Chiesa Nuova

Centro Storico

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Hardly new as its name would suggest, this imposing landmark church boasts a distinguished 17th-century facade and a vast baroque interior. Of particular note are the superb ceiling frescoes by Pietro da Cortona and a trio of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens.

Built in 1575 as part of a complex to house Filippo Neri’s Oratorian order, it was originally a large plain church in accordance with Neri's wishes. But when Neri died in 1595 the artists moved in – Rubens painted over the high altar and Pietro da Cortona decorated the dome, tribune and nave. Neri was canonised in 1622 and is buried in a chapel to the left of the altar.

Next to the church is Borromini’s Oratorio dei Filippini, and behind it the Torre dell’Orologio, a clock tower built to decorate the adjacent convent.

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