153.

Chiesa e Monastero di S. Silvestro in Capite, delle Suore Francescane Urbaniste

The 8th century church of S. Silvestro in Capite was restored in the late 16th century and again in the early 18th century. The medieval name of S. Silvestro inter duos hortos (between two gardens) indicates that the area to the east of the Via del Corso was largely open ground at the time. This makes the position and orientation of the church the determinant of the streets which surround it and its extensive convent. In fact neither the street in front of the complex, Via delle Convertite (2) (which becomes Via delle Mercede connecting to S. Andrea delle Fratte, Plate 146 off to the right) nor the one behind, Via della Vite, is quite perpendicular to the Corso, and the two are not parallel to each other. The church survives, but the convent to the right of it does not because it was restructured as Rome's main post office in 1879. On the left we see the back of the convent of S. Maria Maddalena (NN 356), whose church faced on the Corso. That whole block was demolished in the late 19th century to make way for Palazzo Marignoli. At the same time the small piazza in front of S. Silvestro (compare Nolli with the satellite image) was greatly enlarged by the demolition of the building facing the church.