About the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva:
This Basilica got its name from the original pagan temple built here (in Italian, a sopra) and is run under the auspices of the Dominicans.
Perhaps most notable here is the tomb of Saint Catherine of Siena (herself a Third Order Dominican and a Doctor of the Church) Her tomb is quite accessible and you go right up and touch it.
Note that although most of her body is in the tomb, her head is actually kept in The Church of Saint Dominic in Siena.
Also entombed here is Fra Giovanni da Fiesole…better known as Fra Angelico. Fra Angelico lived and worked for several years in the Dominican convent of Fiesole, near Florence, and was one of the foremost early Renaissance artists. He was proclaimed “Blessed” by Pope John Paul II in 1982.
There several important works of art here, including Michelangelo’s statue Cristo della Minerva (Christ the Redeemer or Christ Carrying the Cross), located to the left of the main altar and the late 15th-century frescoes in the Carafa Chapel by Filippino Lippi.
Finding the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva:
Address: Piazza della Minerva 42 – 00186 Rome
Tel: +36 06 6992038
email: santamariasopraminerva@gmail.com
Click here for the official website of the Basilica of Saint Maria sopra Minerva
⇐ Back to Catholic shrines and places of interest in Rome
Photos courtesy Wikimedia & Basilica of Santa Maris sopra Minerva
