San Giuseppe dei Falegnami

Church facade

San Giuseppe dei Falegnami (Italian, "St. Joseph of the Carpenters") is a Roman Catholic church, located in the Forum in Rome, Italy.

In 1540, the Congregation of the Carpenters had leased the former church of San Pietro in Carcere which was located over the Mamertine Prison, which by legend had held Saint Peter and Saint Paul.^[1] By 1597 work began on the new church, dedicated to the patron saint of Carpenters, St. Joseph. The initial architect was Giacomo della Porta. Work continued after 1602 under the direction of Giovanni Battista Montano, who designed the facade and at his death (1621) by his pupil Giovanni Battista Soria. The church was completed in 1663 by Antonio Del Grande. The church was restored in 1886 with the construction of a new apse.

In the 1930s, the facade was raised above the floor to allow direct access to the prison below. The interior has a nave with two side chapels, they were decorated in the nineteenth century. Among the paintings is a Nativity (1651) by Carlo Maratta. Next to the church is an oratory, with a wooden ceiling, and the 16th century Chapel of the Crucifix, placed between the church floor and the ceiling below the Mamertine Prison.

On 18 February 2012 it became a titular church receiving its first Cardinal-Deacon.

References

1. The Roman Forum by David Watkin 2009 ISBN 0-674-03341-8 page 128

Coordinates: 41°53′35″N 12°29′04″E / 41.89306°N 12.48444°E