Sant'Agata in Trastevere, Catholic church in Trastevere district, Rome, Italy
Sant'Agata in Trastevere is a Catholic church with a single nave and three side chapels on each side. The floor features white and gray marble slabs, while the ceiling displays painted frescoes and the walls hold several paintings.
According to the Liber Pontificalis, the church was founded in the 8th century on the house of Pope Gregory II, who turned it into a religious building with an adjoining monastery after his mother's death. It is first documented in 1121 in a bull of Pope Callixtus II. In 1575 Pope Gregory XIII granted it to the Archconfraternity of the Dottrina Cristiana, whose members were called Agatists. Between 1710 and 1711, under Clement XI, Giacomo Recalcati completely rebuilt the church.
The church is dedicated to Saint Agatha, a Sicilian martyr killed around 251. From 1575 it belonged to the Archconfraternity of Christian Doctrine, whose members were called "Agatists" after the church's title; in 1725 they merged into the Doctrinaries of César de Bus. Each year the church is at the centre of the Festa de' Noantri, the chief popular festival of Trastevere.
The church stands at Largo San Giovanni de Matha 91, adjacent to the Basilica of San Crisogono in the Trastevere neighborhood. Visitors should know the area features narrow streets and a quiet, residential feel.
The polychrome wooden statue of the Madonna del Carmine, called the "Madonna de Noantri" and held to protect Trastevere, was brought here in the 20th century by the Oratory of the Madonna del Carmine. The church is the centre of the Festa de' Noantri, the district's main popular festival, held every year.
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