Santa Maria del Popolo

church, Rome, Italy

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July 13, 2026

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Santa Maria del Popolo is a church in Rome, Italy, located in the Piazza del Popolo. It was founded in 1227 to replace an earlier chapel built over the presumed tomb of Emperor Nero. The current church structure dates from 1472–77 and features a Neoclassical facade. Inside, it houses significant works by Renaissance and Baroque artists, including frescoes by Pinturicchio, tombs by Andrea Sansovino, and paintings by Caravaggio in the Cerasi Chapel. The Chigi Chapel, designed by Raphael, is also a notable feature. The church gives its name to the surrounding piazza.1

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Rome
Piazza del Popolo
…church next to the gate, Santa Maria del Popolo, which stood for centuries before the piazza existed and gives its name to the area, was founded in 1227 to replace a 1099 chapel built over what was presumed to be the emperor Nero’s tomb. It was replaced in 1472–77 by…
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…church next to the gate, Santa Maria del Popolo, which stood for centuries before the piazza existed and gives its name to the area, was founded in 1227 to replace a 1099 chapel built over what was presumed to be the emperor Nero’s tomb. It was replaced in 1472–77 by…
Read More

Raphael
Last years in Rome of Raphael
…chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo. In 1514 Leo X chose him to work on the basilica of St. Peter’s alongside Bramante; when Bramante died later that year, Raphael assumed the direction of the work, transforming the plans of the church from a Greek, or radial, to…
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…chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo. In 1514 Leo X chose him to work on the basilica of St. Peter’s alongside Bramante; when Bramante died later that year, Raphael assumed the direction of the work, transforming the plans of the church from a Greek, or radial, to…
Read More