Previously we have looked at the church of Ss. Nereo e Achilleo in Rome. In one article, we primarily focused on the interior of this very interesting church, while in another, we considered its connection to the Roman Martyrology and Cesare Cardinal Baronius. Today we are pleased to return to this interesting Roman church, this time to focus on its newly restored facade.
Prior to these restorations, the church had a very sullen exterior, however one could see that at one time there was decoration that covered the entire facade; regrettably, this had long ago faded and eroded. Fortunately, however, something has recently been done about this as restorative works were undertaken on the facade to coincide with the Jubilee Year.
It was in fact during the jubilee of 1475 that the church was given its current architectural form and then later, in another jubilee year, that of 1600, the facade was given its decorative treatment under the direction of Cardinal Baronius. In that regard, it seems particularly apropos that it is during the current jubilee year that this church should once again see itself restored to its former glory.
If you look at the facade in its 'before' state, one would have been greeted by a small but typical basilica form, but one might be forgiven for barely noticing the remnants of the decoration found on the facade -- so degraded had these designs become. In fact, the state of degradation made restoring the facade a particular challenge for the restorers as it not only required the analysis of the remnants found on the facade itself, but also archival research into period engravings that could help restorers piece together and reconstruct what the 1600 facade might have looked like when it was yet still fully in tact.
Here is what they were faced with:
BEFORE
Of the decorations, most visible was the image found above the main window, but one could also make out, ever so vaguely, the outline of other Renaissance era decorations -- originally executed by the Tuscan artist, Girolamo Massei of Lucca. (It is speculated that this rather unique approach to decorating the church's facade, rather than a more proper, sculptural facade that one typically finds within Rome, was likely the result of a lack of two all important resources: time and money.)
This type of exterior decoration, while found in other places and mainly within the context of civic and domestic architecture, is rather unique in Rome, and so in that regard alone we can be very glad that the facade has been restored.
With that in mind, let's take a look at how the facade now looks following these restorations.
AFTER
Some might wonder about the relatively 'muted' palette even in the facade's restored form. This wasn't done to maintain a faux antique look but is actually the character of the historical 'graffiti' technique that was employed here in the restorations just as it was originally back within Renaissance times -- and it is that particular technique that is so unique to this particular church in Rome. It is a technique that involves layering two colours of plaster, one lighter, another darker, where the lighter, top plaster is then selectively scraped away to reveal the darker plaster beneath. It is this process that ultimately results in the designs that you see emerging. In other words, this is not a painted facade; it is more akin to what one sees in decorative velvet works where the pile is cut away to reveal the underlying base layer, thus creating a decorative pattern.
All said, this is a wonderful and welcome work of restoration. Already this particular Roman church was well worth your time to visit, and now, with these most recently Jubilee Year restorations, you have yet one more reason to do so.
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