Church of Santa Maria dell'Archetto
41 Via di S. Marcello Roma
The Smallest Church in Rome
In the heart of Rione Trevi lies the charming neo-Renaissance sanctuary of Madonna dell’Archetto, Rome's smallest worship space. Built in 1851 by architect Virginio Vespignani, this intimate chapel marks the site where a miraculous painting of the Virgin Mary, commissioned in 1690 by Marquise Alessandra Mellini Muti Papazzurri, was said to have moved its eyes in 1796.
The chapel features a Latin cross interior with a gilded stucco ceiling, marble floors, and angelic caryatid sculptures by Luigi Simonetti. Its dome boasts gilded friezes and paintings by Costantino Brumidi, the artist behind the U.S. Capitol’s dome. A revered national art monument, it has been cared for by the Jesuits and, since 1918, the Primaria Società Cattolica Promotrice di buone Opere.
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