Palazzo dei Convertendi

Palazzo dei Convertendi, also known as Palazzo della Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali (Palace of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches), is a Renaissance palace in Rome, located in Via della Conciliazione, adjacent to Palazzo Rusticucci-Accoramboni.

SHORT HISTORY

Around the middle of the 15th century, on the northwestern edge of Piazza Scossacavalli, there was a building known as della Stufa. In the 16th century, the building was sold to the noble Caprini family, who erected in its place a palace on a design by Donato Bramante.

The palace was sold in 1517 to the painter Raphael, who died in the building in 1520. On his death, the building was sold to Cardinal Pietro Accolti. After the Cardinal’s death, the palace was inherited by his nephew Benedetto, Cardinal of Ravenna.

Accused of corruption, Benedetto was incarcerated in Castel Sant’Angelo, and released after paying his debts. For this, the Cardinal borrowed the sum from the Florentine bankers Giulio and Lorenzo Strozzi, who later obtained the palace.

Then, the Strozzi family sold the collapsing palace to Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Commendone. The Cardinal had the palace restored by Annibale Lippi, and sold the building in 1584 to Camilla Peretti, sister of Pope Sixtus V.

Around 1620, the palace was purchased by the noble Spinola family, and was sold in 1676 to the Cardinal Girolamo Gastaldi. Gastaldi left the building to the Hospice of Convertendi, who moved there in 1715.

The building was severely damaged during the flood of 1805, and was restored by Pope Gregory XVI around the middle of the 19th century, and again in 1876, during the pontificate of Pope Pius IX.

In 1917, Pope Benedict assigned the palace to the newly founded Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

During the works for the construction of Via della Conciliazione, the building was demolished between 1937 and 1941, and rebuilt between Palazzo Rusticucci-Accoramboni and Palazzo Torlonia, on a project by Giuseppe Momo.

ARCHITECTURE

Palazzo dei Convertendi has three floors, with an ashlar portal surmounted by a beautiful balcony. On the ground floor, there are 8 rectangular windows, 8 rusticated arched windows on the noble floor, and 11 rectangular windows on the upper floor.

The elements of the windows, the portal and the balcony were taken from the original building before its demolition.

HOW TO GET THERE

The closest Metro station is Ottaviano, located about 1 kilometer away, on the Metro Line A. The closest bus stop is Traspontina/Conciliazione, located about 200 meters away, on the bus Lines 23, 40 and 982.