SANTA MARIA DELLA NEVE

The church of Santa Maria della neve (ad nives) is located in Via del Colosseo, at the junction with Via del Cardello.

The origin of this church is obscure. According to Armellini (op. cit. p. 142), the church is mentioned as early as the 12th century, it was a parish church and then became a simple ecclesiastical benefice owned by the cardinal of San Pietro in Vincoli. Equally obscure is the name: the church is known under both the name Sant'Andrea de Tabernula and Sant'Andrea de Portugallo.

About the origin of the church and the name, Armellini writes:

L’origine della oscura denominazione della chiesa si vuol dedurre ragionevolmente da quella ricordata dal Varrone ad busta gallica. Ai tempi d’Innocenzo III ancora quel luogo si chiamava in Gallicis: nel medioevo si appellava eziandio de arcu aureo (arco de' pantani) denominazione estesa alle rovine del foro d' Augusto e di Domiziano: ebbe congiunto un monastero, e la troviamo fra quelle che riceveano nel secolo XII il beneficio semplice del presbiterio.

(Armellini, op. cit., p. 142)

The origin of the church's obscure name is to be deduced reasonably from that mentioned by Varro ad busta gallica. At the time of Innocent III, the place was still called in Gallicis: in the Middle Ages, it was also called de arcu aureo (arch of the marshes), a name extended to the ruins of the forum of Augustus and Domitian: it had a monastery attached to it, and we find it among those that received the simple benefit of the presbytery in the 12th century.

In 1607, the building was granted to the University of Rigattieri, who rebuilt it at their own expense. The architect who rebuilt the church in Baroque style is uncertain: perhaps it was Francesco Fontana. After the French Revolution, the church was entrusted to the confraternity of Santa Maria della Neve: it was at this time that the church changed its name to its current one.

The interior has a single nave with three altars and paintings from the 17th century: on the right altar, the Baptism of Jesus; on the high altar, the Assumption; on the left altar, St Francis and St Clare.

Today the church is a subsidiary place of worship of the parish of Santa Maria ai Monti, and is a place of prayer for the Community of Sant'Egidio.