Every tiny church is a hidden jewel in Rome.

Recently, I stumbled across a little church near the Piazza Farnese which is very seldom open to the public: Santa Caterina della Rota. Rome is a city with hundreds of tiny churches, each being a tiny jewel in itself, often housing great artworks or hiding a fascinating history.

It's one of the oldest churches in the Rione Regola (districts in central Rome are named rioni). It was founded in the 1186 with a bull signed by Pope Urban III and dedicated as Santa Maria in Caterina - its name bore resemblance to the nearby San Carlo ai Catinari, named such because of its location next to a series of potteries, known as the Catinari, in old Roman. Although in this case, the church is named such because of a similar word Catene which effectively means chains. This is because a hospital complex was funded here for former prisoners of war to the Saracens in North Africa, on their return they would hang their chains on the altar dedicated to the Virgin, eventually the church known was rededicated to Saint Catherine, given the word pun with the Italian word for chains: Sancta Maria de Catenariis.

The church was rebuilt in the late Renaissance style in the 16th century by Ottaviano Mascherino, who already worked on various churches in Rome as well as the Quirinal Palace. With the new rededication to Saint Catherine the church became known as Santa Caterina della Rota, literally of the wheel, indicating the instrument of martyrdom of the virgin who refused to convert to Paganism. The church has a single nave with four niches, each with an altar - a testament to its Medieval origins is the cross shaped quire, with three apses, each with an altar, and the central one hosting the high altar. The façade was redesigned in the 18th century in the Roman Rococo style popular at the time, known as Barochetto Romano. 

Two notable works in the church are the Flight from Egypt on the north side by Girolamo Muziano, who worked in Saint Mary Major and Orvieto Cathedral, and the charming Mannerist frescoes representing the Annunciation and below, the Madonna and Child with Saints Apollonia and Catherine , probably by the School of Perin Del Vaga, one of Raphael's greatest pupils. One of the north-side niches also hosts a rather vernacular sculptural composition with Saint Anne and Our Lady, once used in the procession of the Panze; pregnant ladies, departing from Sant'Anna dei Palafrenieri in the Vatican and which usually culminated on the Sant'Angelo Bridge where the Castle's cannon would fire blanks in celebration.

The church is only open once a month and during my visit I got to experience the preparation for the annual Mass of the Papal Household which uses this church as their primary chapel. The Venerabile Arciconfraternita dei Palafrenieri was founded in 1378 and has been serving the Popes in various capacities ever since, most notably as papal footmen for the gestatorial chair carried in processions until the second half of the last century. Some of these footmen are still alive today, their former uniforms were on display, and they still serve the papal court in other capacities - their families have often been doing this for generations. 

Their other church is Sant'Anna dei Palafrenieri within the Vatican walls. The confraternity is known for having commissioned Caravaggio's Madonna dei Palafrenieri - known both for its Baroque pathos as well as for its Counter-Reformation symbology in the foot of Mary crushing the serpent, representing Protestantism, but not on its own, Jesus' foot is in fact above the Virgin's, opposite to this, Saint Anne stands separate from the scene, as a religious icon, in fact the painting was destined to public devotion. Unfortunately Caravaggio raised the price (how very him), and the painting ended up in the stunning Galleria Borghese.

Do visit this tiny but wonderful church, Rome's tiny churches are always full of the most astonishing surprises!