Useful information

The address of the church is Largo Angelicum, 1 – 00184 Rome (tel. +39 06 6702201). Bus: 40, 60, 64, 70, 117, 170, H, N7, N8, N9, N15, N18. Opening hours: Saturday from 15.00 to 18.00. To visit the church a reservation is required (tel. +39 0667021 or 066702341).

History San Sisto Nuovo Church

The reason the church is also called San Sisto Nuovo is that it was built to replace the San Sisto Vecchio Monastery, which had to be closed due to problems with malaria. It was constructed between 1575 and 1655, on a site where there used to be a 9th century church called Chiesetta di S.Maria ad Nives or Santa Maria a Magnanapoli. The architects were successively Giacomo della Porta, Nicola and Orazio Torriani and Vincenzo della Greca. It is dedicated to Saint Dominic and to Pope Sixtus II. The church is administered by the Dominican Order.

What to see

• The main altar and the ciborium were both designed by Bernini, who was also responsible for the first chapel on the right. The terracotta “Madonna and Child” above the altar dates back to the 15th century.
• The ceiling painting is by Domenico Caputi and depicts the “Apotheosis of St. Dominic” (1674).
• Antonio Raggi sculpted the famous statue “Noli me Tangere” (1649) after a design by Bernini.
• The canvas depicting “Mary”, in the Cappella della Madonna, was painted by Benozzo Gozzoli (1460).
• The cloister was probably designed by Vignola.

Description

The entrance to the church is at the top of a double staircase, which leads to a platform. The tall, slender facade is characterized by several statues placed inside niches. The statues in the lower niches depict Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Peter of Verona and were sculpted by Carlo Maderno. The upper two represent the saints to which the church is dedicated and were made by Marcantonio Canini. Above the tympanum are eight burning candlesticks.

The interior consists of a single nave, with three chapels on each side.

Largo Angelicum, 1 – Rome

Monti district Rome