The pope's palace
Palazzo Pamphilj occupies the entire western strip of Piazza Navona. It is a monumental building, approximately 100 metres long, erected in the first half of the seventeenth century for Giambattista Pamphilj, who would become pope in 1644 under the name Innocent X.
The palace is not open to the public: since 1920 it has been the seat of the Brazilian Embassy in Italy. It is nevertheless one of the buildings that most strongly defines the architectural perimeter of the square, and its façade is an integral part of any photograph of Navona.
The construction: Girolamo Rainaldi and Francesco Borromini
Work began around 1644–1646, to a design by Girolamo Rainaldi. The palace brought together and expanded pre-existing Pamphilj family properties in the same area.
Francesco Borromini intervened at a later stage, taking charge of the internal Gallery — the long frescoed hall that constitutes the building's finest feature. Borromini designed the gallery with vaulted ceilings and decoration integrated between architecture and fresco, in close collaboration with Pietro da Cortona, who executed the painted decoration between 1651 and 1654.
The gallery, with its vault frescoed by Pietro da Cortona depicting the Life of Aeneas, is considered one of the most refined examples of secular Baroque decoration in Rome.
The Pamphilj family
The Pamphilj were a family of Umbrian origin who settled in Rome in the sixteenth century. Giambattista Pamphilj was made cardinal in 1629 and became pope in 1644. The pontificate of Innocent X (1644–1655) was one of the most consequential in Rome's urban history: not only the palace, but also the transformation of Piazza Navona — with the commission of the Fountain of the Four Rivers to Bernini in 1648 — bears the mark of his desire to assert family power in public space.
Olimpia Maidalchini, Innocent X's sister-in-law and a figure of great political influence during his pontificate, lived in the palace. Her role was so pervasive that Romans nicknamed her pimpaccia (the wicked one) and it was rumoured that she was the true guide behind papal decisions.
The private chapel
Inside the palace is a private chapel, dedicated to Sant'Agnese, built with a richness of decoration that reflects the family's status. The construction of the chapel was intertwined with the foundation of the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone on the opposite side of the square, both expressions of Pamphilj devotion and patronage.
From the seventeenth century to the twentieth
After the death of Innocent X in 1655, the palace remained Pamphilj property for over two centuries. With Italian unification and the transformation of pontifical institutions, many Roman noble palaces changed their function. In 1920 the palace was ceded to Brazil and became a diplomatic mission — one of the most prestigious housed in a historic building in Rome.
External architecture
The façade overlooking Piazza Navona is sober compared with the interior: a long sequence of windows on three floors, in travertine and plaster, contrasting with the theatricality of the Fountain of the Four Rivers in front of it. The simplicity of the façade is intentional: it serves as a backdrop to the square, not as a protagonist.
With a private driver
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Frequently asked questions
Can the palace be visited? No, it is the seat of the Brazilian Embassy and does not open to the public on a regular basis. It occasionally participates in FAI Open Days or extraordinary opening initiatives.
Who frescoed the gallery? Pietro da Cortona, between 1651 and 1654. The subject is the Life of Aeneas.
Is Olimpia Maidalchini buried in the palace? No. She died in 1657 and was buried in the church of San Martino al Cimino, near Viterbo.
Article n. 150 — TIER S — MON-08 Piazza Navona Type: HISTORICAL Words: ~800