Il cardinale Girolamo II Colonna Gran Priore di Roma e un’ipotesi su Ferdinando Fuga all’Aventino

One of the major protagonists of the urban and architectural renewal of Rome in the first half of the 18th century, Cardinal Girolamo II Colonna, among many other positions, was also appointed in 1744 of the Grand Prior of the Hierosolymitan Order of Rome, a role he held for almost twenty years. In light of largely unpublished documentation, the essay first touches on the political significance of the prestigious role that the young scion of the noble Colonna dynasty was called upon to play, as mediator of the international intentions and ambitions of Pope Benedict XIV and Grand Master Manuel Pinto de Fonseca respectively. More argumentation is then spent on the artistic aspects that characterised the cardinal’s patronage of the Order of Malta, ighlighting the little-known renovation he promoted of the villa on the Aventine, for which the probable role of architect Ferdinando Fuga is hypothesised. Further traced documentation also highlights Colonna’s say in architectural interventions in the city of Valletta, in particular the church and convent of St. Catherine.