San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle, Rationalist church building in Centocelle district, Rome, Italy.
San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle is a rationalist church in the Centocelle district of Rome, designed by architects Mario Paniconi and Giulio Pediconi. It follows a basilica plan with a flat facade and an interior built around clean geometric lines, in a style typical of Italian architecture from the 1930s.
The land was donated by Marquis Achilles Muti-Bussi in 1929, and the building was designed in 1934. It was consecrated in 1941, after which the Capuchin friars took on the running of the parish.
The church is dedicated to Felix of Cantalice, a Capuchin brother from the 16th century whose image appears in the interior devotional spaces. The Capuchin friars who run it today give the place a strong connection to their order's traditions, which visitors can notice in the way the space is arranged and used.
The church is an active parish, so visiting outside of service times is the best way to look around the interior without disturbing the community. Modest dress is expected, as with any place of worship in Rome.
The interior holds paintings by Ugolino da Belluno showing the Madonna and Child alongside Saint Felix, a detail that many visitors walk past without noticing. Finding works by this artist inside a building from the 1930s is not something you would normally expect.
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