Santa Maria del Popolo
| Santa Maria del Popolo S. Mariæ de Populo (Latin) |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Geographic coordinates | 41°54′41″N 12°28′35″E / 41.911389°N 12.476389°ECoordinates: 41°54′41″N 12°28′35″E / 41.911389°N 12.476389°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Province | Diocese of Rome |
| Country | Italy |
| Year consecrated | 1477 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Basilica |
| Status | Active |
| Leadership | Stanislaw Dziwisz |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Baccio Pontelli, Andrea Bregno, Gian Lorenzo Bernini |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Renaissance, Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 1472 |
| Completed | 1477 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | W |
| Dome(s) | 3 |
| Spire(s) | 1 |
The Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo is an Augustinian church in Rome, Italy. It stands on the north side of Piazza del Popolo, one of the most famous squares in the city. The church is hemmed in between Porta del Popolo (the ancient Porta Flaminia) and the Pincian Hill. Porta Flaminia was one of the gates in the Aurelian Wall as well as the starting point of Via Flaminia, the most important route from the north. The church contains works by several famous artists, such as Raphael, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Caravaggio, Alessandro Algardi, Pinturicchio, Andrea Bregno, Guillaume de Marcillat and Donato Bramante.
In 1099, a chapel was built by Pope Paschal II to Our Lady over the tomb of the Domitii Ahenobarbi. Tradition has it that the site was haunted by Nero's ghost or demons in the form of black crows; therefore the pope chopped down the walnut tree sheltering the crows and built a chapel in its place. The name del Popolo ("of the people") probably derives from its funding by the people of Rome, but some sources say it comes from the Latin word populus, meaning poplar and referring to a tree located nearby. The chapel was enlarged and became a church by will of Pope Gregory IX in 1235, and was given to the Augustinian friars, who still oversee it, in 1250.
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