No city has more Caravaggio paintings than Rome. Most are displayed in museums and galleries, or can be seen for free in churches.
Rome is the best city in the world to see paintings by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. At least 26 generally accepted works are in the city, including around 20 displayed in churches, museums, and private galleries open to visitors. Six large altarpieces remain in their original positions in three churches and may be seen free of charge. The Borghese Gallery has the largest single collection of Caravaggio works in the world, with six paintings. The Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Corsini have four paintings, the private Doria Pamphilj Gallery has two, while the Capitoline and Vatican museums have one each.
Caravaggio in Rome — Quick Guide
- Total generally on public display: around 20 paintings
- Best free experience: San Luigi dei Francesi
- Largest collection: Borghese Gallery — six paintings
- Other free churches: Santa Maria del Popolo and Sant’Agostino
- Advance booking essential: Borghese Gallery
Caravaggio Paintings in Rome
The Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1619) remains one of the most popular painters ever. He started his career painting mostly flowers and fruit but progressed to large altarpieces of biblical scenes, portraits, and borderline erotic portrayals of Amor (Eros / Cupid) and a young St John the Baptist.
Estimates of the number of paintings by Caravaggio that survived to the present range from as low as 40 to well over 80. These estimates exclude sketches and unfinished works.
Caravaggio’s paintings are spread all over the world — around half are on public display in museums and churches, but many are hidden away in private collections. Fewer than 10 are on permanent display in the USA (four in the Metropolitan Museum in New York). Most of Caravaggio’s work is still in Italy, with at least 26 generally acknowledged Caravaggio paintings in Rome.
Where to See Caravaggio Paintings in Rome
The easiest places to see Caravaggio paintings in Rome are three centrally located churches and the Borghese Gallery. Further works are displayed in several public and private museums.
Churches in Rome with Caravaggio Paintings
Three churches in the heart of tourist Rome have Caravaggio paintings still in their original positions. These are the easiest of his works to see as admission is free (some coins may be needed to switch on the lights) and opening hours are long (although most churches close for lunch):
Matthew Cycle in San Luigi Dei Francesi Church
Three of the most famous Caravaggio paintings in Rome are in the Contarelli Chapel of the San Luigi dei Francesi church near the Pantheon (which is no longer free!). This cycle on the life of Saint Matthew included the first altar painting and major public commission for Caravaggio, which helped to establish him as one of Rome’s foremost artists in the early 17th century. The paintings are:
- The Calling of Saint Matthew, c. 1600,
- The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, c. 1600, and
- The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, 1602.
→ See Three Caravaggio Paintings of St Matthew in San Luigi dei Francesi for a detailed visitor guide.
Caravaggios in the Cerasi Chapel of Santa Maria del Popolo
Following his success with St Matthew, Caravaggio was commissioned to paint two large paintings for the Cerasi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo:
- Conversion of Saint Paul, 1601, and
- Crucifixion of St Peter, 1601.
→ See Top Art in Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome for a detailed visitor guide.
Pilgrims’ Madonna in Sant’Agostino
Caravaggio’s Madonna of Loreto, also Pilgrims’ Madonna (Madonna dei Pellegrini), c. 1604, in Sant’Agostino is the only of his altar paintings in Rome centered on a female figure. It caused a scandal — not because of nudity but rather his portrayal of the Virgin as a normal woman in rather plain surroundings. The pilgrims’ dirty clothes and bare feet also shocked contemporary viewers at its unveiling.
→ See Caravaggio and Raphael Paintings in Sant’Agostino for a detailed visitor guide.
Caravaggio Paintings in Museums in Rome
Caravaggio paintings are easy to see in the Borghese Gallery and a few further public and private museums in Rome:
Six Caravaggios in the Borghese Gallery
The Borghese Gallery in the Villa Borghese Park in the heart of Rome has, with six works, the largest single collection of Caravaggio paintings in the world:
- Young Man with a Basket of Fruit, ca. 1593
- Self-portrait in the Guise of Bacchus, or more commonly, Sick Bacchus, ca. 1595
- Saint Jerome Writing, ca. 1605
- Madonna and Child with St. Anne (Madonna Dei Palafrenieri), 1606
- St John the Baptist, ca. 1610
- David with the Head of Goliath (1609-10), using his self-portrait for Goliath.
Advance time-slot reservation tickets for the Borghese Gallery are essential and should be booked well in advance, even outside the main season. Its six Caravaggio paintings, together with the Bernini sculptures, are among the museum’s art highlights.
Museums and Galleries in Rome with Caravaggios
In addition to the Borghese Gallery, Caravaggios are also on display in the following museums in Rome:
- Barberini / Corsini: Judith Beheading Holofernes, c. 1598, Narcissus, c. 1599, John the Baptist, c. 1604, and St Francis in Prayer, c. 1610
- Doria Pamphilj Gallery, the largest private art collection in Rome, has two: Penitent Magdalene, c. 1597, and Rest on the Flight into Egypt, c. 1597.
- Capitoline Museum: The Fortune Teller, c. 1594.
- Vatican Museums: Entombment, c. 1603.
The list excludes collections currently closed or not regularly open to individual visitors.
More on Caravaggio Paintings in Rome
See Three Caravaggio Paintings of St Matthew in San Luigi dei Francesi Church in Rome
See Caravaggio and Raphael Paintings in Sant’Agostino Church in Rome
See Caravaggio Paintings in Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome
