Natività di Gesù, Renaissance Revival church in Parione district, Rome, Italy
The Natività di Gesù is a church on Piazza Pasquino in Rome's Parione district, the national church of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its facade takes the shape of a hut, and above the neo-Renaissance entrance portal reads the Gospel phrase "Gloria in excelsis Deo". Inside is a single nave with a barrel vault and two altars on each side.
The church was built at the end of the 17th century for the Archconfraternity of the Company of the Nativity, known as the Agonizzanti, a society formed in 1616. Pope Innocent XII granted the confraternity a letter permitting it to build and open its oratory. Rebuilt several times, it took its current appearance in 1862 under the architect Andrea Busiri Vici.
Today this church serves as the main gathering place for Rome's Congolese community. It reflects their religious practices and remains central to their life together in the city.
The church faces Piazza Pasquino in the Parione rione, a short walk from Piazza Navona. It is the national church of the Democratic Republic of Congo, so opening times follow its liturgical use; check locally before planning a visit. The entrance sits above the piazza, and the facade is best seen from the square itself.
Church records show that confessions made within these walls could reduce penances for both the person confessing and someone awaiting execution. This represented a special form of spiritual assistance offered at the time.
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