Santi Quaranta Martiri e San Pasquale Baylon, Rome, church building in Rome, Italy
Santi Quaranta Martiri e San Pasquale Baylon is a late-Baroque Franciscan church on Via San Francesco a Pisa in Trastevere, rebuilt by Giuseppe Sardi from 1736. Its brick facade, divided by a cornice into two orders, carries the heraldic shield of Philip V of Spain over the portal and an elliptical tondo of Saint Paschal above; the interior is a single nave with three chapels per side.
Founded in 1122 by Pope Callixtus II as Santi Quaranta, the church was restored in 1608 by the Arch-Confraternity of the Gonfalone. In 1736 it was sold to the Discalced Friars Minor of San Pietro d'Alcantara, who had it rebuilt by Giuseppe Sardi between 1736 and 1739 and added the dedication to Saint Paschal Baylon. Philip V of Spain placed it under Spanish royal patronage in 1738, a status confirmed by Isabella II in 1856.
The church displays a painting of the Forty Martyrs above its main altar and features a dome fresco showing Saint Paschal in glory. These artworks shape how the interior looks and tell the stories of the holy figures to whom the building is dedicated.
The church stands at Via San Francesco a Ripa 20 in Trastevere, a short walk from the Tiber. Enter through the vestibule into the single nave, with three chapels on each side; the Spanish royal shield of Philip V sits over the main portal. It is still served by the Spanish Alcantarine Franciscans, so respect services when they are held.
Local tradition links Saint Paschal with the creation of zabaglione, a dessert made from eggs and Marsala wine originally called sanbaion. This surprising connection between a holy figure and an Italian culinary classic shows how this place's history extends into everyday aspects of Roman life.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,801 contributors worldwide.