Home > Piazza Navona - act III

Barberini Chapel

The chapel was inaugurated in 1616 by Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, before becoming pope with the name of Urban VIII (the pope of Galileo trial).

The Cardinal personally followed the work entrusted to Matteo Castelli, born in Melide, that is coming from Ticino as the great Maderno, who, as we know, was responsible for the design of the church.

The chapel is justly famous for the masterpieces that guards and for the wealth of the ornaments, but is also famous because Giacomo Puccini set in this chapel the first act of Tosca, who sees the hero Mario Cavaradossi engaged to paint a Madonna. The Lady remained in this opera, while the chapel is beautifully painted by Passignano (Domenico Cresti 1560-1638) and in the niches left and right side the chapel shows S. Marta the masterpiece by Francesco Mochi (1580-1622), S. John the Evangelist by Ambrogio Bonvicino (1552-1622), Mary Magdalene by Christoforo Stati (1556-1619) and a magnificent S. Giovanni Battista by Pietro Bernini (1562-1629), who as you see was a great teacher for his son Gian Lorenzo.