Basilica of San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini

The church that first took care of people affected by the bubonic plague

Cross the Tiber river leaving Vatican City, and you will find the Basilica of San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini. The church before it was rebuilt, was a place to help people who were affected by the bubonic plague in 1448. Pope Julius II had Donato Bramante build the new church. However, when the pope died, the project was put on hold and was not started up again until Leo X commissioned Jacopo Sansovino and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. The church was not completed until 1620, with different architects contributing like Carlo Maderno and Francesco Borromini to name a few. The main pieces of art are the two frescos of Saint John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. One in a side chapel to the left and the other right above the main altar.