"Baroque ceiling in Santa Maria del Carmine" Top 5 Page for this destination Santa Maria del Carmine Tip by brendareed

After visiting the Brancacci Chapel in this church, we headed out of the chapel entrance and were able to slip into the church through the front entrance (the entrance to the chapel is separate from the actual church it is housed in). While there is a fee for the Brancacci Chapel, the Carmine Church is free – you can just barely see the chapel from near the altar and you cannot get from one to the other.

The reason we went into the church was for a view of the magnificent trompe-l’oeil fresco on the ceiling by Domenico Stagi. This was done after the 1771 fire that basically gutted the church, although thankfully not everything was damaged and the Brancacci Chapel frescoes were spared.

As you walk into the nave of the church and your eyes adjust to the dark, look up at the ceiling. The details of the fresco give the impression of an actual architectural design in the ceiling – but it is really paint. Continue to walk towards the altar and look up and you will see the ceiling literally change before your eyes, continuing to give the impression of reality by the details in the paint.

The church itself is a church of the Carmelite Order and this actual church dates back to the 15th century, although the church’s foundation was dedicated years before in 1268. It is most famous for the Brancacci Chapel, but worth a stop in for the ceiling.

Opening hours: Holydays: 8-12AM and 8,30-6PM; Working days: 8AM-5.30PM.


One more stop this evening before heading back to our hotel. Because we were nearby, we stopped in to see an early Michelangelo work in a church designed by Brunelleschi - Spirito Santo.

Address: Piazza Santa Maria del Carmine
Directions: enter the church through the doors to the right of the Brancacci Chapel entrance