Chiesa di Sant'Ippolito

The church of Sant’Ippolito appears almost by surprise among the tall buildings of Viale delle Provincie, the brick building stands out from the context, and the bell tower stands in a relatively large space thanks to the adjacent Via di Sant’Ippolito where the low structure of the former school of the Sacramentine Sisters overlooks. This was probably due to the change in the urban plan that occurred after the construction of these buildings. Its lines and bricks recall Franciscan simplicity and poverty, (similarly to the neighboring Basilicas of San Lorenzo al Verano and Sant’Agnese in Via Nomentana). The staircase, wide and light, seems to embrace those who pass by, inviting them to enter. The parish complex as a whole is large and harmonious and the roofing, also with tiles, accentuates the sensation of the Franciscan style. The staircase leads to the foot of the central door, larger than the two lateral ones, on whose architrave the writing Pax et bonum welcomes the faithful showing the Face of Christ represented in the stained glass above it. Inside, the square, simple and essential lines of the architectural structure frame the presbytery surmounted by the Deus meus et omnia of St. Francis. The rather elongated rectangular hall and the curves of the lunettes of the stained glass windows and the semicircular pulpits guide the eye towards the altar and then to the tabernacle, placing attention on He who awaits us in the church. This inspires a movement towards the tabernacle that becomes a paradigm of the spiritual journey. This was probably the main idea that guided the illustrious architect Clemente Busiri Vici in the design of the church. On this journey, life's worries take on meaning when, having reached the transept, one finds oneself face to face with the Lord, in a sort of embrace that starts from the presbytery.