Pantheon
Rome, Italy
Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome
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Photo: Slices of Light, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Free
- Opening hours
- ≈ 7:30–19:00 with a midday break
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 30 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Highlights
- Blue Gothic vault, Michelangelo's Christ, Carafa Chapel
- Outside
- Bernini's elephant with an Egyptian obelisk
- Time needed
- 20–30 minutes
- Location
- Piazza della Minerva, 2 minutes from the Pantheon
Key facts
1280work began on Rome's only Gothic church
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English Wikipedia1521Michelangelo finished the Risen Christ
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English Wikipedia1488–1493Filippino Lippi frescoed the Carafa Chapel
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English WikipediaCatherine of SienaItaly's patron saint lies beneath the high altar
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English Wikipedia1667Bernini's elephant and obelisk were set up outside
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English WikipediaRome's only Gothic church
Rome barely built in Gothic: it went from ancient and Romanesque straight to Renaissance and Baroque. The exception is Santa Maria sopra Minerva, begun by the Dominicans around 1280. The name means 'St Mary over Minerva' — it was thought to sit on a temple of Minerva, though the site was really a sanctuary of Isis.
The façade is plain, but inside rise pointed vaults painted deep blue with gold stars — a 19th-century restoration, yet the thing that makes the interior unlike anything else in Rome.
Michelangelo and Filippino Lippi
Left of the high altar stands Michelangelo's marble Risen Christ, finished in 1521, holding the cross and instruments of the Passion. The bronze drapery was added later, and one foot wears a metal shoe because pilgrims kissed the marble away.
In the right transept, the Carafa Chapel holds Filippino Lippi's frescoes of 1488–1493 — the Annunciation and the Assumption, bright and full of detail, among the finest Florentine frescoes in Rome. It's railed off, with coin-operated lighting.
What to see inside
- Blue starry vault — Gothic arches the colour of the night sky.
- Michelangelo's Risen Christ — left of the altar.
- Carafa Chapel — Filippino Lippi's frescoes, right transept.
- Tomb of St Catherine of Siena — beneath the high altar.
- Grave of Fra Angelico — the Dominican painter, left of the altar.
- Medici popes' tombs — Leo X and Clement VII in the choir.
- Flood markers — plaques of past Tiber flood levels on the façade.
Bernini's elephant
In front of the church stands one of Rome's most endearing sculptures — a marble baby elephant carrying an Egyptian obelisk, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and carved by his pupil Ercole Ferrata in 1667. The small obelisk was dug up in the convent garden. Romans call the elephant 'Pulcino', the chick. The inscription says a strong mind is needed to bear wisdom, as a strong back bears the obelisk.
The Dominican convent
The church belongs to a large Dominican convent: next door are the Casanatense Library and the Angelicum, the pontifical university that grew out of the convent school. Fra Angelico died here in 1455, and the walls of St Catherine of Siena's room were moved into a chapel off the sacristy.
How to get there
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Pantheon is about 4 min away on foot.
- Sant'Ignazio is about 4 min away on foot.
- Galleria Doria Pamphilj is about 3 min away on foot.
More tips
- Walk from the Pantheon — 2 minutes round its left side.
- From Sant'Ignazio — 3 minutes.
- From Largo Argentina — 5 minutes north.
- Buses 40 and 64 and tram 8 to Largo Argentina.
Is it worth visiting?
Yes — it's free, next to the Pantheon and unlike any other church in Rome. The blue vault, Michelangelo, Lippi and Bernini's elephant outside make four good reasons for a 20-minute stop. Cover shoulders and knees; it may close for a few hours at midday.
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Rome's churches: compare and choose
Churches and basilicas in Rome rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Pantheon | 82 | 30 min | ≈ €5 | 3 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's Basilica | 71 | 1 h 30 min | Free; dome ≈ €8–15 | 37 min walk |
| Sistine Chapel | 64 | 30 min | Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25 | 36 min walk |
| Archbasilica of St John Lateran | 64 | 45 min | Free | 2.7 km |
| Santa Maria Maggiore | 62 | 40 min | Free | 29 min walk |
| Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls | 57 | 45 min | Free | 4.4 km |
| Church of the Gesù | 53 | 30 min | Free | 5 min walk |
| Santa Maria sopra Minervayou are here | 51 | 30 min | Free | — |
| Sant'Ignazio | 51 | 30 min | Free | 3 min walk |
| Piazza del Popolo | 50 | 30 min | Free | 25 min walk |
| Santa Maria in Trastevere | 50 | 30 min | Free | 21 min walk |
| Mouth of Truth | 49 | 20 min | Donation ≈ €2 | 20 min walk |
| Catacombs of Rome | 48 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €10–12 with guide | 30 min walk |
| San Pietro in Vincoli | 48 | 20 min | Free | 23 min walk |
| San Luigi dei Francesi | 47 | 20 min | Free | 6 min walk |
| Santa Maria della Vittoria | 46 | 20 min | Free | 26 min walk |
| San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane | 46 | 20 min | Free | 19 min walk |
| Tempietto | 45 | 20 min | Free | 25 min walk |
| Santa Sabina | 45 | 20 min | Free | 26 min walk |
| Trastevere | 44 | 2 h | Free | 28 min walk |
| Baths of Diocletian | 42 | 1 h | Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12 | 30 min walk |
| Basilica of San Clemente | 39 | 1 h | Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12 | 32 min walk |
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.
- Pantheon30 min · ≈ €5
- 3 min walk from the previous stopSanta Maria sopra Minervayou are here30 min · Free
- 3 min walk from the previous stopSant'Ignazio30 min · Free
- 7 min walk from the previous stopSan Luigi dei Francesi20 min · Free
4 places · about 2 h 3 min with walks · 13 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- Rome's only Gothic interior.
- A coin lights the Carafa Chapel.
- Bernini's elephant is right outside.
- The Pantheon is two minutes away.
Questions
Is Santa Maria sopra Minerva free?
Yes.
What is there to see?
The blue Gothic vault, Michelangelo's Risen Christ, Lippi's Carafa Chapel frescoes and St Catherine of Siena's tomb.
Where is Bernini's elephant?
On Piazza della Minerva in front of the church, 2 minutes from the Pantheon.
Why 'sopra Minerva'?
It was believed to stand over a temple of Minerva; it was actually a sanctuary of Isis.
Who is buried there?
St Catherine of Siena, Fra Angelico and popes Leo X and Clement VII.
How long do you need?
20–30 minutes.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia, Santa Maria sopra Minerva and Elephant and Obelisk
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