Oratorio di Sant'Andrea a Ponte Milvio

Sant'Andrea a Ponte Milvio, or also Sant'Andrea a Ponte Molle, is an oratory built next to an aedicule with a statue of St. Andrew, erected by Pius II in memory of the ceremony held here on April 11, 1462, when the Pope went to meet Cardinal Bessarione carrying the head of the apostle Andrew. The relic had been rescued by Thomas Paleologus, despot of Patras, who had fled to avoid the Turks. It had then reached Ancona, from where it was brought to Narni by land and from there along the Tiber to the Milvian Bridge. The nearby church of Sant'Andrea on the Via Flaminia was also built in memory of the same events. A procession then departed from the Milvian Bridge and led the relic to St. Peter's Basilica. The small rectangular oratory also dates from the 15th century and was built immediately after the shrine. On the entrance to the oratory is the coat of arms of Cardinal Piccolomini, nephew of Pius II. In 1566 Pius V granted the oratory to the archconfraternity of the Trinity of the Pilgrims. The little church is surrounded by a small cemetery, intended for outsiders who had died in Rome during the pilgrimage to the holy city, and which also dates from the period just after the construction of the aedicule. A few wall gravestones remain of the cemetery, and an ossuary, access to which is located right in the center of the small garden.

The aedicule
The aedicule, with a travertine base and four alabaster columns with Ionic capitals and Attic bases, is attributed to Francesco del Borgo. Under the roof, consisting of a small dome, it houses the statue of St. Andrew sculpted by Paolo Taccone in 1463. According to Armellini, the authors of the statue are instead Varro and Niccolo both from Florence, pupils of Filarete. Vasari also attributes the statue to the two Florentines. The aedicule was destroyed by lightning in 1866, and rebuilt a few years later with alterations.