One of my favorite places to visit. It's a magnificent church with a very interesting history (designed by Michaelangel and built using the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian). There's a small museum that explains the history of the church. I fell in love with the meridian line. Unfortunately only one of the light sources has survived the remodels but it still works. In the Winter time the sun hits as much as 15 minutes after noon and in the summer it hits before noon. It hits exactly at noon on the Equinoxes. I posted a picture showing the light hitting the meridian (very exciting!)

Marc AlbertJan 8, 2018

This was the first on our list for our too short afternoon in Rome. We found it pretty easily and best of all, parking was close and we began our walk to see the sights. I'm glad my friend did the research for she picked a good collections of sights for our much-to-short visit to Rome. We went to the back and worked our way forward to this first of many humongous churches were were to see during our visit, and this did not disappoint. I think now in hindsight we could have taken several hours to see this church and nearby time would not allow...

Leggo Tung LeiFeb 6, 2018

This place was close to our hotel, so that is why we went there in the first place. There were some interesting items there, but the fact that this place used to be public place for Romans to take a shower and enjoy the steam rooms was somehow surprising. It was really fun visiting this place and would recommend people who stay nearby or people who have plenty of time visiting Rome (for example they stay there for two weeks or so) to visit this place.

Mehrshad DehestaniJan 12, 2018

This church is so beautiful from inside. I didn't expect that it will be so extravagant from outside. The atmosphere was magical. I spent quite a time seeing paintings and the beautiful architecture.

TRYING TO GET MY LIFE BACK ON TRACKNov 22, 2017

Loved this church did not know about it berfore hand but knew about the baths. Fascinating history to the place and thought bianchinnis sundial is amazing Just went in on a whim while walking aimlessly and was delighted a lesser known but fantastic spot in Rome From the outside looks like a ruin and small but inside is like a tardis. Then you are doen if that is not enough you step out onto the Piazza della Repubblica which in my opinion is better than a lot of other better known pIazzas in Rome. Obvious Down point the traffic

Dave TJan 28, 2018

Surely one of the most unusual and surprising churches in Rome. From outside it looks modest and unsightly, but then it opens to the vast space of partly preserved ancient roman baths (renovated into church in 16. century and thus saved from further decaying). You can see four big marble columns holding the middle dome. One can imagine what pleasure was visiting those baths in the roman time.

Rasp BerryApr 4, 2018

The basilica is dedicated to the Christian martyrs, known and unknown. By a brief dated 27 July 1561, Pius IV ordered the church "built", to be dedicated to the Beatissimae Virgini et omnium Angelorum et Martyrum("the Most Blessed Virgin and all the Angels and Martyrs"). Impetus for this dedication had been generated by the account of a vision experienced in the ruins of the Baths in 1541 by a Sicilian monk, Antonio del Duca, who had been lobbying for decades for papal authorization of a more formal veneration of the Angelic Princes. A story that these Martyrs were Christian slave labourers who had been set to constructing the Baths is modern. It was also a personal monument of Pope Pius IV, whose tomb is in the apsidaltribune. The thermae of Diocletian dominated the Quirinal Hill with their ruined mass. Michelangelo Buonarroti worked from 1563 to 1564 to adapt a section of the remaining structure of the baths to enclose a church. Some later construction was directed by Luigi Vanvitelli in 1749. At Santa Maria degli Angeli, Michelangelo achieved a sequence of shaped architectural spaces, developed from a Greek cross, with a dominant transept, with cubical chapels at each end, and the effect of a transverse nave. There is no true facade; the simple entrance is set within one of the coved apses of a main space of the thermae. The vestibule with canted corners and identical side chapels—one chapel has the tomb of Salvator Rosa, the other of Carlo Maratta—leads to a second vestibule, repeated on the far side of the transept, dominated by the over lifesize Saint Bruno of Cologne by Jean Antoine Houdon(1766). Of the Saint Bruno, Pope Clement XIVsaid that he would speak, were it not for the vow of silence of the order he founded. The great vaulted transept emphasized the scale of the Roman constructions, 90.8 meters long, and with the floor that Michelangelo raised to bring it up to the 16th century street level, 28 meters high. Raising the floor truncated the red granite Roman columns that articulate the transept and its flanking spaces. Michelangelo made the transept 27 meters wide, thus providing vast cubical spaces at each end of the transept. In 2006, Polish-born sculptor Igor Mitorajcreated new bronze doors as well as a statue of John the Baptist for the basilica. In April 2010, a five metre high bronze statue of Galileo Galilei Divine Man (designed by 1957 Nobel laureate Tsung-Dao Lee) was unveiled in a courtyard within the complex.[citation needed]The statue (a dedication to the 17th century scientist and philosopher) was a donation from CCAST (China Center of Advanced Science and Technology) and WFS (World Federation of Scientists). Santa Maria degli Angeli was the official state church of the Kingdom of Italy (1870–1946). More recently, national burials have been held in the church. The church hosts the tombs of General Armando Diaz and Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel, who were successful commanders during World War I on the Italian front. Also today the Basilica is used for many ceremonies, including the funeral of soldiers killed abroad.

Asif Muhammad AwaisApr 6, 2018

Beautiful basilica of St. Mary at the Republic square. This basilica looks very ordinary from the outside...almost like in ruins...but is gorgeous inside! Don't miss out!

SACHIT VARMAJul 7, 2018

Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri is one of the most fascinating basilicas in Rome. The church facade is unassuming until you realize it is a fragment of the frigidarium, or cold pool room, of the ancient Baths of Diocletian. These baths were the largest in ancient Rome, though this fact is difficult to comprehend because they have been incorporated into streets, buildings and piazzas. Stepping inside the church gives you an idea of their size: the basilica, which was designed by Michelangelo in the 16th century, features a dominant transept, meaning the church extends horizontally rather than vertically – a truly unusual effect, due to the fact that it was built within the original bath structure.

Jean-Francois YonetJun 25, 2018

Breathtaking, unique experience. You can mix faith and sceince finally here

Miriam del Carmen FernándezJul 9, 2018

One of my favorite places to visit. It's a magnificent church with a very interesting history (designed by Michaelangel and built using the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian). There's a small museum that explains the history of the church. I fell in love with the meridian line. Unfortunately only one of the light sources has survived the remodels but it still works. In the Winter time the sun hits as much as 15 minutes after noon and in the summer it hits before noon. It hits exactly at noon on the Equinoxes. I posted a picture showing the light hitting the meridian (very exciting!)

Marc AlbertJan 8, 2018

This was the first on our list for our too short afternoon in Rome. We found it pretty easily and best of all, parking was close and we began our walk to see the sights. I'm glad my friend did the research for she picked a good collections of sights for our much-to-short visit to Rome. We went to the back and worked our way forward to this first of many humongous churches were were to see during our visit, and this did not disappoint. I think now in hindsight we could have taken several hours to see this church and nearby time would not allow...

Leggo Tung LeiFeb 6, 2018

This place was close to our hotel, so that is why we went there in the first place. There were some interesting items there, but the fact that this place used to be public place for Romans to take a shower and enjoy the steam rooms was somehow surprising. It was really fun visiting this place and would recommend people who stay nearby or people who have plenty of time visiting Rome (for example they stay there for two weeks or so) to visit this place.

Mehrshad DehestaniJan 12, 2018

This church is so beautiful from inside. I didn't expect that it will be so extravagant from outside. The atmosphere was magical. I spent quite a time seeing paintings and the beautiful architecture.

TRYING TO GET MY LIFE BACK ON TRACKNov 22, 2017

Loved this church did not know about it berfore hand but knew about the baths. Fascinating history to the place and thought bianchinnis sundial is amazing Just went in on a whim while walking aimlessly and was delighted a lesser known but fantastic spot in Rome From the outside looks like a ruin and small but inside is like a tardis. Then you are doen if that is not enough you step out onto the Piazza della Repubblica which in my opinion is better than a lot of other better known pIazzas in Rome. Obvious Down point the traffic

Dave TJan 28, 2018

Surely one of the most unusual and surprising churches in Rome. From outside it looks modest and unsightly, but then it opens to the vast space of partly preserved ancient roman baths (renovated into church in 16. century and thus saved from further decaying). You can see four big marble columns holding the middle dome. One can imagine what pleasure was visiting those baths in the roman time.

Rasp BerryApr 4, 2018

The basilica is dedicated to the Christian martyrs, known and unknown. By a brief dated 27 July 1561, Pius IV ordered the church "built", to be dedicated to the Beatissimae Virgini et omnium Angelorum et Martyrum("the Most Blessed Virgin and all the Angels and Martyrs"). Impetus for this dedication had been generated by the account of a vision experienced in the ruins of the Baths in 1541 by a Sicilian monk, Antonio del Duca, who had been lobbying for decades for papal authorization of a more formal veneration of the Angelic Princes. A story that these Martyrs were Christian slave labourers who had been set to constructing the Baths is modern. It was also a personal monument of Pope Pius IV, whose tomb is in the apsidaltribune. The thermae of Diocletian dominated the Quirinal Hill with their ruined mass. Michelangelo Buonarroti worked from 1563 to 1564 to adapt a section of the remaining structure of the baths to enclose a church. Some later construction was directed by Luigi Vanvitelli in 1749. At Santa Maria degli Angeli, Michelangelo achieved a sequence of shaped architectural spaces, developed from a Greek cross, with a dominant transept, with cubical chapels at each end, and the effect of a transverse nave. There is no true facade; the simple entrance is set within one of the coved apses of a main space of the thermae. The vestibule with canted corners and identical side chapels—one chapel has the tomb of Salvator Rosa, the other of Carlo Maratta—leads to a second vestibule, repeated on the far side of the transept, dominated by the over lifesize Saint Bruno of Cologne by Jean Antoine Houdon(1766). Of the Saint Bruno, Pope Clement XIVsaid that he would speak, were it not for the vow of silence of the order he founded. The great vaulted transept emphasized the scale of the Roman constructions, 90.8 meters long, and with the floor that Michelangelo raised to bring it up to the 16th century street level, 28 meters high. Raising the floor truncated the red granite Roman columns that articulate the transept and its flanking spaces. Michelangelo made the transept 27 meters wide, thus providing vast cubical spaces at each end of the transept. In 2006, Polish-born sculptor Igor Mitorajcreated new bronze doors as well as a statue of John the Baptist for the basilica. In April 2010, a five metre high bronze statue of Galileo Galilei Divine Man (designed by 1957 Nobel laureate Tsung-Dao Lee) was unveiled in a courtyard within the complex.[citation needed]The statue (a dedication to the 17th century scientist and philosopher) was a donation from CCAST (China Center of Advanced Science and Technology) and WFS (World Federation of Scientists). Santa Maria degli Angeli was the official state church of the Kingdom of Italy (1870–1946). More recently, national burials have been held in the church. The church hosts the tombs of General Armando Diaz and Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel, who were successful commanders during World War I on the Italian front. Also today the Basilica is used for many ceremonies, including the funeral of soldiers killed abroad.

Asif Muhammad AwaisApr 6, 2018

Beautiful basilica of St. Mary at the Republic square. This basilica looks very ordinary from the outside...almost like in ruins...but is gorgeous inside! Don't miss out!

SACHIT VARMAJul 7, 2018

Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri is one of the most fascinating basilicas in Rome. The church facade is unassuming until you realize it is a fragment of the frigidarium, or cold pool room, of the ancient Baths of Diocletian. These baths were the largest in ancient Rome, though this fact is difficult to comprehend because they have been incorporated into streets, buildings and piazzas. Stepping inside the church gives you an idea of their size: the basilica, which was designed by Michelangelo in the 16th century, features a dominant transept, meaning the church extends horizontally rather than vertically – a truly unusual effect, due to the fact that it was built within the original bath structure.

Jean-Francois YonetJun 25, 2018

Breathtaking, unique experience. You can mix faith and sceince finally here

Miriam del Carmen FernándezJul 9, 2018