Arciconfraternita dei Bolognesi in Rome
The Church
archaeological evidence
During the consolidation work on the façade, just below the church entrance, some archaeological structures were found. Since this was only an emergency intervention, with no specific planning, the excavation was carried out exclusively in the area affected by the works and it was not possible to delve into it beyond the uncovered floor levels. Hence, the structure dating is provided by the building technique and stratigraphy of a fill that has remained intact, as the upper layers were removed before the Superintendence intervention.
artistical profile
The Chiesa dei Bolognesi dedicated to Saints John the Evangelist & Petronius is the result of a late sixteenth-century transformation of a previous medieval church dedicated to Saint Thomas of the Spaniards, known by this name since 1186 when, in the Bull of Urban III, «S. Thomae de Hispanis» was remembered among the branches of San Lorenzo in Damaso.
In the late fifteenth century it was also called San Tommaso «delli muratori » and, in the following century, San Tommaso della Catena, because, according to Panciroli, it was the see of «a Company, whose brothers disciplined themselves with an iron chain», or perhaps due to the presence of a chain that closed Via del Mascherone.
the great jubilee restorations
As often happens, the need and urgency of the restoration of a historic building are preliminarily manifested and highlighted by the presence of rainwater infiltrations inside due to the poor seal of the roof. Even in case of the church of Santi Giovanni Evangelista and Petronius, the presence of infiltrations determined by the owner Archconfraternity of Bologna reporting to the competent Superintendency for Environmental and Architectural Heritage of Rome of the need for an inspection.
the latest restorations
In January 2013 – the first year after the appointment of the new Rector of Chiesa dei Bolognesi – it was apparent that the Archconfraternity’s building presented several issues. The main one was detected in the precarious state of the building brick roofing and rainwater draining system, which caused infiltrations in the building, damaging the church painted walls – mostly on the left side, and to the convent area annexed to the church, severely impacting the ‘Siervas del hogar de la Madre’ nuns who live there.
domenichino’s
altar piece
On December 14th, 1625, just at the end of the Holy Year, the Archconfraternity of Bolognesi commissioned a main altar large altarpiece (fig. 63) to Domenichino (Domenico Zampieri – Bologna, October 21st, 1581-Naples, April 6th, 1641).
The painting preparation was long and difficult, although the Archconfraternity attached great importance to this masterpiece commission.
the paintings
The current appearance of the interior of the church of Santi Giovanni Evangelista e Petronio dei Bolognesi reflects, with full historical coherence, the vicissitudes of the Bolognese Confraternity through time. In fact, a somewhat careful look is sufficient […] to retrace the succession of the different phases: the relative glories of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries […] the prostration for the sudden suppression of the Brotherhood and for the destruction or robbery of works and historical memories and treasures at the time of the Jacobin Roman Republic …
the bolognese painters in rome
During a long period of its existence, Bologna was, for the European world, a primary place of production of pictorial art, even essential and typical. It happened starting from the last five years of the 16th century and remained so until a good half of the 18th century, transforming through different phases. It is also true that it is not entirely legitimate to talk about a city and its history using the character identification that applies to a person. Yet many cities, at various moments of their existence, have expressed something like a personality of their own, so evidently characterized that neglecting it would above all lead to no longer recognizing the characteristics of an effective geography of civilization.
the chasuble of benedetto XIV
The chasuble was assembled with the same fabric on the front and rear side parts and with a different one in the background color and execution technique for the central column of the two faces. The replacement of the central column was certainly motivated by the poor state of conservation of the wallpaper, particularly precarious in the rear part: in fact the design can be read more clearly
in the front one of the wallpaper…
