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Cappella delle Figlie di San Giuseppe di Genoni is a mid 20th century convent chapel at Via degli Estensi 133 in the Gianicolense suburban zone -the locality is called Bravetta.

The congregation is dedicated to St Joseph.

History[]

The Sisters of St Joseph of Genoni (Figli di San Giuseppe di Genoni) was founded in 1888 at Cagliari in Sardinia, in order to help out in the major seminary. They obtained a large estate at Genoni, which became their headquarters.

A Roman base was established in Bravetta in the mid 20th century. The large convent's chapel was lent on occasion to the local parish of Natività di Maria a Bravetta before it built its own church in 2000. (The simultaneous revision of parish boundaries means that the local parish is now Santissimo Crocifisso a Bravetta.)

The chapel is now private. The sisters are running the convent as a pilgrimage hotel.

Appearance[]

The convent consists of two separate long rectangular ranges, one behind the other. in a very familiar and tiresome flat-roofed Fifties style. However, the chapel has both a separate architectural identity and a civic presence.

It is attached to the left hand (north) end of the front range, and occupies a rectangular plan with the range abutting the right hand side wall. The site slopes back quite steeply, allowing for a crypt which is at ground level round the back.

The fabric is in pink brick, with a reinforced concrete frame. The left hand side wall has a concrete plinth which is actually a support beam, above the exposed crypt wall. The main wall here has three sets of three vertical slot windows in the brickwork, which are unframed. Another set of three is in the back wall of the sanctuary.

The tiled roof is unusual. Instead of the usual longitudinal ridge-line along the major axis with pitches to each side, there is a transverse ridge-line near the frontage. Thus there is a short pitch up from the façade, and a longer pitch running down at the same angle to the back wall.

The façade, facing the street, is set back from the convent frontage. It is entirely revetted in white limestone slabs, laid so as to give a horizontal striped pattern. There is a single hexagonal window, stretched vertically, and near the top left hand corner is affixed a simple cross in lieu of a finial. The single entrance is protected by an external porch occupying the entire width of the façade, having three conjoined triangular canopies supported by four thin square pink concrete piers.

External links[]

THE CONGREGATION'S WEBSITE IS HACKED (February 2017). DON'T GO THERE.

Official diocesan web-page

Info.roma web-page

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