantheon still stands with its open oculus, and fragments of temples and aqueducts turn up between apartment blocks. Across the Tiber, Vatican City holds St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Top-ranked sights in Rome: Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel.
Special offers in Rome
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
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