In 1362, the Chapter of St John Lateran in Rome gave the Confraternity of Sant'Angelo permission to build a church and
hospice. The loggia which adorns the front, built in 1560, is constructed with sandstone Tuscan columns on top of square pedestals. The inscription "M.ro Giambattista di M.ro Angelo
scarpellino" identifies the work as that of the able Cagli stonemason Giambattista Finale, but the identity of the architect is not known.
Above the arched entrance portal, in bas relief, are The Archangel Michael Defeating the Dragon and the crossed keys and papal tiara which indicates that the church was under the jurisdiction of the
Chapter of St John Lateran.
The oratory has a single nave and barrel vault ceiling with lunettes The main altar dominates the far wall with its elaborate lacquer and gold decorated wooden
screen comprising two imposing columns.
The painting at the centre is a Noli me tangere, by Timoteo Viti and recognized (along with The Annunciation with Saints John the Baptist and
Sebastian
which he painted for the Mausoleum of the Dukes of Urbino) to be his most important work. The painting is signed "THIMOTHEI D. VITE VRBINAT. OPVS". To meet the demands of the Confraternity, Viti devised a sort of grand triptych in which the frames which separate the paintings dissolve to leave space for a broken arch which separates the narrative scene (the
noli me tangere
- touch me not) from the two devotional images. At the centre of the whole composition is the pot of ointment brought by Mary Magdalene which alludes to the Resurrection of Christ. A highly detailed landscape shows Golgotha and Mary Magdalene at the Tomb, while the heavenly city of Jerusalem is shown as a typical 15th Century Italian city. Apart from the architectural elements, Saint Anthony appears on the right in conformance with the classical rules of iconography (with his "T" shaped cross and a piglet by his side) while, on the other side, Saint Michael Archangel stands in a striking costume. The Archangel of the Apocalypse crushes Lucifer who, in vain, raises a spike and turns his frightened face towards the pilgrim. The painting dates from 1512-13, before the period of his collaboration with Raphael on the Chigi Chapel of Santa Maria Della Pace in Rome.
In front of Saint Charles Borromeo there is a papier mβchθ statue of The Immaculate Conception (1763) by a Neapolitan artist. Between the stucco frames are
Saint Andrew, Saint Paul, Saint Bartholomew, and Saint Peter. Finally, the organ in the choir loft dates back to the 18th Century.
text by Alberto Mazzacchera
