Chiesa di San Giovanni della Malva
St. John of Malva
Trastevere
Rome Italy
2016

A halo is a symbol of holiness, represented by a circle or arc of light around the head of a saint or holy person.

A mandorla is a vesica piscis shaped aureola which surrounds the figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary in traditional Christian art.

Devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was widespread in Rome long before 1854, when Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Marian dogma.


San Giovanni della Malva in Trastevere is a church in Rome, in the Trastevere district, located in Piazza di S. Giovanni della Malva. It is the Albanian national church in Rome.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Giovanni_della_Malva_in_Trastevere

The church has a tripartite façade and a triangular tympanum; above the door there is a bas relief depicting the Virgin Mary with saints John the Evangelist and John the Baptist. This recalls that the church is dedicated to the Immaculate and to two saints named John (as also attested by an epigraph inside). Also in the façade there are two coats of arms with the lamb and the eagle that allude to the two saints.


Colorful Trastevere is a funky, bohemian area that clings to its centuries-old, working-class roots. It's known for traditional and innovative trattorias, craft beer pubs and artisan shops, as well as simple B&Bs and budget hotels. From the pre-dinner passeggiata (promenade) until late, a young crowd buzzes around Piazza di San Calisto and Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, the site of a gilded, mosaic-filled church.