Chiesa di Sant'Agnese in Agone
The Church of St. Agnes in Agony lies on the western side of Navona Square. St. Agnes, who is dedicated the Church, died as a martyr in the Stadium of Domitian (now Piazza). The first project of the building, in Baroque style, dates back to 1652 and was signed by Girolamo Rainaldi and commissioned by Pope Innocent X Pamphili; by 1653, the work went to Francesco Borromini, who imposed a concave facade to give greater prominence to the dome, and were concluded by Carlo Rainaldi. The facade, devoid of decoration, is between two towers, both culminating with a conical roof bearing crosses and has three portals. The dome is decorated with pairs of Corinthian pilasters alternating with rectangular windows. The interior has a Greek cross, it's richly decorated with gilded stucco and has four altars (dedicated to Saints Alessio, Ermenziana, Eustace and Cecilia) with pale marble and statues of Francesco Rossi, Leonardo Reti, Melchiorre Cafà and Antonio Raggi. The spandrels of the dome depicting the Four Cardinal Virtues, the central fresco, made by Ciro Ferri and Sebastiano Corbellini, the "Glory of Heaven." The underground, proceeds from the ancient medieval oratory, houses the marble relief of Alessandro Algardi representing "The Miracle Hair of St. Agnes." The high altar welcomes the shovel "Holy Family", by Domenico Guidi, and stands on four fluted columns in green marble coming from the Arch of Marcus Aurelius in the Course.
(Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/msanfel/; Wikipedia)
