Santo Spirito in Sassia, Renaissance church in Borgo, Rome, Italy.
Santo Spirito in Sassia is a Renaissance church building in the Borgo district near Vatican City. The structure presents a single nave with ten rounded chapels along the sides and a facade marked by Corinthian pilasters and a large circular window at the center.
The church rose on the site of a Saxon pilgrim hospice from 727 that served as lodging for travelers for centuries. Between 1538 and 1545 the building received its current Renaissance form under the direction of architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.
The name recalls the Saxon pilgrims who founded a hospice here in the eighth century, while today worshippers from across the city come for daily devotions. The ten side chapels display biblical scenes that visitors can view as they walk through the nave.
The church opens its doors during daylight hours and offers several services including an English Mass on Sundays at 9:30 AM. Visitors can explore the chapels along the side walls and view the frescoes without guided assistance.
Since 1994 the church has served as the Italian sanctuary for Divine Mercy devotion with a daily chaplet recitation at 3:00 PM. In one of the chapels an inscription recalls the link to the Confraternita della Misericordia that once managed the adjacent hospital.
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