You say this artist’s name and I think of this church in Rome where 2 of his masterpieces live a noble life! The church is the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in the piazza of the same name in the Eternal City.

The Cerasi Chapel or Chapel of the Assumption is located within the basilica and houses these 2 masterworks. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci, two of the most important masters of Italian Baroque art, painted them in 1600-01.

In September of 1600  Monsignor Tiberio Cerasi contracted Caravaggio to paint two panels for the side walls of his newly purchased chapel; the contract with Annibale Carracci for the altarpiece has not been preserved. The commissions went to the leading artists in Rome at the time. Caracci painted The Assumption of Mary while Caravaggio depicted the Conversion of Saint Paul and the Crucifixion of Saint Peter on the lateral walls. Cerasi’s choice of the Assumption for the altar seems straightforward enough, while the other two paintings honoured the Apostles central to the foundation of the Catholic Church as well as popular Counter-Reformation themes of conversion and martyrdom. The precedent already existed for this juxtaposition in the Cappella Paolina at the Apostolic Palace by Michelangelo.  Saint Peter and Paul were also the patrons of Rome and they had a strong connection with the papacy. Because Tiberio Cerasi did not belong to the ranks of the Roman aristocracy and he made his career and fortune in the Roman Curia, it was important to emphasize his proximity to papal power and the Church of Rome.

The first versions of the Caravaggio paintings were rejected by the patron and then Caravaggio painted two canvasses instead of the cypress panels as it had been formerly stipulated. The story of the rejection of the first versions was recorded by Giovanni Baglione in his 1642 Life of Caravaggio.

Tiberio Cerasi died on 3 May 1601 and was buried in the chapel. In his will he named the Hospital of the Madonna della Consolazione as his heir with the responsibility to complete the unfinished chapel. Annibale’s altarpiece was probably already complete at the time while Caravaggio was paid on 10 November 1601 for his work. The paintings were finally installed in the chapel by a woodworker named Bartolomeo in May 1605, and the chapel was consecrated on 11 November 1606.

The chapel was acquired by a descendant of the family, Antonio Cerasi, count of Monterado in 1853 who subsequently restored it.[9]

I swoon with pleasure when I am in this chapel. Two see the 2 Caravaggio paintings in the places where they were intended to go gets me every time! Highly highly recommended!

I’ve spoken on this blog many times about how much it delights me to see modern machinery used to maintain Medieval and Renaissance buildings. I happened upon this scene today and had to take some footage of it.

These views never cease to amaze me!

What a cityscape!

These melagrana blossoms (pomegranate) defy a good photo! The color is so intense and the flowers are so tight, that I am drawn to take a picture, but they never turn out well.

Only in the months of May and June! Sublime wildness of nature against these ruins!

Did you know that fencing is one of Rome’s most celebrated and accessible sports, ranging from Olympic-level foil and épée programs to historic sword-fighting? I did not know. Until recently when I witnessed this:

The spectacle of team foil fencing took over the Pincio Terrace on the second day of the Frecciarossa Roma 2026 Italian Absolute Championships: the women’s team from the Carabinieri Sports Center and the men’s team from Fiamme Oro Roma won the specialty titles. It was another evening of great fencing in the heart of the capital, where the finals were held in a double-header between the Carabinieri and the State Police.

Yes, that’s right, in Rome over 2 evenings, a fencing competition is being held out in the open, for all to see, at the Pincio Terrace on the Pincio Hill, right over Piazza del Popolo in Rome. Again, never have I ever seen such a scene!

Ah, the monumental Piazza del Popolo! There was a time in my early traveling life that just walking into this square filled me with exquisite excitement! At last! I was in Roma, or, even better, back in Roma!

Now I’m a bit jaded, I suppose. I still thrill to the sight of this great square, but it feels smaller to me now. On this day in May, 2026, there were championship tennis games being staged on a raised court on the right side of the piazza! That was the first time I had seen such a thing in Rome. Francesco said it had been going on annually for about 3 years now. It seems like a great use of public space!

I tried to take a couple of videos, but didn’t capture anything worth showing to you.

Alla prossima!!

As a part of my goal for better living in 2026, I resolved to begin reading in Italian. I’ve made some progress, but not as many books read as I would like.

The first accomplishment was reading this children’s book. I would say it is written for early teens and my Italian teacher recommended it to me as a good place to start. It’s pretty simple and straightforward, which is not to say reading it was easy. It took perseverance and dedication, but eventually I finished it. And it was SO worth the trouble. It is a many-layered story, filled with suffering and beauty and, like all the good books, it is so much better than the film that was later made from it.

I went back to my teacher for another recommendation and she suggested Novecento. She was correct. Another excellent read and not at all conventional.

Since those two early 2026 succsses, I am attempting to read this Agatha Christie style novel written by an Italian author. It is so complicated with so many characters who often have multiple names (Julian Lenox is also Lord Worthmore, etc.) that it has been slow going.

But I am resolved to continue my reading in Italian!

Reminds me a bit of the blooming chestnut trees lining the streets of Paris in April/May. To be honest, the Parisian scene is more beautiful, but this is Rome, this is now, and the oleanders are quite amazing!

If I walk by this church and it is open, I enter. I cannot get enough of the Renaissance tabernacle that sits just inside the door of the basilica.

Map of the church and the convent

The church was founded in 1250 by the seven original members of the Servite Order. In 1252, a painting of the Annunciation was begun by a Friar Bartolomeo, commissioned by the Servite monks. It is said he despaired about being able to paint a virgin with a beautiful enough face, and fell asleep, only to find the painting completed when he awoke. He attributed this miracle he to an angel. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the church received its name, the most holy annunciation, since it was partly painted by an angel of God.

Below is a view of the basilica taken from the narthex area, looking toward the altar. The interior is very much Baroque in style, with the elaborate tabernacle in a 14th century Renaissance style, housing the fresco within, which is very Medieval in origin and style.

Here is your first view of the marble tabernacle constructed to encompass the so-called holy painting.

The actually quite modest painting, so famous because it was partly painted by an angel, acquired increasing veneration, such that in 1444 the Gonzaga family from Mantua financed a special tribute. Initially Michelozzo, who was the brother of the Servite prior, was commissioned to build it, but since Ludovico III Gonzaga had a special admiration for Leon Battista Alberti, this latter architect was given the commission in 1469. Alberti’s designs were constricted by the pre-existing foundations. Construction was completed in 1481, after Alberti’s death. Though the structure was refurbished in Baroque-style in the seventeenth century, the basic scheme of a domed circular space flanked by altar niches is still evident.

The fresco of the Annunciation after cleaning, 2020.

Below are a few photos of the chapel directly at the side of the of the tabernacle. I am leaving for Rome soon and I was thinking about all the Baroque monuments in Rome when I took these photos.

This chapel would be very much at home in a Roman church. Quite unusual for a Florentine church.

As almost always, I lit 3 candles for family members.

My eyes are accustomed to simple vases of lilies, the symbol of the Virgin Mary. This floral arrangement made me think of paintings of the Annunciation, in which the flowers so often appear.

A quick look at another chapel.

Back to the tabernacle. Some of the votive offerings left at the church as a prayer for help have been framed and are permanently displayed. Of the survey thousands of votives offered over the years, I wonder how these in particular were chosen for exhibition?

I took the opportunity to write a prayer for deliverance. You never know, it might be answered.

The metal vases of metal lilies are very striking to my eye.

As ar the censors. So elaborate and quite beautiful.

Walking out of the church, the duomo is only a stone’s throw away!

Ah, Firenze! I love you so!