The Rome IndexCaravaggio in Rome
Six free Caravaggios in Rome's churches — and the painter's turbulent life in the city.
Who Caravaggio was
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio arrived in Rome around 1592 and spent a decade producing the paintings that defined European art for a century — before killing a man in a brawl in 1606 and fleeing the city permanently. He died in exile in 1610, aged 38.
The free church Caravaggios
San Luigi dei Francesi: The Calling of Saint Matthew, The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew — three paintings in the Contarelli Chapel, the commission that established his career. Sant'Agostino: Madonna di Loreto. Santa Maria del Popolo: Conversion of Saint Paul, Crucifixion of Saint Peter.
Why they still stop people
Caravaggio painted from life using real people — prostitutes, peasants, labourers — at a time when saints were expected to look like saints. The violence is specific and physical; the darkness is not metaphorical but literal. Standing in front of the originals in the churches they were made for remains one of the most powerful art experiences in Rome.