Church of the Military Ordinariate - Santa Caterina da Siena in Magnanapoli

The Church of Santa Caterina in Magnanapoli, is a Catholic place of worship in Rome, in the Rione Monti, in Piazza Magnanapoli. It is the main church of the Military Ordinariate in Italy.

This church was built between 1628 and 1641 by the architect Giovanni Battista Soria as a place of worship for a Dominican female monastery, which already existed since 1574. Thus Armellini says:

«Pope Gregory XIII donated to the Tertiaries founded by s. Catherine of Siena who lived in a house in s. Chiara, 7000 scudi, with which sum combined with that obtained from the sale of the house in s. Chiara, and to the 3,500 scudi offered to the nuns by Porzia Massimo, they were able to reduce the palace and other adjacent houses to a small monastery; and on 12 October 1574 with the blessing of the aforementioned Supreme Pontiff the aforementioned Tertiaries came to live there; then in 1620 finding themselves increased in number, the cramped local was no longer enough for them and they had to buy another part of the palace of Duke Camillo Conti for the sum of 1800 scudi. Finally from Urban VIII on 24 February 1628 the nuns were allowed to build the church. Therefore said church was built in 1628. "

(Armellini, op.cit., P. 177)

There are several theories on the origin of the name "magnanapoli", again reported by Armellini:

• it could derive from bagno Pauli, a Roman thermal station attested in the area; due to corruption, the name would have passed from bagnanapoli to balneapolim, to valneapolis, to valneanapolis, to bagnanapoli and finally to magnanapoli;
• another hypothesis is linked to the place where the towers and fortresses of the Colonna stood, great constables of Naples, a title that should have been read in the epitaphs of their palace with the formula Magnus Neapolis Connestabilis from which magnanapoli;
• finally, the third hypothesis would derive the name from bannum nea polis, a military fortress of Byzantine origin, which would also be at the origin of the name of the whole area surrounding the church, i.e. contrada militareum, from which perhaps also the name of the Torre delle Militia, once incorporated into the monastery adjacent to the church.

Map: Church of the Military Ordinariate - Santa Caterina da Siena in Magnanapoli

vCard Info:

Address: Salita del Grillo, 37, 00187
Roma (RM) Lazio
Latitude: 41.89588447890831
Longitude: 12.486889958381653
Site: http://www.ordinariatomilitare...

vCard created by: CHO.earth
Currently owned by: CHO.earth

Type: Building
Function: Church
Creation date:
Last update: 02/03/2021