Mellini Chapel, Baroque funeral chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, Italy
Mellini Chapel is a hexagonal baroque room in Santa Maria del Popolo decorated with white and gold stucco on its walls. The space contains several large frescoes that illustrate different religious stories.
A cardinal ordered the chapel to be redesigned in the 1620s in baroque style, replacing two earlier Renaissance tombs. This renovation transformed it into one of the baroque monuments of Rome.
The walls display frescoes showing scenes from the life of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, painted in the 1620s. These religious images form part of the baroque decoration and tell stories that visitors can read as they walk through.
The chapel is located on the left side of the main aisle in Santa Maria del Popolo and is marked by a carved wooden door with family emblems. You can easily find it by entering the church and looking along the left wall of the nave.
A renowned sculptor created a marble bust for the cardinal's tomb that displays fine sculptural craft from the period. This artistry shows how much care was taken in decorating this private chapel.
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