Dedication Thomas the Apostle | ||
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Denomination Roman and Ethiopian Coptic Address Via di Parione, 29, 00186 Roma, Italy Similar San Girolamo della Carità, San Nicola dei Lorenesi, San Salvatore alle Copp, Saint Jerome of the Croats, St Stephen of the Abyssinians | ||
San Tommaso in Parione is one of the two national churches of Ethiopia in Rome. It is dedicated to St Thomas the Apostle. The church is normally open to the public only between 20 and 28 September.
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History
The church has ancient origins, but the first documented date is 1139, when Pope Innocent II consecrated it. It seems certain that this was a reconsecration after a rebuilding or enlargement of the church. In 1449, Pope Nicholas V granted the church to the Company of Scriptors and Copyists of the Curia. St Philip Neri was ordained to the priesthood in the church in 1551.
The present church is the result of a rebuilding in 1582. It was built to a design by Francesco Volterra by Mario and Camillo Cerrini. It was made a titular church in 1517. This status was kept until 1937, when Pope Pius XI suppressed its status due to the state of disrepair the church was in; the title had then been vacant since 1914. The title was transferred to Chiesa Nuova. The church is served by the Cistercian Order. As it is also the national church of Ethiopia, and Mass is celebrated according to both Latin and Alexandrine (Coptic) rite.
Architecture
The 16th century brick façade was designed by Jacopo del Duca. It has two stories, with the lower divided into three sections. The middle section has a doorway crowned by a triangular tympanon, and the outer sections have windows. On the upper level is a central window crowned by a rounded tympanon. The middle section is crowned by a tympanon; the outer sections consist only of volutes. Interior
The nave has three aisles separated by pilasters with Ionic capitals. The nave has a visible tile roof, while the outer aisles have plaster ceilings. The high altar, set against the apse wall, has two marble columns on the sides and is crowned by a tympanon. The 17th century altarpiece depicts St Thomas. On the sides are paintings of Cardinal Gregorio Barbarigo and St Philip Neri. The latter was ordained in this church.
On the left wall are frescoes from the pontificate of Innocent II (1130–1143). One of them depicts St Martin of Tours Dividing his Cloak. There are also paintings from the 19th century, of which The Annunciation by Giuseppe Passeri is the most notable.