Innocent X
and the Pamphilj family
It was Pope Innocent X Pamphilj, newly elected in 1644, who gave the Piazza its present theatrical layout. The Collegio was to provide a worthy seat for the family, which would thus be properly represented in all its greatness.
The project involved the renewal of the Piazza, with particular attention to the enlargement of the family palace and the construction of a private chapel, the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone. The Collegio, built at the Pope’s wish, rose at the same time as the church, on the site previously occupied by the palace of Giulio Ornato and, before that, of Gaspare Rivaldi.
The palace was intended to give young people from the Pamphilj fiefs a priestly education. The most deserving students arrived at the age of seven and, once adults, could continue their ecclesiastical careers in Rome. The building served to increase the power of Innocent X, who could thus count education among his own initiatives.
Inside Palazzo Pamphilj, Rome changes perspective
