Lenten Station Church
Friday, 1st Week Of Lent
Holy Apostles (Santi Apostoli )

Santi Apostoli is the church visited on Friday during the first week in lent according to the "Lenten Station Churches of Rome" visitation list. The first church on the Santi Apostoli site was begun in 560 by Pope Pelagius I (566-561). The bones of the apostles Philip and James were placed in the church around 570. It suffered an earthquake in 1348 and remained abandoned until Martin V restored it in 1421. In 1463 the church was transferred to the Conventual Franciscans. Pope Sixtus IV renovated the church in 1475 and it was completely redone again between 1702 and 1714 under the pontificate of Pope Clement XI. ▲ Pictured above are interior and exterior photos of Santi Apostoli. One of the significant events of the renovation done between 1702 and 1714 was the detachment of Melozzo da Forli's Musical Angels from the apse wall so it could be torn down. The fresco was broken into multiple pieces and are now in Room IV of the Picture Gallery in the Vatican Museums. In 1998 the Vatican Post Office issued a set of six stamps featuring Melozzo da Forli's Musical Angels. Melozzo da Forli's Musical Angels Scott 1075-1080 (1998) ◀ Melozzo da Forlì painted, on the ceiling of the great chapel, the Ascension of our Lord Another historical fact about this church involves a short story about the famous Michelangelo. Michelangelo lived nearby fairly close to Santi Apostoli in Rome. He died on February 18, 1564, at the age of 88 (three weeks before his 89th birthday). His body was brought to be buried at Santi Apostoli because he was a Third-Order Franciscan. However, Duke Cosimo I de Medici of Florence sent Lionardo Buonarroti, Michelangelo’s nephew, and heir, with an assigned task of ‘stealing’ the corpse. Lionardo Buonarroti had Michelangelo’s body snatched from Santi Apostoli and it sent to Florence a secret night-time kidnapping operation in a bale of hay disguised as a piece of merchandise. Michelangelo’s body received a state funeral and was entombed at Santa Croce church in Florence. Michangelo Scott 387 (1964) Walking around the church there are many interesting things to be seen including: • an altarpiece with "St Anthony of Padua with the Christ Child" (1723) painted by Benedetto Luti. • a portrait of Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941) - Maximilian Kolbe is the famous priest martyr from Auschwitz, canonized in 1982, who once lived in a nearby monastery (1912-1919) while in Rome. • a marble sarcophagus contains bones of the Apostle Philip and James the Less • a monument to Pope Clement XIV (1769-1774); his tomb is mounted on a wall the sacristy has a ceiling painting of St. Bonaventure - St. Bonaventure 6th Century of Death 558-560 (1974) • a painting of "St. Frances in Ecstasy" is in the Colonna chapel St.Anthony Scott 993 (1995)    Maximilian Kolbe Scott 1630 (2016) References • George Weigel, "Friday Of The First Week Of Lent - Station at the Twelve Holy Apostles" Roman Pilgrimage - The Station Churches Basic Books, Copyright 2013, pages 86-91 • Rita Mantone "Santi XII Apostoli" Rome's Original Tituli: A Pilgrim's Guide To The Eternal City's House ChurchesClick-it Write Books, Copyright 2016 (Kindel Version) • James C. Hamilton Musical Angels by Melozzo da Forli Vatican Notes Volume 68, Issue 385, 2020 Pages 8 & 9 • Santi Apostoli, Rome Wikipedia Photographs are from Wikipedia articles as cited in the reference section.