Cappella delle Suore Ospedaliere del Sacro Cuore di Gesù is an earlier 20th century convent chapel which was completely remodelled in the 21st century. It is at Piazza Salerno 3 in the Nomentano quarter, just north-east of the Policlinico metro station. The parish church of Santi Sette Fondatori is across the road.
History[]
The "Hospitaller Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus" (Suore Ospedaliere del Sacro Cuore di Gesù in Italian, Hermanas Hospitalarias del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús in the original Spanish) were founded at Madrid in Spain in 1881. The founder was Benedetto Menni, an Italian priest of the Hospitallers of St John of God. The first superior was Maria-Josefa Recio Martin.
The sisters became a congregation of pontifical right surprisingly quickly, in 1892, and established their Generalate or headquarters in Rome.
Fr Marko Ivan Rupnik SJ was commissioned to give the chapel a refit in 2001, providing mosaics and new altar furniture.
The convent remains the Generalate, but most of it is now the Roma Room Hotel (its name in Italian) which is a holiday hotel or casa per ferie.
Appearance[]
The convent is a large multi-storey neo-Baroque edifice, on a rather chaotic plan. The chapel has no distinct architectural identity, and is only important because of it interior by the Centro Aletti.
The little chapel has a split apse, with two curving walls separated by a hidden doorway. The left hand wall, which is wider and includes the back of the apse, depicts The Deposition and features Our Lady, St Mary Magdalen and Nicodemus. The wall on the right features an angel venerating the tabernacle, which is set into the wall and surrounded by the mosaic.
The door of the tabernacle, the altar and the lectern are a matching set, in white marble and each with a curving red triangular streak.
On the back wall of the chapel is a painting of Pepita, which shows the foundress Maria-Josefa with a patient. She is still known by this nickname.
Access[]
The chapel is private, but hotel residents have access to it and resident priests can celebrate Mass here if they have a celebret.