The Cappella della Madonna dell’Archetto is a small oratory in the Trevi district of Rome. Its official name is the Santa Maria Causa Nostrae Laetitiae Church and it is considered the smallest church in the city. The dome was painted by a Roman artist who was later to acquire the nickname “Michelangelo of the United States.”
Cappella della Madonna dell’Archetto Rome
Address, opening Hours and ticket price
The address of the Cappella della Madonna dell’Archetto is Via di San Marcello, 41/1B – Rome. Bus: 62, 80, 81, 85, 95. Opening hours: From 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Entrance fee: Free.
History and Description
The Cappella della Madonna dell’Archetto is located at the end of a small alley and was built in 1851. The architect was Virginio Vespignani and the commissioner was the Savorelli Papazurri family.
Previously, a small aedicula was located on this spot. It had been built in response to a miraculous event on July 9, 1796. An effigy of the Virgin Mary painted by Domenico Muratori is said to have moved her pupils and even shed some tears because of the French invasion of the Papal State. At this, the alley became a pilgrimage destination and was closed with an iron gate. The effigy had been placed there by the Marquise Savorelli Papazzurri in 1690.
The floor plan of the church is that of a Latin cross. The image of the Virgin is now on the altar. The dome is richly decorated with carvings and in the nave there are a number of plaster Caryatids by Luigi Simonetti.
Both the dome and the main altar were frescoed by Costantino Brumidi. After Brumidi completed work on the church, he left for the United States. Here he worked on the Capitol and earned the nickname “Michelangelo of the United States.”
The church was restored in 2015.