Cappella dei Concezionisti is a later 20th century convent chapel with a postal address at Vicolo del Conte 2, in the Gianicolense suburban zone -the locality is called Bravetta. The actual chapel is near Via della Casetta Mattei 424, but there is no access.
The chapel seems to be unconsecrated as an edifice, but the congregation is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the aspect of her Immaculate Conception.
History[]
The Sons of the Immaculate Conception (Figli dell'Immacolata Concezione) are a native Roman religious congregation, founded in 1857 by Bl Luigi Maria Monti. Originally they were laymen who nursed sick people in the city's hospitals (especially the Archispedale di Santo Spirito), but clerics were admitted from the early 20th century. The congregation is now international in scope.
Their nickname is Concezionisti, which translates into English as "Conceptionist". This can cause confusion with a female congregation, which usefully in Italian are the Concezioniste.
The original headquarters were at Via della Luce 46 in Trastevere, which remained the Generalate until 1998 despite being small and cramped. Meanwhile, the congregation had built a very large convent in Bravetta in the later 20th century, including an architecturally distinct chapel. The latter was lent on occasion to the local parish of Natività di Maria a Bravetta before its permanent church was built in 2000, but there is no public liturgical activity here now.
The name of the convent is "Padre Monti". It is now the Generalate of the congregation.
Appearance[]
The Generalate's main building is a rather grim flat-roofed four-storey block faced with red terracotta tiles. It's behind a long wall on the Via della Casetta Mattei. There is a two-storey annexe on the right (south) side, and you can see the cross finial on the top of the chapel roof peeping over this.
The substantial edifice has a reinforced concrete frame, with pink brick infill. There are two units to the plan. The main sanctuary area is in the form of a square with chamfered corners, and attached to the front of this is a nave in the form of a pentagon with longitudinal sides and an angle in the façade.
The walls are in blank pink brick, including the façade which sports a single door. The right hand side abuts a single-storey flat-roofed sacristy area which itself abuts the convent. The roofs are in dark grey anodised metal sheeting. The nave roof is lower, and has a double pitch with a roofline along the major axis. The sanctuary roof amounts to a dome, with eight pitches corresponding to the sides of the chamfered square. These meet at a tall lantern in the form of a truncated spire, with a cross finial on top.
The roofs have overhanging eaves, with window strips under them.