A UNIQUE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE INSIDE A PLACE THAT IS A MASTERPIECE OF MANNERISM.

A marvelous place that is hidden away off the Via Giulia, the Oratorio del Gonfalone is one of Rome's hidden pearls of the mannerist period. In the late 1500s, this Oratorio belonged to the Confraternita di Santa Lucia del Gonfalone, a very exclusive society that served to promote and maintain the papal presence in the city while the papacy was in Avignon. Gonfalone means banner and it refers to the purpose of the society: to literally raise the pope's banner over Rome by reminding the city that the pope was ever present even if in France. They organized religious processions and ceremonies, a sort of cheering squad for the papacy. Some claimed that their processions of the Passion of Christ were so real that they had to be stopped because of the violent undertones. At the end of the 18th century, the Confraternita was disbanded and the oratory was abandoned until a musician discovered its beauty. A recent renovation in 2002 has brought the true majesty back to this seemingly small but rich hall: a wooden ceiling with intricate engravings of the Virgin Mary by the hand of Ambrogio Bonazzini (1568) creates a an ideal acoustic lid for concerts while the wall-to-wall fresco cycles by F. Zuccari, L. Agresti, C. Nebbia, J. Bertoja, R. da Reggio and M. Pino depicting the Passion of Christ (1573) entices the eyes. The Oratorio can be visited by special appointment or during one of the many weekly concerts it hosts throughout the year. The VIP members of Glocalize Yourself have a special discount on the tickets, and it is a bargain considering you get a once in a lifetime chance to be intimately stimulated through eyes and ears, experiencing 16th century Rome in a little over an hour. The program of the concerts for this season is the following: 17/10/2019 Concerto Inaugurale - Orchestra da Camera del Gonfalone con Matteo Evangelisti flauto solista- Musiche di A. Salieri, W.A. Mozart. 07/11/2019 “La Bella Romana” Arie e Cantate della Roma Barocca - Stradella Y-Project con Andrea De Carlo alla Viola da gamba e Direzione. 21/11/2019 "Il Barocco Secondo Albinoni" Musico di Violino dilettante Veneto- "Insieme Strumentale di Roma" Musiche di T. Albinoni - G. Legrenzi - A. Vivaldi 30/01/2020 J.S. Bach Integrale Suites per violoncello -Miriam Prandi violoncello Musiche di J.S. Bach 20/02/2020 "da Napoli a Venezia, viaggio musicale nel '700 italiano" - Ensemble Barocco del Conservatorio di Palermo con Adriano Maria Fazio, violoncello solista - Musiche di N. Porpora, N. Fiorenza, A. Vivaldi, F. Durante 26/03/2020 “BACH 300 + 30: 300 anni dalla composizione, 30 anni dalla prima esecuzione al Gonfalone del Maestro Nordio ” - Domenico Nordio, violino - Musiche di J.S. Bach 16/04/2020 “La Musica Insieme” - Niky Nicolai, voce; Stefano Di Battista, sax soprano e tenore; Luciano Biondini, fisarmonica - Testi e musica di Erri De Luca e Stefano Di Battista PARTICIPATION FEE: 20 € WE SUGGEST YOU TO SIGN UP FOR THE CONCERTS IN LARGE ADVANCE (at least two days before the date of the concert), OTHERWISE IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THE AVAILABILITY OF THE TICKETS.