Chiesa Nuova te Rome c. 1750 - 1799

This is Domenico Montaigù's "Chiesa Nuova te Rome," an engraving of the Chiesa Nuova, or New Church, in Rome. Prints such as this one circulated widely, catering to both the local population and the burgeoning culture of tourism in the city. The image presents the church, dedicated to Santa Maria in Vallicella, as a prominent feature of Rome's urban landscape. Commissioned by Phillip Neri in the 16th century to replace the old church, it became a key site for the Oratorian religious community. Here we are presented not only with the architecture, but also with the way the church functions as a social space. Figures stroll in the foreground, animating the piazza and creating a vision of the church as an active participant in the daily lives of ordinary Romans. Montaigù invites us to consider the intersection of sacred space and the everyday.