150 YEARS OF THE NAZARETH SISTERS

In the footsteps of Blessed Frances Siedliska in Rome (40)

Sr. M. Beata Rudzińska, CSFN

Piazza Farnese

Piazza Farnese, where Frances Siedliska found accommodation for her community, is not on the “must-see” list for tourists visiting Rome. However, it is worth visiting for at least a few reasons.

The piazza takes its name from the aristocratic Farnese family, whose most famous member was Alexander, later Pope Paul III (1534–1549). It was he, while still a cardinal, who began the construction of a Renaissance palace here, considered one of the “four wonders of Rome” and an architectural gem housing extraordinary works of art. The facade of this impressive building alone is 57 meters long and 29 meters high. One of the architects was Michelangelo, who was also commissioned by Paul III to complete the fresco The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel.

Since 1874, the palace has belonged to the French Embassy and is considered the most beautiful diplomatic mission in the world.

Upon entering the square, two large granite tubs serving as fountain bases immediately catch the eye. They were most likely moved from the Baths of Caracalla, first to Piazza Venezia, and then, thanks to the efforts of the Farnese family, to the square in front of their palace. Among the elements decorating the fountains are lilies, which are part of the Farnese family coat of arms.

A special place in Piazza Farnese is the church of St. Bridget of Sweden and the adjacent house where the saint lived from 1350 with her daughter Catherine, also a saint of the Catholic Church. The church began as a small chapel dedicated to Bridget after her canonization in 1391. The church in its present form was not built until the 18th century. For six centuries, the complex belonged not only to various religious orders and institutions, but even to different nations. Among them was Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland and Sweden. The church and monastery returned to the Bridgettine Order in 1931.

The last, and for us the most important reason why we visit Piazza Farnese is the building at number 44, Palazzo Curti-Lepri, which was taken over by the Nazareth Sisters in 1878. This house also has a rich history. It is better known on the Internet as Palazzo del Gallo di Roccagiovine. Frances called it by the name of its previous owners, Curti-Lepri. Built in the 16th century, it always belonged to aristocratic families who not only invested in its beautification but also collected various works of art there. In the 19th century, when it became the property of Princess Julia Bonaparte from Napoleon’s family, the salon she ran became a meeting place for prominent intellectuals and artists. At the end of the 19th century, part of the building was intended for tenants, and it was in this part that Frances Siedliska rented several rooms, unable to find anything else.

Pictures – CSFN:
Farnese Palace
Fountains in Piazza Farnese
Church and convent of the Sisters of St. Bridget
Plaque on the house of the Sisters of St. Bridget: Saint Bridget of Sweden lived in this house for 19 years and died here on July 23, 1373.