Interieur van de Santa Maria del Popolo te Rome 1665

Giovanni Battista Falda made this print of the interior of the Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome sometime in the later 17th century. Falda specialized in prints of Roman architecture, many of which were commissioned by or for the architects and patrons who shaped the city’s urban fabric. The Santa Maria del Popolo was a prominent church in Rome, located near the city gate. It was of great symbolic significance, because it was where travelers entering the city would first present themselves for prayer. In this print, Falda represents the church as orderly and awe-inspiring. The eye is drawn down the central axis, emphasizing the church’s grandeur. Note that Falda labels the print as showing the church ‘restaurata et ador.’ Churches like this one were important institutional players that aimed to shape the spiritual lives of the population. To understand art like this, we need to look into the archives of its patrons and the biographies of its artists. We can then better understand the dialogue between these cultural institutions.