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Church of St Thomas Aquinas in Tor Vergata: Vittorio De Feo's final work
The university chapel of San Tommaso d'Aquino is located in the Tor Vergata campus in Rome. Completed in 2002, it is one of the final works by Neapolitan architect Vittorio De Feo, finished shortly before his death. The building is a compact structure clad in straw-coloured travertine, blending contemporary geometries with echoes of traditional Roman churches.
A project designed for the Jubilee
The chapel was conceived for World Youth Day 2000, when millions of young people gathered on the fields of Tor Vergata to meet Pope John Paul II. De Feo received the commission in 1996, and construction began in 1999. The church was consecrated in 2002, and its running entrusted to the Oblates of the Virgin Mary.
Interlocking geometries
The layout consists of a rectangle and a square rotated by 30 degrees, overlapping. The main entrance is marked by two cylinders—one solid and domed, the other a portico with a conical spire—serving as a contemporary homage to Bramante's Tempietto. Two sculpted angels flank the entrance. Inside, the space unfolds into a vestibule, atrium, nave, and presbytery. A continuous balcony wraps around the hall at mid-height. Light filters through a loggia-protected window and ceiling skylights, while the presbytery is illuminated by a large cruciform stained-glass window.
