San Nicola da Tolentino agli Orti Sallustiani
- Not be confused with the church of San Nicolò da Tolentino in Venice, the Basilica di San Nicola in the town of Tolentino in the province of Macerata, or the Oratorio di San Nicola da Tolentino in Vicenza.
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San Nicola da Tolentino agli Orti Sallustiani (Italian: Saint Nicholas of Tolentino in the Gardens of Sallust) is a church in Rome. It is one of the two national churches of Armenia. The church was built for the Discalced Augustinians in 1599, and originally dedicated to the 13th century Augustinian monk, St. Nicholas of Tolentino (also called San Niccolò or Nicolò da Tolentino).
History
The interior was rebuilt 1614–1620 by Carlo Buti and Martino Longhi, supported by patronage by the Pamphilj family. The Milanese architect Francesco Buzio was also involved in the redesign. Starting in 1654, it was rebuilt by Giovanni Maria Baratta, one of the main pupils of Alessandro Algardi. In 1883, the church was given to the Pontifical Armenian College by Pope Leo XIII. The Armenian Catholic Church is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
Interior
The main altarpiece of San Giovanni Battista is by Baciccio. The sculpture of the Madonna with Child offering the Miraculous Bread to St Nicholas, St Augustine and St Monica over the main altar was completed by Domenico Guidi with Angels by Baratta, with surrounding work of stucco by Ercole Ferrata. The high altar was based on a design by Algardi.
The first chapel on the right has a depiction of A Miracle of St Nicholas of Bari by Filippo Laurenzi, made in 1710. The Annunciation is by Pughelli, with lateral panels by Giovanni Ventura Borghesi.
In the third chapel on the right side is the sepulchral monument of Cardinal Federico Lante delle Rovere, with paintings by Pietro Paolo Baldini.
The third chapel on the left was designed in 1668 by Pietro da Cortona who began the ceiling fresco work, although after his death, it was finished by Ciro Ferri. The sculptural relief at the altar of the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin to Blessed Anthony Botta was completed by Cosimo Fancelli, and statues of St Joseph by Ercole Ferrata and St John the Baptist by Antonio Raggi. The second chapel on the left, known as the Cappella Buratti, was designed by Giovanni Battista Mola, the father of Pier Francesco Mola.
The dome is octagonal, with eight windows. It is decorated with four female figures symbolizing the four fundamental virtues of the Augustinian Order: Chastity, Humility, Poverty and Obedience. They were made by Pietro Paolo Ubaldini in 1643. There is also a fresco depicting The Glory of St Nicholas of Tolentino by Giovanni Coli and Filippo Gherardi. The Sant' Agnese painting in the crossing is a copy of a Guercino original.
Coordinates: 41°54′19″N 12°29′28″E / 41.90528°N 12.49111°E