Sant'Isidoro a Capo le Case

Sant'Isidoro a Capo le Case is a Roman Catholic church, monastic complex and college of the Franciscan Order, in the Ludovisi district on the Pincian Hill in Rome. It contains the Cappella Da Sylva, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who also designed the funerary monument of his son Paolo Valentino Bernini in it. Since the giving of San Patrizio a Villa Ludovisi to the United States of America for use as their national church, Sant'Isidoro has become the National Church of Ireland in Rome.

The church building
Monastic buildings of Sant’Isidoro

The monastery was founded by a gift from the nobleman Ottaviano Vestri di Barbiano, as shown in a bull of pope Urban VIII of 1625. Its construction was begun in response to pope Gregory XV's 1622 canonisation of Isidore of Madrid and four other saints – in that year, some Spanish Discalced Franciscans arrived in Rome wanting to found a convent for Spaniards and build a church dedicated to Isidore. After two years, however, the church and monastery passed to Irish Franciscans, who had fled Ireland due to English persecution and who still own the complex. They were led by Luke Wadding, who founded a school of studies which was recognised by Urban VIII's 1625 bull. Saint Patrick was also added to the monastery church's dedication.

The monastery was dissolved for a time by Napoleon I and from 1810 to 1820 its monastic buildings housed the artistic colony known as the Nazarenes. It became a monastery again after his defeat and it remains so to this day.

See also

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