Basilica di Santa Maria in Via Lata
Basilica di Santa Maria in Via Lata
4.5
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Colonna
Frantic fashionistas, pedicured politicos, goal-oriented tourists, and on-the-go locals cross paths every day in Colonna, a delightful chaos in the very centre of the city. Even though it has some of the city’s loveliest sites—a 2nd century column, Belle Epoque shopping centre, and a magnificent Baroque parliament building—Colonna is not just another pretty face, but the cosmopolitan eye of Rome’s cultural storm. Colonna can safely say it has the best of Rome: museums, boutiques, window displays, restaurants, cafes, and people watching.
How to get there
- Spagna • 10 min walk
- Barberini - Fontana di Trevi • 10 min walk
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4.5
49 reviews
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Noraatc
Sudbury, MA39,983 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
I made a short stop to see the Santa Maria in Via Lata after visiting gorgeous Palazzo Doria Pamphili. I was not very interested in the history of St.Paul, but did admire graceful Baroque interior, especially, the red marble of the columns, which added a bit of a mystical impression. I guess, it was the darkness of the solemn interior that makes it.
The facade designed according to the drawings of Pietro Cortona is equally attractive.
The facade designed according to the drawings of Pietro Cortona is equally attractive.
Written 27 February 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.
Margaret O
2 contributions
May 2017 • Solo
Come in the afternoon on the second Sunday of the month (after 3:00 during most of the year, or after 4:00 May through September) for a 20-minute guided tour in English. Whether or not it was the house-prison of St. Paul, this archaeological site points to commercial use during the republican era, the presence of a sixth-century Byzantine monastic community, a medieval "diakonia", and centuries of pilgrimages connected to the memory of Peter and Paul. It was those pilgrimages that motivated the construction of the upper Baroque church adjoining the Palazzo (now Galleria) Doria Pamphilj. Well worth the 2 euro fee. I look forward to meeting you! --Sister Margaret J. Obrovac, FSP
Written 13 July 2017
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.
JenRaeM
Lawrenceburg, KY29 contributions
Dec 2017 • Family
Under this church is most likely the place where St. Paul was under house arrest for two years and where he wrote several books of the New Testament. Fortunately the crypt has not been overly commercialized. The visiting hours are limited, so be sure to check when it’s open (usually late afternoon) and the cost is about 3 Euros.
Written 24 July 2018
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.
Carpense
Carpi, Italy3,572 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
Ancient origins and a centuries-old devotion linked to a suggestive icon of the Holy Mary. make this basilica particularly dear to the Romans. I limit myself here to some essential and very personal considerations relating to the upper church alone, or the sumptuous baroque temple designed by Pietro da Cortona. I don't particularly like the baroque style, especially when, as in this case, it overflows in terms of pomp and decorative richness. However, one cannot deny the masterly scenographic interpretation that the temple assumes and which is so surprising. It is difficult, however, to experience mysticism and inner meditation in such a sumptuous context.
Written 26 February 2024
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.
The Spanish Steps Apartment
Rome, Italy35,484 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
Under the church is a dark crypt area (small admission fee) where allegedly St. Paul spent two years under house arrest, waiting for his trial. The frescoes have been removed but there are a few copies. Not much to see. There is limited information in Italian, even more limited in English. Only worth seeing if you have a deep interest in a place allegedly connected to the Saint.
Written 7 April 2017
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.
Brad
Hong Kong, China178,208 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
Santa Maria in via Lata is an interesting church found along Via del Corso, very near to San Marcello church, the Oratory of Santissimo Crosifisso and the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj. This is the church that is believed to have been built upon the location where St. Paul and St. Peter stayed during their time in Rome. Similar claims are made in regard to St. John and St. Mark as well.
Like most churches in this area of the city, the interior of Santa Maria in via Lata is quite elaborate in Baroque architectural style. We really liked the marble pillars which run upon the nave, separating it from the side aisles and chapels. The thoroughly frescoed walls were also nice.
Within Santa Maria in via Lata, the artwork that we probably most liked seeing was the 'Madonna Advocata' altarpiece (1636). However, there were other nice works and altarpieces to see within the church. There is also a crypt you can visit although we didn't go inside to have a look this time around.
In the end, we enjoyed Santa Maria in via Lata, finding it highly decorative and nice to see. It is one of quite a few impressive church visits you can make in this area of Rome and worth a stop if you like seeing these type attractions when travelling.
Like most churches in this area of the city, the interior of Santa Maria in via Lata is quite elaborate in Baroque architectural style. We really liked the marble pillars which run upon the nave, separating it from the side aisles and chapels. The thoroughly frescoed walls were also nice.
Within Santa Maria in via Lata, the artwork that we probably most liked seeing was the 'Madonna Advocata' altarpiece (1636). However, there were other nice works and altarpieces to see within the church. There is also a crypt you can visit although we didn't go inside to have a look this time around.
In the end, we enjoyed Santa Maria in via Lata, finding it highly decorative and nice to see. It is one of quite a few impressive church visits you can make in this area of Rome and worth a stop if you like seeing these type attractions when travelling.
Written 14 May 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.
FairCritics
Bengaluru, India35 contributions
Apr 2015 • Family
This church called out to me and I was thrilled by the experience.my family was busy shopping on the street and I was drawn to this simple house of prayer and as the historical significance dawned on me I was pleasantly overwhelmed.The crypt was fascinating and the link to Saint Paul,Saint Peter was amazing.A must see
Written 11 April 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.
robertsonnickd
Saint Louis, MO16 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
The church is beautiful, but we visited to see St. Paul's Crypt in the basement (2 Euros per person). It was discovered some time ago that the church's location was the same that Paul describes in Colossans 4:18 as his prison. It's very dark, dank, and moldy (as a crypt ought to be), but very interesting. Seeing how the generations of inhabitants have used the space was awe inspiring and creepy. It doesn't take longer than 30 minutes, and that's really taking your time, to see everything. It's also a nice place to escape the sun and head, and when you exit the church, you're not far from the Pantheon and central Rome.
Written 12 June 2017
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.
MBB1952
Surfers Paradise, Australia10,583 contributions
Sept 2015 • Couples
We came across the church by chance when we had free time which was to me a great discovery especially the cave under the church were St. Paul was kept a prisoner before his execution.
Written 6 December 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.
dapper777
Monaco67,200 contributions
Jun 2020 • Friends
It was a visit by chance.
We were walking down the noisy and very busy Via del Corso and we saw on the right hand side a gate and huge columns.
We thought it was the exterior of a noble palace converted into a bank, as you can see so many in Via del Corso.
We entered the portico and discovered that it was a church.
We could not visit it well that evening because there was mass at 8.00 pm. We decided to return in the following days after reading some historical and art information.
It is really is a little gem in the heart of Rome. The church is not always accessible and opens only in the afternoon but it is certainly worth a visit for the beauty of the works that are collected, but above all for the visual impact it offers.
Below the church it is possible to visit the remains of a Romanesque church at a cost of a couple of euros.
It is centrally located in Via del Corso,steps away from Piazza Colonna and Trevi Fountain.
It is a very old church, built making use of an ancient Roman portico.
In the XIth century, because of the rise of the level of the ground, a new church was built above the old one.
It was restored in the late XVth century at the initiative of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia and Pope Innocent VIII.
In 1658 Pietro da Cortona was asked to build a new façade by Pope Alexander VII and in 1661 the architect discovered the remains of the underground church.
From the portico you enter the crypt below, where it seems that St. Paul the Apostle was detained before being tried.
The church above is really beautiful and deserves to be visited and admired.
It is a hidden jewel, known to few, even if it is located in the middle of the chaotic mess of cars and people of Via del Corso.
We were walking down the noisy and very busy Via del Corso and we saw on the right hand side a gate and huge columns.
We thought it was the exterior of a noble palace converted into a bank, as you can see so many in Via del Corso.
We entered the portico and discovered that it was a church.
We could not visit it well that evening because there was mass at 8.00 pm. We decided to return in the following days after reading some historical and art information.
It is really is a little gem in the heart of Rome. The church is not always accessible and opens only in the afternoon but it is certainly worth a visit for the beauty of the works that are collected, but above all for the visual impact it offers.
Below the church it is possible to visit the remains of a Romanesque church at a cost of a couple of euros.
It is centrally located in Via del Corso,steps away from Piazza Colonna and Trevi Fountain.
It is a very old church, built making use of an ancient Roman portico.
In the XIth century, because of the rise of the level of the ground, a new church was built above the old one.
It was restored in the late XVth century at the initiative of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia and Pope Innocent VIII.
In 1658 Pietro da Cortona was asked to build a new façade by Pope Alexander VII and in 1661 the architect discovered the remains of the underground church.
From the portico you enter the crypt below, where it seems that St. Paul the Apostle was detained before being tried.
The church above is really beautiful and deserves to be visited and admired.
It is a hidden jewel, known to few, even if it is located in the middle of the chaotic mess of cars and people of Via del Corso.
Written 13 August 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.
When are the hours to visit where Paul stayed for 2 years?
Written 17 February 2020
we will not arrive in Rome until after the 14th. Are there any other dates we could get into the church even if we weren't able to get a tour in English? thanks
Written 6 October 2017
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