# San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome > San Luigi dei Francesi is the French national church in Rome, three minutes from the Pantheon. Its Contarelli Chapel holds three Caravaggios of St Matthew, including the celebrated Calling of St Matthew of 1599–1600. Entry is free, a coin switches on the lights, and it opens mornings and afternoons; 20 minutes is enough. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-luigi-dei-francesi - City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy - YesGo score: 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 20 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Opening hours: ≈ 9:30–12:45 and 14:30–18:30 - Highlight: Three Caravaggios in the Contarelli Chapel - Lighting: Coin-operated — €1–2 - Time needed: 20 minutes - Location: Between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, 3 minutes from each - Coordinates: 41.89958, 12.47467 - Facts checked: 10.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1518–1589** — construction of France's national church in Rome (source: English Wikipedia) - **1599–1602** — Caravaggio painted the St Matthew cycle (source: English Wikipedia) - **3 paintings** — the Calling, the Inspiration and a third scene from Matthew's life (source: English Wikipedia) - **First commission** — Caravaggio's first major public church work (source: English Wikipedia) - **Domenichino** — frescoes of St Cecilia in the second chapel on the right (source: English Wikipedia) ## Caravaggio in the Contarelli Chapel The reason to come is the **Contarelli Chapel**, the last on the left before the altar. Its walls hold three **Caravaggios** about **St Matthew**, painted in **1599–1602** — the young artist's first major church commission, and the one that made his name. On the left is **The Calling of St Matthew**: Christ enters a dim room where the tax collector Matthew sits counting money with companions, and points at him as a shaft of light cuts across the canvas. In the centre, **The Inspiration of St Matthew** shows an angel dictating the Gospel; on the right is the cycle's third scene. Everything that defines Caravaggio is here — hard light and shadow, ordinary people in contemporary dress, and a sense that it's happening now. ## The story of the commission The French cardinal Matthieu Cointrel — Contarelli in Italian — left money to decorate the chapel with scenes of his patron saint. Nothing happened for decades until 1599, when the young Caravaggio got the job through his patron Cardinal del Monte. His first Inspiration was rejected as too coarse; the replacement hangs here today. ## About the church The church is dedicated to Louis IX, the saint-king of France — Luigi in Italian. It took most of the 16th century to build, from **1518 to 1589**, with a façade by **Giacomo della Porta** bearing statues of Charlemagne and St Louis and the salamander emblem of Francis I. It remains **France's national church**: Mass is said in French, and French artists and diplomats are buried here. The second chapel on the right has **Domenichino**'s serene frescoes of St Cecilia (1612–1615) — a fine contrast with Caravaggio's drama across the nave. ## What to see - **The Calling of St Matthew** — Contarelli Chapel, left wall. - **The Inspiration of St Matthew** — over the chapel altar. - **The third canvas** — on the chapel's right wall. - **Domenichino's St Cecilia frescoes** — second chapel on the right. - **Della Porta's façade** — with Charlemagne and St Louis. - **Gilded ceiling** — the Apotheosis of St Louis. > **A coin for the lights** The chapel is dark and the paintings are lit by a coin box for a couple of minutes. Carry a few €1 coins and stand at the rail — there's often a small crowd, and everyone shares the light. The church may close to tourists on Thursday afternoons and during Mass. ## How to get there 1. From the [Pantheon](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pantheon), 3 minutes west along Via Giustiniani. 2. From [Piazza Navona](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-navona), 2 minutes east. 3. Buses 30, 70, 81 and 87 to Corso del Rinascimento. 4. From [Sant'Ignazio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sant-ignazio), 7 minutes past the Pantheon. ## More Caravaggio in Rome Caught the bug? See more Caravaggio free at **Sant'Agostino**, five minutes away (the Madonna of Loreto), and at **Santa Maria del Popolo** (the Conversion of St Paul). With a ticket, there's more at the [Borghese Gallery](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/galleria-borghese), [Palazzo Barberini](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palazzo-barberini), the [Capitoline Museums](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-museums) and the [Doria Pamphilj Gallery](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/doria-pamphilj). ## Is it worth visiting? Without question, if you're near the Pantheon: Caravaggio of this calibre for free is rare even in Rome. Twenty minutes is enough, though many linger in front of the Calling. Cover shoulders and knees; the church closes at lunchtime. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Bring €1 coins for the lights - [ ] Check the hours — closed at midday - [ ] Cover shoulders and knees - [ ] Head for the Contarelli Chapel, left of the altar - [ ] Walk on to Sant'Agostino for another Caravaggio ## Rome's churches: compare and choose Churches and basilicas in Rome rated by YesGo. - [Pantheon](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pantheon) — YesGo score 82/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · ≈ €5 - [St Peter's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free; dome ≈ €8–15 - [Sistine Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sistine-chapel) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25 - [Archbasilica of St John Lateran](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; cloister ≈ €5 - [Santa Maria Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free - [Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free - [Church of the Gesù](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/church-of-the-gesu) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Sant'Ignazio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sant-ignazio) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Santa Maria sopra Minerva](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-sopra-minerva) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Santa Maria in Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-in-trastevere) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2 - [Catacombs of Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/rome-catacombs) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €10–12 with guide - [San Pietro in Vincoli](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-pietro-in-vincoli) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [San Luigi dei Francesi](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-luigi-dei-francesi) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Santa Maria della Vittoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-della-vittoria) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-carlo-alle-quattro-fontane) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Tempietto](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/tempietto) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Santa Sabina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-sabina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free - [Baths of Diocletian](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/baths-of-diocletian) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12 - [Basilica of San Clemente](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-clemente) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12 ## Around the Pantheon The Pantheon at opening, Bernini's elephant and Santa Maria sopra Minerva, then Sant'Ignazio and San Luigi dei Francesi for Caravaggio. 1. [Pantheon](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pantheon) — YesGo score 82/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · ≈ €5 2. [Santa Maria sopra Minerva](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-sopra-minerva) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free 3. [Sant'Ignazio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sant-ignazio) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free 4. [San Luigi dei Francesi](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-luigi-dei-francesi) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free ## Don't mix it up San Luigi dei Francesi isn't Sant'Agostino: both are nearby and both have Caravaggios, but the St Matthew cycle is here and the Madonna of Loreto is at Sant'Agostino. ## Tips - Caravaggio is free; the light costs a coin. - The Contarelli Chapel is the last on the left. - Closed at lunchtime. - Another Caravaggio waits at Sant'Agostino nearby. ## Questions ### Where are the Caravaggios in San Luigi dei Francesi? In the Contarelli Chapel, the last chapel on the left by the altar. ### Is San Luigi dei Francesi free? Yes; the lighting costs a coin. ### Which Caravaggio paintings are there? Three St Matthew paintings, including the Calling and the Inspiration of St Matthew. ### What are the opening hours? Usually 9:30–12:45 and 14:30–18:30. ### Where is it? Between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, 3 minutes from each. ### How long do you need? About 20 minutes. ## How we checked History of the church and the Caravaggio cycle from English Wikipedia. Opening hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, San Luigi dei Francesi and The Calling of Saint Matthew --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.