This church is a casket of jewels, probably the richest in masterpieces in Rome. It was built in the XI century "at the expense of the Roman People" - that's the meaning of "del Popolo" - to exorcise the phantom of Nero from the area, according to the legend. Since the XIII century it has been officiated by the Agostinian monks who reconstructed it at the end of the XV century, encouraged by the family Della Rovere, i.e. Pope Sixtus IV and later his nephew Pope Julius II. Another important restauration took place at the time of Pope Alexander VII between 1656 and 1660. At that time the Pope asked Gianlorenzo Bernini to restore Porta del Popolo to welcome Queen Christine of Sweden who was moving to Rome and at the same time Bernini also took care of the church's central nave and his sponsor's family chapel: the Chigi Chapel. Designed by Raphael for Agostino Chigi, the famous banker of Pope Julius II, Bernini added to it two sculptured groups: Abacuc and the Angel and Daniel and the Lion. Is Abacuc's Angel really pointing towards St.Peter's Square? Let's go and have a look.

Your guide will show you the other treasures of this church as well: the Cerasi Chapel decorated by Caravaggio's Crucifixion of St.Peter and Conversion of St.Paul; the first octagonal dome in Rome; the early XVI century stainglasses by the French Guillaume de Marcillat - something unique in Rome - are just some, the list is much longer!