San Luigi dei Francesi

The next church was a couple blocks from the Pantheon. It was fortunate that a funeral service had just finished and it was open. The interior has so much gold in it, but the feature was certainly the chapel with the three huge paintings by Caravaggio.

The church of San Luigi dei Francesi is the seat of the Cardinal of Paris, Rome's French National Church, and the heart Rome's French community. The church is named after Louis IX King of France. Construction began on the church in 1518. The plans for the church were made by Giacomo della Porta and architect Jean de Cheneviere began work on the structure, later Domenico Fontana took over the project and saw it through to the church's completion in 1580, and consecration in 1589.

Giacomo della Porta is responsible for the church's two level façade which bears white travertine marble carvings. Thanks to the immense wealth of the Medici family and the French kings the church interior is lavishly decorated. The ceiling fresco was painted by Joseph Natoire; Domenichino painted the cycle of frescoes in the Polet Chapel; a painting by Francesco Bassano hangs above the altar and three paintings of the life of Matthew by Caravaggio are the church's main attractions.

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