Chiesa di San Nicola dei Prefetti

According to tradition, the church is very old, even predating the time of Pope Zacharias (741-752). It has been known since the 12th century as de prefecto, in reference to the nearby palace of the Di Vico family (today's Palazzo di Firenze), a family that in old manuscripts is also called dei Prefetti, for having taken over the office of city prefecture from Pietro Di Vico in 1297 to Giacomo Di Vico in 1485.
In 1524, Gaetano di Thiene obtained the brief legitimising the fraternity of his priests, founding the order of Theatine Regular Clerics. The community chose San Nicola ai Prefetti as its church, which was a small parish run by secular clergy, but abandoned it three years later at the time of the sack of Rome.
In 1567, Pope Pius V granted the church to the Dominican Fathers of St Sabina, who undertook the reconstruction of the building, incorporating it into the new convent. Work began in 1582 and continued until 1730. In the mid-19th century, new restorations led to the rebuilding of the presbytery and new interior decoration. Since 1927, the church has been officiated by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
The façade of the church is sandwiched between two wings of the convent, and features a stucco medallion depicting St Pius V (beatified in 1672 and canonised in 1712).The interior has a single nave with a barrel vault and two altars on each side. It contains an 18th-century fresco by Giacomo Triga depicting the Glory of St Nicholas of Bari. To finance the rebuilding of the church, the Dominicans had to sell a valuable painting by Guido Reni depicting a Madonna and Child. The high altar houses the image of the Madonna called Mater misericordiae, which, according to tradition, together with 24 other Marian icons in the city, moved its eyes between 1796 and 1797, and was placed in the church in 1854: it was originally placed in a nearby lotto shop, but after the alleged miracle, the crowd of number-players was so great that it was decided to move it to the church.