Albano Laziale

St. Paolo Convento and Church

Both buildings, positioned in the far northeast of the residential area, were built approximately in 1282 by will of Cardinal Giacomo Savelli, the future Pope Honorius IV.

 In 1710 the painter Gaspar Van Wittel depicted the Church in occasion of Pope Clementine XI’s visit to Albano and today the painting can be admired at the Pitti Museum of Florence. In 1769, Cardinal Marco Antonio Colonna restored the interior of the Church completely giving it a rather elaborate Baroque appearance in contrast with the neoclassical style of the façade.

The many canvases which decorate the Church date back to the period between the 17th and the 18th century, among which is the one behind the altar representing the anointment of St. Paul, work by a painter of Pietro da Cortona’s school. The fresco on the vault can be attributed to Gagliardi, who was active in Albano at that time.

In the chapel on the left side are the relics of San Gaspare del Bufalo (founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood congregation), which has become a sanctuary for many pilgrimages.