Tabernacle
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Authors
Carlo Francesco Bizaccheri
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Keyword
Tabernacle , Ciborium , Reliquary , Tempietto , Consecrated Host
Alternative Title
Abstract
This tabernacle (c. 1690), also known as a ciborio reliquiario, was recorded in Francesco Posterla’s Roma sacra e moderna in 1707. It was commissioned by the cabinetmaker Giovan Antonio Fagnini and designed by architect Carlo Francesco Bizzaccheri (1655–1721). The tabernacle, made of gilded bronze, lapis lazuli, and semi-precious stones, is located in its original location: the fourth chapel on the right of San Marcello al Corso in Rome, known as the Chapel of the Crucifix. It was placed here in 1691, a date noted on the lower bronze band alongside Fagnini’s full name. Today, it is missing two cherubs and two kneeling angels that once crowned the top; these were visible in a photograph taken in the early 1960s.
The tabernacle in a church is a sacred container, typically placed on or near the altar, that houses the consecrated Eucharist (the wine and wafer that become the blood and body of Christ during the mass according to believers). According to believers, Christ is physically present in the Eucharist, and the tabernacle’s prominent placement emphasizes and celebrates this presence.
When the two doors are opened, the interior reveals six symmetrically arranged twisted ebony columns topped with bronze capitals, creating a small altar. The altar features a decorative band of stones and a large white sapphire in the centre of the lunette. Inside the tabernacle is a silver reliquary made by Giovanni Paolo Zappati in 1737. Some original decorations have been lost due to changes made in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The exterior is made of wood, with two iron handles for transportation and a carved, gilded frame. The reliquary rests on a large predella donated by Fagnini in 1689, which has a front made of lapis lazuli, panels of agate, and gilded bronze frames. The shelf is coated in copper. Bizzaccheri’s design and the use of precious materials reflect Fagnini's culture and wealth, while its placement shows his devotion to the Holy Crucifix.
Fagnini accumulated his wealth through his work for the noble Caetani family as an accountant and cabinetmaker. His most significant commission was a writing desk for the King of Spain. Prior to this commission, he already had a relationship with the church, serving as Provveditore of the archconfraternity of the Santissimo Crocifisso. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
Description
San Marcello al Corso, Rome
Citation
Adriano Amendola, “Le arti decorative nella Roma Barocca: l'ebanista Giovanni Antonio Fagnini guardaroba di casa Caetani e il tabernacolo della chiesa di San Marcello al Corso,” OADI - Rivista dell'Osservatorio per le Arti Decorative in Italia 1 (2010): 197-234, https://oadiriv.unipa.it/?page_id=9#identifier_13_9; Laura Gigli, “La Quarta Capella a Destra,” in San Marcello al Corso (Roma: Istituto di studi romani, 1977), 81-83.