Basilica del Sacro Cuore di Gesù

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was built between 1870 and 1887, according to the plans of the architect Francesco Vespignani. The church was commissioned by Pope Pius IX (1846-1878), but due to the annexation of Rome to the Kingdom of Italy, work was interrupted. It was only thanks to the tenacity of the priest John Bosco that construction was resumed in 1880 and completed in 1887.

About this building

Key Features

  • Architecture
  • Monuments

Visitors information

  • Bus stop within 100m
  • Train station within 250m
  • Parking within 250m
  • Café within 500m

Other nearby buildings

Wikimedia Commons/Gustavo La Pizza

Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri

The construction of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri was entrusted by Pius IV (1560-1565) to Michelangelo, who was also working in St. Peter's Basilica at the time. The work continued after the death of Michelangelo by Giacomo Del Duca. The work continued until the middle of the 18th century when the side entrances to the transept were closed by the Chapels of San Bruno and Niccolò Albergati. With the unification of Italy, the Carthusian fathers were expelled from the church and its convent; the convent area was first left to the military, then to the friars of St. Francis of Paola and finally to the diocesan clergy. With the marriage of Vittorio Emanuele III, this basilica became a state church, a rank that it still retains today.

LPLT / Wikimedia Commons

Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate all'Esquilino

The church of Sant'Antonio Abate all'Esquilino had an annexed hospital, predating the church and built in the second half of the 13th century, for the treatment of people suffering from "St Anthony's fire" (Shingles). The church was built in 1308 to replace a pre-existing church called Sant'Andrea cata barbara (from the 5th century); it was then rebuilt in 1481 by Pope Sixtus IV and underwent a new internal restoration in the 18th century. The façade, on the other hand, is the work of Antonio Muñoz and dates from the restoration of the church in the first half of the 20th century. In 1928, the church and its surroundings were purchased by the Holy See; the church was given to the Russian Catholics of the Byzantine rite.

Santa Maria Maggiore

The Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore or "Liberian Basilica" (of Pope Liberius), is one of the four papal basilicas of Rome, located at the top of the Esquiline Hill, at the top of the Cispio, between Mount Rione and the Esquiline. This basilica has the peculiarity of having preserved the primitive structure of early Christianity, although enriched by successive additions.