Sant'Agata in Trastevere


Sant'Agata in Trastevere is one of the churches of Rome, in Trastevere district, located at Largo San Giovanni de Matha, 91.

History and art

The tradition, which is based on Liber Pontificalis, reports that this church was founded on the house of the Pope Gregory II, who transformed it into a religious building, with an adjoining monastery, on the occasion of the death of the mother: it dates back to 8th century. The first historical information instead dates back to 1121 in a papal bull of Pope Callixtus II.
In 1575 Pope Gregory XIII granted the church to the archconfraternity of the Dottrina Cristiana, founded in 1560 by Marco de Sadis Cusani: from the title of the church, the members of the association had the name of "Agatists". In 1725 the Agatists merged into the Doctrinaries congregation of César de Bus.
In 1710-1711, under the pontificate of Clement XI, the church was completely rebuilt by Giacomo Recalcati. On this occasion it was granted to the Oratory of the Madonna del Carmine, the polychrome wooden statue, depicting the Madonna del Carmine, popularly called the "Madonna de noantri", protector of the Trastevere district.
The façade of the church is in Late-Baroque form. The interior has a single nave, with three chapels on each side and a barrel vault. There are preserved, among others, works by Girolamo Troppa and Biagio Puccini. Adjacent to the church are the remains of buildings from 5th century and the Middle Ages.
The church is at the center every year of the trasteverina festival par excellence, the "Festa de Noantri".

Gallery