Our Lady of the Souls
Rome, Italy (1550)
In 1350, a Dutch couple in Rome began building the Church of Santa Maria dell’Anima, dedicated to St. Mary as helper of souls in Purgatory, as a place of worship for pilgrims from Germanic countries.
When rebuilding the church for the Holy Year 1500, Andrea Sansovino carved for the central tympanum a statuary group of the Madonna between two souls, possibly in keeping with the image in a previous chapel on the site. Now the German national church in Rome, Santa Maria dell’Anima is a wide hall church in traditional Northern European style, augmented with four apse chapels on each side.
Text and image used with permission.
Source: "365 Days with Mary" by Michael O'Neill
Download the free "365 Days with Mary" app
Listen to "365 Days with Mary" each week on The Miracle Hunter® on EWTN Radio