Madonnelle [exterior Madonna shrine on building]
unknown (Italian)
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Alternate file
Alternative Title
Madonnelle, Via dell'Umiltà
Date
1800-1899Description
Overall view of shrine on building wall; The ancient Romans venerated the Lares, tutelary spirits of the house, in the form of small statues. These spirits also protected the roads and their statues were placed at road intersections. This practice is at the root of the very large number of sacred images which populated (and to some extent still populate) the streets of Rome. In 1853 a researcher, Alessandro Rufini, listed 2,739 sacred images, the majority of which portrayed a Madonna (hence they are called Madonnelle, "Little Madonnas"). In many cases the images were placed at the corner of a building, at a height where carriages would not damage them. Because often an oil-lamp shed some light on the Madonnelle, they constituted the only public lighting available in Rome for centuries. After the 17th century they were commonly made of stucco. Many are Baroque style; in the late 19th century some were done in Renaissance style. Source: Rome Art Lover [website]; http://www.romeartlover.it/ (accessed 8/16/2015)
Type of Work
sculpture (visual work); shrine (structure)Subject
saints, Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint, patronal shrine, Renaissance Revival, Nineteenth century
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only