Church of San Giovanni della Pigna

The small church overlooking the nice square just a few steps from the Pantheon and the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva dates back to the early 10th century and was originally dedicated to Saints Eleutherius and Genesius, as recorded in two papal bulls of 955 and 962: part of St. Genesius’ body is still enshrined under the high altar.

In the late 16th century, after falling into disrepair, the church was granted by Pope Gregory XIII to the Arciconfraternita della Pietà verso i Carcerati, the Company of Piety towards Prisoners, which is remembered in the inscription on the cornice of the façade. The Arciconfraternity commissioned architect Torroni to rebuild it. Completed in 1624, the church was then rededicated to St. John the Baptist “della Pigna”, an appellation that comes from a very large bronze pinecone discovered in the area, now preserved in the Cortile della Pigna of the Vatican Museums, from which the Rione in which we are located is also named. The church was then restored again in the following century and in 1837 under the direction of Virginio Vespignani.

The simple façade is divided into three orders by pilasters and is crowned by a triangular tympanum. A rectangular window with no cornice or sill adorns the two side orders, while a winged putto’s head is depicted in bas-relief in the church portal. The church was chosen as the burial place of the powerful Roman Porcari family, who had their houses nearby: at the beginning of the nave the tomb slabs one can admire the tombstones of Giovanni Porcari from 1363, decorated with splendid Gothic characters, and that of Giuliano Porcari from 1282, with beautiful mosaic decoration.