Rome day four

22nd July 2008

Kerk van de Friezen near Basilica of St Peter in RomeSadly, I had to leave our party today. Someone has to pay for this little jolly. And anyway, I used my holiday last year to goto New Zealand and changed jobs etc. What ever. I've got to leave to work. Having packed what little I brought with me, I chose to take a walk in the vicinty to visit a few churches. Being a Sunday, many were mid-service or closing up post-service.

My first port of call this morning was the Kerk van de Friezen near the Vatican Basilica of St Peter. The Kerk van de Friezen was undergoing renovation on the interior when I visited after this mornings service. While the Church interior appeared interesting, the community was clearly closing and I didn't hang around to much to find out too much more. After all, it was their day of worship and, therefore, important to them. But the interior did have a somewhat intimate feel to it - which was quite in contrast to the very imposing nature of the close by Basilica of St Peter.

At the Chiesa San Giovanni Battista de' Fiorentini, the façade of which was being restored. The alter of the Church was the last work to be executed by the Ticinese architect Francesco Borromini and forms an integral part of the funerary chapel of the Falconieri family. The church was designed by Jacopo Sansovino and executed by Giacomo della Porto and Sangallo the Younger. Before committing suicide in 1667, Borromini asked to be buried the Church next to his master and mentor Maderno who had worked on the Church before him.

Church of Saint Mary in Vallicella in RomeI also visited the Church of Saint Mary in Vallicella (also known as the "Chiesa Nuova") which, aside from it's impressive façade, boasts an extremly beautiful interior. The church was an important place of Roman worship connected with Spirituality and St Phillip Neri. The church was named in honour of the Virgin and refers to a land depression which was later levelled out but present in ancient times. Of particular interest to myself were the three large alterpieces in the presbytery by Peter Paul Rubens - one of the leading exponent of the Baroque style of painting.

After the Church of Saint Mary in Vallicella, I headed back to our apartment for a spot of lunch before my driver arrived to take me to Leonardo da Vinci airport for my flight back to Zürich.

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