Chiesa Nuova


< previous > < index > < next >

The fresco in the main vault is also by da Cortona, painted in 1664-1665. According to tradition, during construction of the Chiesa Nuova, the Vallecellian Madonna appeared to Philip Neri in a dream, warning him to replace a rotting wooden beam. Cortona's nave-vault fresco shows the Virgin holding up the perilous rafter, thus saving workers and worshippers from a terrible catastrophe.