Santi Pietro e Paolo all'Olgiata is a 21st century parish church at Via Antonio Conti 189 in the suburb of Olgiata, which is part of the La Storta zone.
The church belongs to the diocese of Porto Santa Rufina.
The dedication is to the apostles SS Peter and Paul, jointly.
History[]
The locality used to belong to the sprawling parish of San Pancrazio alla Isola Farnese, and had its own little chapel of San Filippo Neri all'Olgiata from 1733. However, this was only intended for a tiny congregation of farm-workers and not for the suburb which was developed from 1961.
A belated effort was made at the end of the 20th century to provide a proper parish church, spearheaded by the parish priest of San Pancrazio. However, problems with funding and with finding a suitable site delayed the project until 2012. The church and parish complex opened in 2014. The architect was Stefano Mavilio.
Exterior[]
Layout[]
This is a simple building, on a square plan -is the architect a disciple of Aldo Aloysi, whose square-plan churches feature in Rome? The major axis is parallel to the sides of the square
The sanctuary is distinguished from the nave by being slightly wider, so that there is a vertical step about four-sevenths of the way down each side wall. The front wall is slightly bowed (convex).
There is a low entrance range occupying the whole width of the frontage, and on the left side of this is attached a tower campanile.
The main range of the ancillary parish accommodation is a long rectangular range which touches the back wall of the church by one corner and runs off at about forty-five degrees to the left. It is of two storeys, and has a second wider rectangular block attached to the left hand side of its far end. A third such block abuts it on the right hand side, nearer the church.
A one-storey range of sacristy accommodation, on the same skew alignment as the main ancillary block, wraps itself around the far left hand corner of the church as if the latter has intruded on a third rectangular block in the plan.
This area contains a ferial chapel for weekday Masses.
Another one-storey element fills the void between the near end of the main range, and the back wall of the church. Interestingly, a continuation of the line of the right hand wall of the main range, cutting across the far right hand corner of the church, forms the far wall of a little right-angled triangular annexe attached to the far side of the right hand side wall of the church.
Fabric[]
The church is basically a reinforced concrete box, with a flat roof having inset within the walls and so having a parapet. The walls are revetted in travertine limestone slabs.
Three sets of three vertical rectangular windows occupy each side wall of the nave, and a fourth set is in each side wall of the sanctuary, of the same size but slightly lower down.
In contrast with the church itself, the flat-roofed ancillary blocks all have red walls. This includes the little triangular bastion on the church's right hand side, which is also flat-roofed and is below the far two sets of windows on that side.
Façade[]
The bowed frontage of the church proper has a huge round-headed entrance void, the curved top of which is visible above the entrance range. Above this is a trapezoidal incision into the façade, with diagonal side walls. This contains a large metal cross.
The lower flat-roofed entrance range, running across the entire width of the church, is in pink brickwork which is laid so as to display horizontal grooves. It contains a very wide rectangular portal, with chamfered upper corners and which is open to the exterior. The otherwise blank walls of this range has a row of eleven very thin vertical slit windows off to the right, and two wider ones to the left well apart.
Campanile[]
The square tower campanile is a bit too squat to be a prominent landmark. It is in the same brickwork as the entrance range, except the wall facing the latter which is in white.
There is a wide rectangular sound-hole near the top at the front and back. The left hand side wall bears a huge cross in white. The roof slopes from the left down to the right.
Interior[]
The interior is very simple, all in white.
Flanking the sanctuary on each side is a pair of rectangular voids separated by a longitudinal rectangular pier which is continued as a pilaster up the wall above. The near face of this pilaster has a step in it. These two pilasters mark the slight narrowing of the church from nave to sanctuary.
The sanctuary also has a pair of rectangular voids occupying the ends of the far wall. The left hand one leads to the ferial chapel, separated by a screen of large square glass panes held by black mullions. A large matching window occupies the diagonal wall of the left hand side void.
The sanctuary is on a platform with two steps. The furniture, including the seating for the ministers, is in creamy white travertine limestone. The altar is a block of this stone, having a large circular front boss incised with a cross.
Liturgy[]
According to the parish website, Mass is celebrated:
Weekdays 18:30;
Sundays and Solemnities 9:00, 11:00, 18:30.