Santa Maria Del Popolo Church In Rome, Italy Editorial Photo

Bernini`s Daniel in the Chigi Chapel of the basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in the city center of Rome, Italy. Banker Agostino Chigi commissioned Raphael to design and decorate a funerary chapel for him around 1512–1514. The chapel is a treasure trove of Italian Renaissance and Baroque art and is considered among the most important monuments in the basilica. The dome of the centralized octagonal chapel is decorated with Raphael`s mosaics, the Creation of the World. The statues of Jonah and Elijah were carved by Lorenzetto. The chapel was later completed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Fabio Chigi. His additions include the sculptures of Habakkuk and the Angel and Daniel and the Lion. Santa Maria del Popolo was reconstructed between 1472 and 1477 on the orders of Pope Sixtus IV. The church contains works by several famous artists, such Raphael, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Caravaggio, Alessandro Algardi, Pinturicchio, Andrea Bregno, Guillaume de Marcillat and Donato Bramante.