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Church of St Philip in Bassano Romano: the church that reveals itself only to those who enter
The Church of San Filippo stands at the end of the street named after St Philip Neri, in the centre of Bassano Romano. It is one of those churches that gives nothing away from the outside — and is a complete surprise once you step inside. There is a plastered façade, with no decoration whatsoever. But as soon as you walk in, everything changes.
A surprising interior
The space is a single rectangular hall. The wooden ceiling, made in 1920 and painted by local artists commissioned by the Giustiniani family, is frescoed with the Ascension of St Philip Neri and the coat of arms of the Odescalchi family. Noteworthy stucco decorations and canvases include Archangel St Michael resting his feet on the body of Lucifer, and the Apparition of the Virgin to St Philip Neri. The floor consists of white marble and a central strip of red marble, leading to a presbytery in Carrara marble.
A history of families, restorations and changes
The church dates back to the first half of the 17th century, and commemorates Cardinal Benedetto Giustiniani, who had petitioned the Pope for the canonisation of the Saint. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Giustiniani family had pilasters added to the side walls along with four altars. In 1867 the Odescalchi began work on the roof, bell tower and masonry, completed in 1877. In 1957 the high altar was rebuilt in marble, crowned by an image of Our Lady of Sorrows. In 1966, following the Second Vatican Council, a new wooden high altar was placed in the centre of the presbytery, with an ambo on the right side.
