Santa Maria sopra Minerva is tucked into the Campus Martius (the Field of Mars in antiquity; that area in Rome within the bend of the Tiber, mostly medieval) behind the Pantheon and from its rather bland exterior, one would never guess the treasures within. This is the one and only church in Rome built in the early Middle Ages (8th century) and the only example in the city of Gothic architecture.
There was some cool art within, but also some weird art - winged skulls? I'm not sure I understand that; it was under a tomb/memorial.
There was even a touch of Greek Orthodox with this cool little mosaic. I loved this!
But this is what amazed me: this church is St. Catherine of Siena's resting place. She died here, in Rome, and her chapel within this church incorporates the room in the convent where she died. I've always been drawn to this saint so it was an honor and a privilege to finally see her place of burial, on the high altar.
Just beside the high altar is a statue by Michelangelo, his Jesus, begun in 1520. The drapery, of course, was added later.
Our last stop of the day was the Doria Pamphili Gallery, which was packed full of interesting paintings, most unlabeled. They also had some cool Roman statues (above). This collection is still owned by the Pamphili family and the voice on the audioguide was a prince's who is part of the family. I have no idea why he's a prince, but there you go.
This is not all we did yesterday but there's only so much room here and so much time. We saw two popular sights: the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. We passed by ancient Rome and ducked into several other churches. The day was spent walking....and walking. Rome is exhausting!
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