The Santa Barbara Church is located near the 18th century historic building Palazzo Pacifici in Tivoli near Rome. Nowadays, this church is no longer used as such.
Santa Barbara Church Tivoli
Address, opening hours and entrance fee
Address: Strada degli Orti, 18-34 – 00019 – Tivoli. Opening hours: Not known. Entrance fee: Free of charge.
History and Description
The Chiesa di Santa Barbara is located underneath the Santuario di Ercole Vincitore (“Sanctuary of Heracles the Conqueror”).
The facade of this small church is characterized by two corner pillars, a portal of travertine marble and a triangular tympanum.
The dome is decorated with fresco and tempera paintings.
The people who worked in the polveriera, where gunpowder was stored, used to live in the area adjacent to the church. Since Santa Barbara herself was the patron saint of this profession, she was highly venerated in Tivoli. The city was an important producer of gunpowder as this was widely used in the marble mines.
The 18th century painting “Martyrdom of Santa Barbara,” which hangs in the church, was paid for by Roman gunpowder manufacturer Basilio Salvi.
The Chiesa di Santa Barbara was restored in 1828 and 1948, but is not being used as such anymore.