Oratorio del Gonfalone

Rome, Italy

The Oratorio del Gonfalone is one of the most captivating architectural and pictorial sites of the second half of the 16th century.
In the Oratorio, the Coro Polifonico Romano “Gastone Tosato” has been organizing a sophisticated concert season for many years, in the sign of an art without borders.

The Oratorio was built between 1544 and 1547, on the ruins of Santa Lucia Vecchia Church, by the will of Arciconfraternita del Gonfalone. It is a jewel of the Roman Renaissence, with features that we will find in the following Baroque. It has a rectangular plan and frescoes showing “The Stories of the Passion of Christ”, made by prominent artists such as Federico Zuccari, Cesare Nebbia and Livio Agresti between 1569 and 1576. The main subject of the pictorial decoration is the “Passion of Christ”, from the arrival in Jerusalem to the Resurrection. It was painted according to the composure, nobility and deep feeling values issued by the Catholic Reformation.
The Oratorio is called “The Sistine Chapel of the Roman Mannerism” due to the importance of the frescoes.
The ceiling has a wood countertop carved by Ambrogio Bonazzini in 1568. It shows the Virgin Mary and Saints Peter and Paul.