Santa Maria della Divina Provvidenza a Ponte is a late 19th century former convent chapel with a frontage on the Via degli Acquasparta in the rione Ponte.
The dedication is to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title of Our Lady of Divine Providence which originally applied to a famous icon at San Carlo ai Catinari.
History[]
This very obscure chapel has its own limited architectural identity, noted by info.roma (see link below).
The Palazzo Ruiz (also known as the Palazzo Alveri Ruiz Sacripante after two other formerly owning families) is a 16th century edifice with an impressive surviving frontage on the Piazza Fiametta.
It was owned by the Blumenstihl family when demolitions for the new Via Giuseppe Zanardelli were undertaken in order to provide a southern approach for the Ponte Umberto I. This project was begun in 1885, and finally finished in 1895. The opportunity was taken to demolish part of the old palazzo and replace it with a much larger modern extension, with a monumental frontage on the new street at Via Giuseppe Zanardelli 32, and a chapel tucked into the north-west corner of the site next to the Via degli Acquasparta. The architect was Luca Carimini, and the work was finished in 1889.
The expanded palazzo was given over to a religious institution called the Istituto della Divina Provvidenza. The writer has not been able to find out whether this had anything to do with St Giuseppe Cottolengo.
The Via Giuseppe Zanardelli portion of the palazzo is now the home of USMI, the Unione Superiore Maggiori d'Italia or the "Union of Major Superiors (of women's religious congregations) of Italy". Presumably the chapel is under their jurisdiction.
Appearance[]
The chapel has a street façade in between numbers 22 and 23, Via degli Acquasparta. This is not actually a street, but a piazza with a central green space and some interesting buildings. The rest of the chapel is abutted by neighbouring buildings. However, from the street you can see the semi-dome of the apse, which seems to be in lead.
The chapel is in the second storey of this two-storey façade. There is a very large serliana window with Ionic piers, flanked by a pair of windows with triangular pediments.