Description

The Chiesa di Santa Maria in Porta Paradisi, located in the Campo Marzio district and in existence since the 9th century, was rebuilt and given its name in 1523 as part of the extension of an adjoining hospital, which in turn was part of the urbanization of the northern area of Campo Marzio. This hospital, San Giacomo degli Incurabili was built in 1326, its proximity to the great northern gate of the city, the Porta del Popolo, and its position on the Via del Corso, the main north-south thoroughfare of Rome, ensured a constant stream of patients. This hospital was constructed during, perhaps, one of the worst centuries for Rome in its entire history—Pope Clement V had moved the papacy to Avignon in 1309, and without the stability effected by the papacy the city devolved into chaos, witnessing Roman nobles attack each other with increasing frequency.

In 1519, the hospital underwent a major renovation, which coincided with two major events: the larger urbanization of Campo Marzio, which included the construction of two major roads, the Via del Babuino in 1523 and the Via di Ripetta in 1516, as well as the influx of sick individuals suffering from syphilis. The hospital actually received the additional name, degli Incurabili (of the incurables), in reaction to the syphilis outbreak, as there was no cure the disease at the time—patients were often treated with mercury, which usually harmed as much as it helped. Santa Maria Porta Paradisi can be seen as the conclusion of the renovation and extension of the hospital—indeed the moniker Porta Paradisi—Gate to Paradise—may have been given for those dying in the adjacent hospital.

Creator

Coverage

Source

Anthony Majanlahti. The Families Who Made Rome: A History and a Guide. (Milan: Villardi, 2006)

Alessia Muliere, Chiese e Palazzi di Roma in età moderna: Santa Maria Portae Paradisi. Università degli studi di Roma “La Sapienza” Facoltà di Filosofia, Lettere, Scienze Umanistiche, Studi orientali.

Geolocation