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Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza Review

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Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza

Address: Corso Rinascimento 40, another entrance is off Piazza Sant'Eustachio, Navona, Rome | Map It
Phone: 06/6864987

Category: Religious Sites
Location: Navona and Campo

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Fodor's Review:

The main facade of this eccentric Baroque church, probably Borromini's best, is on the stately courtyard of an austere building that once housed Rome's university. Sant'Ivo has what must surely be one of the most delightful domes in all of Rome—a golden spiral said to have been inspired by a bee's stinger. The bee symbol is a reminder that Borromini built the church on commission from the Barberini Pope Urban VIII (a swarm of bees figure on the Barberini family crest). The interior, open only for two hours on Sunday, is worth a look, especially if you share Borromini's taste for complex mathematical architectural idiosyncrasies.

Open: Sun. 10-noon

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