BEYOND SPACE AND TIME
Overlooking Piazza Navona within the prestigious backdrop of the Sant’Agnese in Agone church, the luxurious residence of Pope Innocent X tells the tale of ambition and power wielded by Donna Olimpia, a grand female figure that Rome has not yet forgotten. The history that binds these characters is palpable with every step, within the walls of this prestigious papal apartment. Frescoes, precious marbles, the finely carved papal bed: the magnificent opulence of Roman Baroque reigns within the rooms of Holy Deer. Yet, it is the secret intimacy of these lodgings that embraces guests from the moment they enter, leaving time and space behind at the doorstep.
THE SPACES
Like a precious jewel, the apartment resides within the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, attributed to Francesco Borromini and overlooking Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona. Designed as a private apartment for Pope Innocent X, it was, in reality, the realm of Donna Olimpia Pamphili, a controversial and captivating female figure who was the Pope’s sister-in-law and a skilled manipulator. The Holy Deer today stands as the quintessential symbol of a residence that impeccably upholds its age-old allure, all the while offering an array of contemporary technological conveniences.
towards piazza navona
An atmosphere of refined grandeur fills the air as you step into the foyer. Here, a magnificent, large-scale Baroque-era golden frame reflects the visitor’s face in countless panels of burnished mirrors. It is in this space that you make your first important choice. Go to the left or to the right?
THE LOUNGE
Beyond the Reading Room, adorned with magazines and books dedicated to high fashion, symbols of the Barbini family’s past, you’ll reach the Lounge. Here, the gold and cardinal red colors give way to softer hues in the furnishings, creating a perfect harmony between the sacred and the profane. In this elegant sitting room, you can find every modern comfort is discreetly concealed but exceptionally efficient, including a large TV screen and a bar cabinet stocked with a meticulously selected variety of Italian beverages.
THE DINING ROOM
The refined dining room is a celebration of precious marbles and prestigious culinary tools. The golden swirls and embellishments of the dining table delicately break the sobriety of the room’s color scheme, preparing the eye for the magnificence that lies beyond the next door.
THE POPE’S ROOM
Light pours into this room, illuminating a central bed of rare beauty, crowned by an imposing 17th-century fresco. The luminous dance continues into the master bathroom, bouncing off the enormous slabs of light marble and refracting through the golden mosaic tiles inside the whirlpool. Finally, the light resumes its path towards Piazza Navona, streaming out through the balcony doors. The spectacle here is breathtaking, and for a moment, in this exact spot, we can truly feel like a Pope.
towards via dell'anima
A striking perspective view extends through the rooms on Via dell’Anima, with each room framed in the red marble doorways that lead from the main hall to the bedroom. It’s a visually impactful scene, further accentuated by the ceiling frescoes, highlighting the meticulous attention to color, fabrics, and craftsmanship in each space.
THE PIANO ROOM
A glance to the right of the foyer reveals a grand Steinway grand piano, gleaming in its ebony finish, surrounded by sofas where you can sit to enjoy good music or simply relax in silence.
THE STUDIO
A cozy nook with a desk bathed in light from the large window, this space is perfect for those seeking focus for work. However, the studio, nestled in the most intimate part of the apartment, is also ideal for pleasant conversations.
LA DRESSING ROOM
Entering the room dedicated to wardrobes, you’ll discover one era within another: the baroque momentarily steps aside to make room for the 20th-century ambiance of high fashion. Just like elegant menswear, the wardrobe doors are upholstered in fabric and adorned with red stitching along the edges. One of them conceals a delightful surprise: it’s the door leading to the sumptuous bathroom, separated by a thin wall from inside one of the chapels of the Church of Sant’Agnese.
THE MUSIC ROOM
The final room facing Via dell’Anima is a bedroom adorned with wall stuccos and a large fresco on the ceiling. The room’s colors harmonize perfectly with the fabrics, upholstery, and drapes chosen for the furnishings and walls. Silence reigns supreme, only interrupted by the notes of the piano, which can be observed comfortably seated in the armchair next to the window.
THE POPE'S ROOM
The masterpiece of the apartment is the chamber created for Pope Innocent X himself, brimming with whispered history and intrigue. A one-of-a-kind piece, crafted from reclaimed wood sourced from the Dolomite forests surrounding White Deer, the opulent papal bed takes center stage in the room—a genuine masterpiece, intricately hand-carved and embroidered using ancient techniques and tools by skilled artisans.
Lie back and then raise your eyes to the sky: from the ceiling towering at eight meters, since 1652, the splendid Dido, the protagonist of Francesco Allegrini’s most spectacular and detailed fresco, observes the inexhaustible interweaving between profoundly human stories and the grand Roman history that these walls have witnessed as their backdrop.
THE MUSIC ROOM
As you move into the side of the apartment along Via dell’Anima, it will feel like you’ve taken a leap into a different era, where the Baroque harmoniously merges with the twentieth century. You are now in the Music Room, radiant in its elegant refinement.
The fabrics of the curtains and armchairs harmonize with the warm tones of Francesco Allegrini’s fresco on the ceiling, both illuminated by the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window. Simply by turning your gaze from the Music Room can you enjoy a panoramic view of all the frescoed spaces that lead back to the foyer: the dressing room, the study, and finally, the piano room, will unfold before your eyes, framed by the precious red marble of the imposing lintels.
