Especially during the Renaissance, when this part of Rome grew once again densely inhabited, the square became the site of a bustling market (picture above). Besides the stalls, also small shops and taverns began to rise all around the ancient building; even its porch was walled up and almost turned into a market-hall. Only in the early 19th century pope Pius VI put an end to all this, as also mentioned in Rione VIII - Sant'Eustachio. The only real alteration ever carried out to the original structure was a small central belltower, added above the porch when the Pantheon became a church. In the 17th century, Gianlorenzo Bernini replaced it with a couple of smaller ones, which the people of Rome disliked, nicknaming them 'donkey ears' or 'big ears'. During the second half of the 1800s they were finally removed, restoring the original look of the building's front.

the Pantheon, in an 18th century etching by G.B.Piranesi: the 'donkey ears' by Bernini are still clearly visible

the Pantheon's present look		Behind the Pantheon, once stood Rome's earliest public baths, named after Agrippa, the same general whose name is remembered on the front of the famous building. Nothing of these baths is left, except the remains of a large exedra, now completely inserted into the houses built here mostly during the 1800s. Due to this semicircular fragment, the narrow street where the remains are was given the curious name of via dell'Arco della Ciambella, more or less "Doughnut Arch Street".	via dell'Arco della Ciambella

Instead, on the Pantheon's left side stood the Saepta Iulia, a large multi-purpose public hall, consisting of a four-sided porch with a central courtyard; only a few remains of the side adjoining the Pantheon are still there: due to the rising of the present ground level, they almost form a moat.

In the nearby square the medieval church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva [3] was built over the remains of an ancient temple sacred to goddess Minerva. The inside is one of the very few examples of Gothic architecture extant in Rome. Several popes were buried here; among them is Paul IV (d.1559), whose monument stands in a chapel covered with beautiful fresco paintings by Filippino Lippi (late 1400s), and Urban VII, the shortest-living pope (died on September 27, 1590, only twelve days after his election!). Also a statue by Michelangelo (the Redemptor, c.1520) can be seen by the main altar. In the centre of the square, facing the church, stands the famous statue of an elephant supporting an obelisk, drawn by Bernini, locally called 'Minerva's Piggy' (see Curious and Unusual, page 1).

Santa Maria sopra Minerva's church; the 'piggy' stands in front

remains of the Saepta Iulia on the left side of the Pantheon

Being one of the lowest spots in Rome, when the Tiber flooded the city this square was the first one to be submerged; several plaques on the façade of Santa Maria sopra Minerva's church (see Curious and Unusual, page 4) mark the water level reached on such occasions. In a small open space where via di Santa Chiara starts, opposite the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, is a tailor's shop called Gammarelli [4] that manufactures and sells ecclesiastical clothing: since 1798, for six generations, this has been the official purveyor of papal garments. All the ceremonial robes, headgear, shoes, etc. worn by the new pope on the same day of his election are manufactured in three sizes, i.e. small, medium and large, in order to fit well, regardless of whom the cardinals will choose. garments for the pope yet to be elected (April 2005); the gentleman on the left is Filippo Gammarelli, the tailor For a few days before the pope's election, the garments are kept on display in the shop window, stirring the people's interest and attracting reporters.

St.Ignatius is admitted to paradise, in the amazing ceiling fresco (c.1685)

Not far, along the northern side of the district border, stands the baroque church dedicated to St.Ignatius of Loyola [5], founder of the Jesuit order. The church is famous because of its painted ceiling, which features an awing view of Heaven, crowded with angels, cherubs and other mystic personages, seen as if the building had no vault; its perfect perspective, when viewed form the center of the nave, is one of the most stunning examples of trompe l'oeil. The painter, Andrea Pozzo, was a Jesuit priest himself. When the funds ran short before the making of a dome - the church is still lacking one - the same Pozzo painted a fake one above the crossing, as realistic and effective as the aforesaid painting. In a chapel of the same church is the flamboyant Baroque tomb of Gregory XV (d.1623), the pope who proclaimed Ignatius of Loyola as saint.

St.Ignatius' stands on the same area where in Roman times the ancient Temple of Isis would have been found. The latter, much larger than the present church, was decorated with many small Egyptian obelisks. In the late Middle Ages, one of them was unburied and erected by another nearby church, called San Macuto [6], which lies just beyond Pigna's boundary, in Rione III Colonna, on the opposite side of the street. The people used to call it "the spire of mammautte", a corruption of the name of San Macuto's church, whose front even bears tiny pinnacles shaped as obelisks.

In the early 18th century the Egyptian spire was moved to the Pantheon Square, to decorate the local fountain (see Sant'Eustachio, Rione VIII). the small Egyptian cat in via della Gatta The large building at the back of St.Ignatius' church is the Roman College [7], whose original purpose was to teach and instruct the priests of the Gesuit order; the dragons from the coat of arms of pope Gregory XIII, sponsor of the project, are carved on its main entrance. Above the building, on the right, is the small astronomical tower mentioned in Curious and Unusual page 8. Via della Gatta ("Cat's Street") springs from the square, opposite to the Roman College; it is named after a tiny cat carved in stone [8] that now perches on the cornice of a large building (Palazzo Grazioli), midway along the street. It is one more remain from the Temple of Isis, among whose statues were some that featured animals sacred to the Egyptians.

the façade of San Macuto's church: note the pinnacles in the shape of small obelisks

	the Facchino fountain and (← left) the courtyard of Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj	The eastern side of the district's boundary runs along the southernmost stretch of via del Corso, formerly via Lata, where many noble families built their mansions. Here, by the corner of Palazzo de' Carolis (now housing the head office of the Bank of Rome), is the small fountain known as the Facchino [9], one of Rome's popular 'talking statues' (see Curious and Unusual page 2). Opposite the Facchino is Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj, another noble mansion that houses an important art gallery, with paintings by masters of the late Renaissance and Baroque age.

	Another landmark in this district is the Gesù church [10], located in the very heart of Pigna. It is the main church of the Jesuit order, and was founded by Ignatius of Loyola himself. The saint was also buried in this church, below a huge and very lavishly decorated altar (c.1700), glittering with precious marbles and gilded bronze. Also the ceiling features a remarkable and rather theatrical piece of late Baroque art: a large fresco by Baciccia, giving a trompe l'oeil effect, reminiscent of the one in St.Ignatius', with painted cardboard figures hung in the corners, which increase the three-dimensional effect of the composition. ← Palazzo De Carolis the altar where St.Ignatius is buried →

The basilica of San Marco [11], one of Rome's oldest churches (4th century), adjoins the vast piazza Venezia in front of the Capitolium Hill. Under its porch hangs the tombstone of Vannozza Cattanei (d.1518), the mother of the famous Lucrezia Borgia. Inside, the apse is decorated with mosaics dating back to 833, year in which the whole original building was deeply altered due to the bad condition of the old basilica. In front of the church is Pigna's small district fountain (1927), in the shape of a pine-cone supported by stylized tulips, while in a corner of the same square is another old 'talking statue', known as Madama Lucrezia, a huge female bust from the remains of the aforesaid Temple of Isis, which might have been the figure of the same Egyptian goddess, or one the priestesses of her cult.	Madama Lucrezia and (right →) the small Fountain of the Pine-cone

a view of the Sacred Area

Finally, in largo di Torre Argentina [12], in the south-west end of the district, is the so-called Sacred Area, a large archaeological complex dating back to the Republican age (3rd century BC), that covers the whole central part of the square. It consists of the remains of four temples, built side by side. The one on the far right also has traces of fresco paintings, datable to the Middle Ages, when the temple was turned into a church (now no longer standing). The site also includes two ancient public toilets, built at the back of the holy buildings during the imperial age; this indicates that 300-400 years after their making, the temples were still standing and were attended by people.

Next to the site, on the boundary between this district and Rione VI, Parione, in Roman times stood a large hall, known as the Curia of Pompey, used as an alternative meeting place for ancient Rome's senators (the official see of the Senate was the Curia in the Roman Forum, now in Rione X Campitelli). This was the place were on the ides of March (March 15) of year 44 BC, Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by the hand of Brutus. The Sacred Area cannot be accessed by the public as it hosts Rome's main cat sanctuary, i.e. the largest among Rome's several colonies of stray cats, cared for by a team of volunteers and veterinaries. Why not visit their website?

one of the guests of the cat sanctuary

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