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Chiesa Nuova (Santa Maria in Vallicella) (Tomb of St. Philip Neri)

Saints & Tombs Not Applicable
Rome, Italy 1575 Feast day: May 26

The burial place of St. Philip Neri.

St. Philip Neri →
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The Story

Santa Maria in Vallicella, known to Romans simply as the Chiesa Nuova, the "New Church," is the resting place of St. Philip Neri, the joyful "Apostle of Rome" and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory. Born in Florence in 1515, Philip came to Rome as a young layman and spent years in prayer, study, and cheerful service of the city's poor, pilgrims, and sick. Ordained a priest in 1551, he gathered clergy and laity for informal evenings of prayer, Scripture, preaching, and music, gatherings that grew into the Oratory and even gave their name to the musical form of the oratorio. His confessional drew penitents from every walk of Roman life, and his humor and humility became legendary. In 1575 Pope Gregory XIII formally approved the Congregation of the Oratory and gave Philip the ancient church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, which he rebuilt on a grand scale; the "New Church" was largely complete by the time of his death on May 26, 1595. Canonized in 1622 alongside Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, and Teresa of Avila, Philip rests in a richly decorated chapel to the left of the sanctuary, beneath an altar where his relics are venerated. The church itself is among the treasures of Roman art, with ceiling frescoes by Pietro da Cortona and paintings by Peter Paul Rubens over the high altar. Pilgrims visit the saint's tomb and the adjoining rooms where he lived, and the Oratorian community continues his ministry of confession, preaching, and sacred music to this day.

Church Recognition

St. Philip Neri was canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622, and Santa Maria in Vallicella, motherhouse church of the Congregation of the Oratory he founded, is the recognized shrine of his relics.

Catholic Teaching

St. Philip's tomb invites the faithful into the communion of saints (CCC 946–962) and witnesses to the universal call to holiness lived with joy, showing that prayer, the sacraments, and cheerful charity sanctify ordinary life (CCC 2013).

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Practical

Additional Information

Pilgrims venerate St. Philip's relics in his chapel to the left of the sanctuary and can visit the adjacent rooms of the saint by arrangement with the Oratorian community; celebrations peak on his May 26 feast, and the church is a stop on the traditional Seven Churches pilgrimage he popularized.

Go Deeper

The parish and Oratory website (https://www.vallicella.org) carries visitor and liturgical information; classic lives of St. Philip Neri and the writings of St. John Henry Newman, founder of the English Oratory, open up his spirit, and CCC 946–962 treats the communion of saints.

Conversion

Location

Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →

In the Area

Other sacred sites within 40 miles.