Not exactly nuova (new) as the name would suggest, this imposing landmark church, also known as the Chiesa di Santa Maria in Vallicella, boasts a distinguished17th-century facade and a rich baroque interior. Of particular note are the superb ceiling frescoes by Pietro da Cortona and several paintings by Peter Paul Rubens.
Built in 1575 as part of a complex to house Filippo Neri’s Oratorian order, it was originally a large plain church in accordance with Neri's wishes. But when Neri died in 1595 the artists moved in – Rubens painted over the high altar, and Pietro da Cortona decorated the dome, tribune and nave. Neri was canonised in 1622 and is buried in a chapel to the left of the apse.
Next to the church is Borromini’s Oratorio dei Filippini , and behind it the Torre dell’Orologio , a clock tower built to decorate the adjacent convent.
