Rome is reputed to have fourteen Caravaggio paintings at various churches and museums. My brother-in-law instigated the "hunt", creating a purposeful opportunity for us to sightsee around the city of Rome. Each "hunter" had to view at least ten different paintings and purchase the postcard as proof of the find.
Armed with our list, my wife and I started with the churches. Church of St. Maria del Popolo (off the Piaza Popolo) has two paintings so we made this our first stop. In the Cerasi Chapel, just to the left of the high altar, the Conversion of Saint Paul and the Martyr of Saint Peter hung on opposite walls. We spent additional time to walk through the church which includes works by Bernini and Raphael. Postcards were available from a vending machine off to the side of the church. We purchased our postcards from the church whenever possible as the money from these souvenir sales goes to support the church.
Using our 7 day bus pass (purchased for 24,000 lire), we rode down Via Del Corso to the stop near the Pantheon. A short walk took us to San Luigi Dei Francesi for three more paintings. We saw Saint Matthew and the Angel, Calling of Saint Matthew, and Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, all located in the Saint Matthew chapel. This church is the French colony church and the services are in French rather than Italian. We walked through the rest of the church admiring the beautiful frescos and paintings on display.
Just around the corner was Sant’ Agostino in Campo Marzio church which displayed the Virgin Mary of the Pilgrims painting. There was also a chapel dedicated to Saint Monica who is one of my favorite female saints. We were informed that most churches close promptly at noon, so we were rushed through Sant’ Agostino and did not get to see the famous Madonna and Child sculpture.
As we reverently walked through the churches, I learned a few things. Revered bishops and priests are buried in the churches. I was admiring a work of art on the floor and realized I was standing on a grave. After that incident, I noticed similar monuments in all the churches. I also noted that these churches are actively used by local congregation and tourists for regular Catholic services. That's unlike other historical churches where the building is a "museum" and only used for that purpose.
We should have brought more coinage with us on the hunt. Most postcards cost 1000 lire and the machines only accepted coins. Additionally, most paintings are in dark chapels for preservation. Five to ten minutes of light in order to view the paintings cost between 100 lire and 500 lire. Some of the churches do not allow pictures, even without flash. Check the camera rules when entering the church.
Six paintings viewed and four more to go to complete our hunt. Off to the museums!