W7-7: Barberini Palace

W7-7: PALAZZO BARBERINI

PHOTO 1: Front of the Palazzo Barberini

PHOTO 2: Judith Beheading Holofernes (detail) by Caravaggio

With the election of Maffeo Barberini as Pope Urban VIII, the Tuscan family definitively entered the highest ecclesiastical and noble circles of Rome. During the twenty years that Urban held the papal seat (from 1623 to 1644), the Barberini amassed a financial and cultural fortune. Witness to this is this splendid palace, a joint project of Bernini and Borromini.

Today, the Galleria Nazionale di Arte Antica resides in the interior, which has about 2,500 paintings in its possession. Half of these are preserved here. Another part is in the Palazzo Corsini (W9-13). All the major names are represented here with top works, and quite a few Flemish masters can be admired.

In 1936, a mithras temple was accidentally discovered. Meanwhile, there are known to be about 60 such underground spaces.

CURRENT: Until July 6, there is an exhibition at the museum featuring works by Caravaggio that are less often seen.

Marc Vandenbon