Piazza Navona – from a stadium to a representative salon of the pope
Piazza Navona – from a stadium to a representative salon of the pope
Piazza Navona, Gaspar van Wittel (Vanvitelli), 1699, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, pic. Wikipedia
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona, view from Palazzo Pamphilj
Fountain of Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi), Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Piazza Navona, Fontana del Nettuno
Piazza Navona, Fontana del Moro, Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore in the background
Piazza Navona, façade of the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone
Palazzo Pamphilj, Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone in the background
Piazza Navona, Fountain of Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi)
Palazzo Pamphilj, Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona, view of the square before the creation of the Fountain of Four Rivers, Museo di Roma, Palazzo Braschi
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona
Today it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Rome, full of life, a salon of almost theatrical appearance, which must be seen by each person who wants to immerse himself in the Baroque atmosphere of the city. Yet in the past it was a stadium. Later, on the ruins of its stands, houses started to appear, while the arena became a noisy marketplace full of small merchants, jugglers and thieves. In the XVII century the square was thoroughly modernized and the noisy marketplace became a representative square, yet it still retains something of that old medieval atmosphere.
Today it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Rome, full of life, a salon of almost theatrical appearance, which must be seen by each person who wants to immerse himself in the Baroque atmosphere of the city. Yet in the past it was a stadium. Later, on the ruins of its stands, houses started to appear, while the arena became a noisy marketplace full of small merchants, jugglers and thieves. In the XVII century the square was thoroughly modernized and the noisy marketplace became a representative square, yet it still retains something of that old medieval atmosphere.
In time houses appeared on the remains of the old ancient Stadium of Domitian and even two oratories – one of them was dedicated to St. Agnes, important for Romans, early-Christian martyr, who allegedly died in this very spot. In the XV century a marketplace was moved to this place, while in 1470 Antonio Pamphilj purchased three buildings in the southwestern part of the square, which was soon paved, while the small Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore was built on its south-eastern edge – the parish of the Spaniards residing in Rome. In the middle of the XVII century the magnificent palace of the Pamphilj family – Palazzo Pamphilj – was built here, towering over the square. This was connected with the election of the new pope, Giovanni Battista Pamphilj, who took on the name Innocent X. It was he, or as others claim, his ambitious sister-in-law Olimpia Maidalchini, who had enough of the noise and dirt of the marketplace and the disorder which was unfit for the residence of the family, who had decided to create in this location something befitting ancient emperors – a veritable Forum Pamphilj. Water was supplied onto the square by Francesco Borromini, from the former Circus of Maxentius an Egyptian obelisk was brought on top of which a dove with an olive branch was placed – the coat of arms of the Pamphilj family. A sculpting arrangement worthy of emperors was created around it, meaning the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (The Fountain of Four Rivers) – one of the most outstanding sculpting creations of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The square is also adorned by two other fountains: Fontana del Moro and Fontana del Nettuno.
On paintings and old drawings we see the Piazza Navona filled with water. This idea was initiated by the pope in order to appease the Roman populace, displeased with raising the taxes and at the same time providing it with entertainment in a true imperial fashion. This took place in the month August – in time of the greatest heat to the joy of the common people, but also the aristocracy, who with pleasure moved through the water-filled square in their carriages. This tradition lasted all the way until the XIX century. The square also served for centuries as a location of various kinds of celebrations of holidays, since thanks to its great size it was able to accommodate a great number of people.
At the moment of the death of Pope Innocent X in 1655, the design of the Forum Pamphilj remained unfinished, it lacked the principal element – the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, the final resting place of the pope. Its construction still continued for many decades.
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi – a symbol of greatness of the Catholic Church and the Pamphilj family
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