- Santo Stefano del Cacco
Santo Stefano de Pinea [Its most ancient name, referring to its Rione - the Rione Pigna - and to the "pigna" or pine cone that surmounts its bell-tower.] or more commonly Santo Stefano del Cacco is a church in
Rome dedicated toSaint Stephen , located at Via di Santo Stefano del Cacco 26.Name
"del Cacco" may refer to the Roman deity Cacus, or more likely to a statue of the dog-headed ancient Egyptian god Thot (from the temple of the ancient Egyptian deities Isis and Serapis, the
Iseum Campense , built in43 BC , on whose ruins the church was originally built and twelve columns from which were re-used in the church's nave), misunderstood as a monkey or "Macaco" (later corrupted to Cacco)History
Its construction date is uncertain, though it is assumed to have been in the reign of
pope Hadrian I (772-795). It was definitely in existence at the time of pope St.Paschal I (817-824), who added an apsidal mosaic (lost in the 1607 rebuild) of himself with a model of the church. UnderPaschal II (1099-1118) the painters Gregorius and Petrolinus were employed to work on the church's apsidal decoration. A new bell-tower (not visible from the street) was built in 1160, and still survives.In 1563 it was assigned by
pope Pius IV (1559-1565) to theSylvestrine Fathers , by whom it is still run, and they soon carried out a minor restoration. Other restorations and renovations occurred in 1607 (gutting the apse), c.1640 (giving the church its current baroque appearance, with a simple 2 storey façade, probably byAntonio Canziani ), 1725, 1857 and 2007 (interior). In 1940, the church was threatened with demolition by the expansion of the central police-station in the neighbouring former monastery of Santa Marta, though this was averted. The interior of the church is at present undergoing another comprehensive restoration.Paolo Maruscelli (1594-1649) designed the church's travertine portal, flanked by pilasters and surmounted by a triangular pediment, and the plate above it reads: D. STEPH. PROT. CONG. MONAC. / SILVESTRINORVM. The façade's second order includes a window crowned with a segmented pediment and flanking pilasters, and right at the top is a triangular pediment with a small window, a rare feature in Roman churches.Notes
ources
* [http://web.comhem.se/~u13117202/sstefcacco.htm Santo Stefano del Cacco]
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