Sant’Isidoro a Capo le Case

If you go up the stairs and walk towards the building it is nothing short of impressive. However, you cannot admire the church from the inside.

A hidden jewel that unfortunately it is not always possible to visit. Small but very beautiful church and beautiful cloister

Built in 1625 by Antonio Felice Casoni and later by Domenico Castelli, the facade, with portico and double flight of stairs, is by Carlo Bizzaccheri. The interior has a single nave with a Latin cross and barrel vault, two side chapels on each side and two chapels on either side of the presbytery. Worth mentioning are the works of Carlo Maratta, including the stories from the life of St. Joseph and the Immaculate Conception. The main altar presents Sant'Isidoro and the Virgin Mary, the work of Andrea Sacchi. The Sylva Chapel was renovated to a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The convent was the seat of the brotherhood of the Nazarenes, a proto-romantic movement of mainly German painters, some of whom resided there for a few years between 1810 and 1814. The name of the street from which you enter, Via degli Artisti, is due to this presence.

Church of St. Isidore of Madrid (chiesa di Isidoro Agricolo) on via degli Artisti. The church was built in the 17th century after the canonization by Gregory XV of the Spanish saint Isidore, the humble patron saint of agricultural peasants. The small snow-white church is part of the huge building of the Franciscan Convention, which is currently partly rented out for parking, partly is a housing stock. But as the gatekeeper in the church told me, there are monks here and everything is functioning properly, by the way, in the 18th century a community of German Nazarene artists lived here, from them the street takes its name - via degli Artisti. They occupied the empty monastery after its abolition by Napoleon in 1810. Their ideal was a return to Christian values ​​and church painting, but with a romantic slant. In history, they have remained known as preromantics. In the side chapel of the church there are two wonderful frescoes by Friedrich Overbeck. The church was originally part of a large envelope of Franciscan monks, then passed into the jurisdiction of the Irish Franciscans now there, it seemed to me, some kind of international community. Isidore of Madrid, a saint of the 11th century, the patron saint of peasants is very loved in Spain, there are many churches dedicated to him. In Italy, it is quite rare to meet this saint. The church was started by Antonio Felizio Cassone in 1622 and completed fairly quickly. It is a simple rectangular building. The façade of the church is in the Rococo style (vignettes, curls, flower and fruit garlands), two-tiered, with a deep portico, to which a staircase with two ramps leads. Inside one nave, Latin cross shape, with side chapels. The presbytery of the church houses paintings by Carlo Maratta dedicated to the life of Saint Giuseppe and the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin. In the main altar by Andrea Sacchi - Saint Isidore and the Virgin. The Silva Chapel was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini with marble reliefs. His sons Paolo and Lorenzo worked in the same church. There are two kiosters in the church. This lovely little church makes an amazing impression and is definitely worth visiting from via Veneto. In one of the chapels you can see empty frames, paintings with paintings by Carlo Maratta. At one time Napoleon took him to France and now they are exhibited in the Louvre.