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Historically, one associates the Roman Ghetto with Jews. In reality, the “Roman Ghetto” consists of five realities that have co-existed in close proximity to one another over time: the Ancient Ghetto, the Noble Ghetto, the Christian Ghetto, the Jewish Ghetto, and the recent Political Ghetto. We will cover one at a time, to fully understand this fascinating area…
The Ghetto was also very Christian. One lovely atypical church in the Ghetto is S. Catarina dei Funari, built originally in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 16th, with its splendid portico. It is very Rinascimento, not Baroque, hence discrete, simple, with niches and a music conservatory.
In Piazza di Campitelli, S. Maria in Campitelli was built in Baroque style in 1662 (but not consecrated until 1728) in honor of the Madonna who was attributed with saving Rome from the plague. A medieval icon/relic of the Madonna inside the church serves as the focal point of the very large harmonious edifice.
S. Angelo in Pescheria (literally “at the fish market”) was built into the ruins of the Portico d’Ottavia early in the post-Christ era, taking its name from its proximity to the Mercato di Pesce. It was rebuilt in the 6th and 8th centuries A.D., then again in 1869. Today it is only a historic curiosity.
A small church in the old Jewish Ghetto, just around the corner from the Panificio (bakery, kosher in this case) was where Jews were required to go to mass weekly as the Popes then hoped to convert Jews to Christianity.
* These entries are based on a tour given by Antonella Mantovani, a teacher at the Rome based language school Italiaidea. (see www.italiaidea.com).
- Contributed by Gretchen Bloom, ItalianNotebook.com reader and Central Italy expert. Also a recent Senior Advisor at the UN’s World Food Program as well as head of WFP’s Programme Unit in Kabul, Afghanistan, for 15 months. Expert in gender issues and community health.
Hi Gretchen, I think Ms Mantovani’s tour was misleading, especially regarding the dimensions and location of the Ghetto, and, based on this and other posts, I seems the tour had some shocking historical inaccuracies. Regarding this post, neither S. Catarina dei Funari nor S Maria in Campitelli were in the Ghetto. In fact, S Angelo in Pescheria was not either, but it was one of several churches built just outside the gates that was intended for conversion sermons for Jews on Shabbat. Several Catholic orders, Franciscans in particular, led these services that were compulsory and designed to interfere with the observance of the Jewish Sabbath. They persisted for almost 300 years, until Pope Pius IX put an end to them. The Pope, however did not abolish the Ghetto. That did not happen until he lost his political authority in 1870 (not 1861 as stated in the Jewish Ghetto post).
Wow!!! The last photo is sooo fantastic! What a great piece of sculpture that reconstructed temple is!! As always, thank you Italian Notebook for the constant exposing of Italy’s secrets… And thank you Gretchen!