Frescoes. Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere. Rome

The pictorial decoration of the entrance, the vaults and walls of the aisles of the church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, was built up to the Jubilee year 1600 in a period of intense renewal advocated by Pope Clement VIII. The Cardinal Sfondrati who held the Basilica commissioned a team of artists “minor” engaged in the Chapel of the bath followed by Paul Brill who decorated the nave.

In the walls of the nave were full-length Saints, which are repeated at each arch, while the vaults and lunettes (?) of the bays were decorated with figures of angels in flight, some clip-palm, among the stars on a blue background of Aldobrandini. The restoration aims to refresh the frescoes which had been covered with dark patina and repainting of the early twentieth century which has revealed new details covered by layers of pale lime.