Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Fontana di Trevi

Hidden in plain sight. That’s how one might describe the Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Fontana di Trevi. It stands quietly beside the flamboyant Trevi Fountain, often overshadowed by its neighbor’s fame. Yet, this Baroque church, the Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Fontana di Trevi, holds stories as dramatic and captivating as any Roman legend. Look closer. The church’s façade, a whirlwind of Corinthian columns, almost seems to burst from its constraints. Eighteen columns in all, ten below and eight above, led Romans to nickname it “il canneto,” the canebrake. Commissioned by Cardinal Mazarin, the powerful minister of King Louis XIV, the Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Fontana di Trevi prominently displays his coat of arms, a symbol of his influence. But look closer still. Above the entrance, a female mascaron, a sculpted face, stares out. Rumor claims it depicts Marie Mancini, Mazarin’s niece, and a former love of the Sun King himself. Her presence, alongside two bare-chested women supporting the Cardinal’s arms, makes the Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Fontana di Trevi unique among Roman churches. But the church holds secrets beyond its façade. Until 1903, it served as the repository for the ‘precordia’ of twenty-two popes, the internal organs removed during embalming. The practice began with Pope Sixtus V and continued for centuries, a testament to the church’s unique connection to the papacy. The Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Fontana di Trevi may be easily overlooked, but within its walls whisper tales of power, love, and the enduring legacy of the papacy. A hidden treasure in the heart of Rome.