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Tour Santa SusannaThe Madonna Chapel

The Madonna Chapel

One of two side chapels of Santa Susanna, all that remains of the original Constantinian side aisles. This chapel lacks much of the ornamentation of the Saint Lawrence Chapel and contains two simple side altars, one commemorating Saint Benedict, the father of Western Monasticism and the second commemorating Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the Cistercian way. Over the main altar is an 11th century icon, probably stolen from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. The icon is framed within a larger picture, representing angels holding the image aloft, a classic Rennaisance device for its time. What is particularly interesting about the icon is that it is the only existing image of the Mother of God in Rome where she is depicted completely in black. The icon is called “the Madonna of the Cistercian Community” and is patroness of the monastery that adjoins the church.

More information about the Cistercians.