Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano

Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano

Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano
4
What people are saying
Mairwen1
By Mairwen1
The Twin Domes
4.0 of 5 bubblesJun 2022
There is a lot to see in this area and not surprisingly, by the time people have seen the Colosseum, the Forum and Capitoline Hill, not many people have the time (or stamina) to also visit this 18th century church. It is one of two very similar twin-like domed churches right beside Trajan’s Column at the Fori Imperiali. On the city skyline, they look like a matching set but up-close, even a cursory glance, is enough to see that they are not twins. The other church (Chiesa Santa Maria di Loreto) was built first over 100 years earlier this one was designed sympathetically. With its white exterior, octagaonal shape and tall rounded dome it looks a lot like a wedding cake. The facade features columns and pillars and above them, on the balustrade between the two orders, are large statues of various prophets and the 4 gospel-writing evangelists, (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). It’s not easy to find the church open. It seems to be closed for a large part of the day so when we were walking home in the late afternoon and saw the doors open, we popped in. It was only a quick visit because the octagonal space inside is relatively small. The huge inside barrel of the dome looms overhead and is decorated with medallions that tell the story of the Virgin Mary’s life. On the main altar there is a 12th century painting of the Virgin and Child. Entry is free but no photos are allowed. Although we saw a few people sneaking some, the rule was being fairly strictly enforced by a guard or church official.

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The area
Neighborhood: Trevi
A non-stop photo and souvenir opportunity, Trevi is all about action. From early morning through the wee hours, the piazza surrounding Trevi Fountain hosts a never-ending flow of tourists hoping to make a wish or take a selfie. Clever restaurants, charming gelaterias, uncanny bars, kitsch shops, and a range of hotels make up the local landscape. Beneath the bustle are the remains of an ancient neighborhood that you can visit by heading over to a repertoire cinema and asking for a peek underground. There is something for everyone, but if peace and quiet are what you seek, plan to visit in the early morning hours.
How to get there
  • Fori Imperiali-Colosseo • 10 min walk
  • Colosseo • 10 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles93 reviews
Excellent
28
Very good
50
Average
12
Poor
0
Terrible
3

Mairwen1
United Kingdom9,563 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
There is a lot to see in this area and not surprisingly, by the time people have seen the Colosseum, the Forum and Capitoline Hill, not many people have the time (or stamina) to also visit this 18th century church.
It is one of two very similar twin-like domed churches right beside Trajan’s Column at the Fori Imperiali.
On the city skyline, they look like a matching set but up-close, even a cursory glance, is enough to see that they are not twins.
The other church (Chiesa Santa Maria di Loreto) was built first over 100 years earlier this one was designed sympathetically.
With its white exterior, octagaonal shape and tall rounded dome it looks a lot like a wedding cake.
The facade features columns and pillars and above them, on the balustrade between the two orders, are large statues of various prophets and the 4 gospel-writing evangelists, (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).
It’s not easy to find the church open. It seems to be closed for a large part of the day so when we were walking home in the late afternoon and saw the doors open, we popped in.
It was only a quick visit because the octagonal space inside is relatively small.
The huge inside barrel of the dome looms overhead and is decorated with medallions that tell the story of the Virgin Mary’s life. On the main altar there is a 12th century painting of the Virgin and Child.
Entry is free but no photos are allowed. Although we saw a few people sneaking some, the rule was being fairly strictly enforced by a guard or church official.
Written March 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dapper777
Monaco32,690 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021 • Friends
The location is fantastic, and I think there is no doubt about this.
You believe, you hope to be able to visit the church because the church is there, right in the middle of the Trajan Forum and we have passed by many times.
Yet the church is always closed.
Then one day, it happens by an extraordinary chance that the door is open and you go inside and see can it.
The birth of the church is due to pope Innocent IX who, in the wake of the enthusiasm for the victory against the Ottoman Empire in Vienna in 1683, instituted the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary.
The new brotherhood which was dedicated to it, and whose first brothers were just the pontiff himself and Leopold of Austria, settled after a few years in the church of San Bernardo: the new headquarters soon proved insufficient and it was decided to build a new one on its place.
Entrusted in 1736 to the French architect Antoine Dérizet, the church is, in a certain way, the eighteenth-century rewriting of the nearby Santa Maria di Loreto, of which it incorporates the layout and the domed roof, set on a high drum on which eight windows open.
The exterior is decorated in the lower part by columns and pilasters and by statues of the evangelists and prophets on the balustrade that separates the two orders.
The interior, with an elliptical plan and decorated with polychrome marble, has seven chapels arranged in a radial pattern.
The decoration of the church was handled by Agostino Masucci and Mauro Fontana, who also took care of the subsequent consolidation works of the structure.
The inside of the dome is decorated with medallions with the “Stories of the life of Mary” and with branches of palm trees, lilies and other flowers referring to Our Lady .
On the main altar there is an image of the Virgin and Child painted on wood, which tradition indicates as belonging to the treasure of St. Lawrence in Lateran (the so-called Sancta Sanctorum) and to which innumerable miracles were attributed.
The icon was carried to the church on 9 September 1741 with a solemn procession.
The Rector of the church has recently replaced the altar and the wooden seats and chairs with as many in transparent acrylic material that highlight the splendid floor with inscriptions and the works of art that are inside.
The church, when you enter it, has a special effect on those who visit it, because its Baroque is very rich and attractive. However, artistic works of great value are missing.
Too bad that the church is almost always closed, and therefore very difficult to visit.
For some years it has entered the circuit of churches where religious weddings of a certain social prestige can be celebrated, and this may be a reason that prevents it from being visited.
It is still a church to visit once.
Written September 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

YTCHENG
Hong Kong, China15,491 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano is a small catholic church near to Trajan column. It is of Barogue-style and nice both inside and outside.
Written September 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alessandro F
Milan, Italy26,346 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019 • Solo
This church at the Trajan forum was built in 1736 instead of a fifteenth century church.
It was the church of Habsburg .
Found closed.
Written November 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JimmyJackk
San Marcos, CA5,183 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2015 • Couples
This area contains quite a few sights that are not on Rome's must see list but while in this area make sure to look into all these great spots.
Written December 27, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

QusaiA
Las Vegas113 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2015 • Business

It is near the Unknown Soldier Monument, free as most Rome's attractions.

Wikipedia : The Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary at the Trajan Forum (Italian: Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano, Latin: Ss. Nominis Mariae ad forum Traiani) is a Roman Catholic church in Rome, Italy. This church should not be confused with the church Santissimo Nome di Maria in Via Latina in south-east Rome. The pale marble church stands in front of the Column of Trajan, a few dozen steps from the similarly domed, but externally more colorful, church of Santa Maria di Loreto.

The feast of the Holy Name of Mary was instituted by Pope Innocent XI after the victory of the Austrian-Polish armies under the command of John III Sobieski over the Turks at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Abbot Giuseppe Bianchi instituted devotion to the most holy name of Mary in 1685 at Santo Stefano del Cacco, and soon afterwards established the Congregation of the Most Holy Name of Mary, which was formally approved in 1688.
Written November 7, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ohmaid1954
Thornton Cleveleys, UK123 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2012 • Couples
Beware of young girls/women pickpockets operating in this area. They wait for victims to pass by and move in from behind. They are very persistant and at it all day. They can be seen with infants strapped to their chest, some even breastfeeding in the street. Be VERY cautious in this area!
Written September 8, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

havetraveledal0t
Columbia, SC8 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
We didn’t actually visit the church, but our airbnb had a direct view of the church from the roof, so here’s a photo.
Written May 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ERIC W
Knoxville, TN4,215 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
Right in the heart of everything is this stunning little Chapel. Free entry and super easy to just step inside and check it out
Written February 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ChiefGuru
Decatur, IN3,414 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019
We were visiting the Arch of the Fatherland near Piazza Venezia and the Forum of Trajan, when we noticed the Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary. It is located to the East of Piazza Venezia and slightly Northeast of Trajan's Forum. This is a beautifully domed, Catholic church, which is quite moderate and plain in size and appearance compared to some of Rome's larger cathedrals. In fact, the colorful and slightly grander Santa Maria di Loreto church is only ~100 yards to its West, closer to the Piazza Venezia. Another landmark for locating both the Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary and the Santa Maria di Loreto church is Trajan's Column which stands toward the North end of Trajan's Forum. This white marble, Roman Catholic church was designed designed by architect Antoine Derizet and finished in 1741. A key feature of this church is that, enshrined on the altar, an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, believed to have been painted by Luke the Evangelist, is present. The interior the church is elliptical with seven small chapels, decorated in polychrome marble. When in this historic area of Rome take a few moments to enjoy the architecture of this old church.
Written August 31, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano, Rome

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