This project was generously funded by The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, The Renaissance Society of America, and The Leslie Center for the Humanities at Dartmouth College.
Among Rome’s most ubiquitous and compelling sights are the city’s Madonnelle—popular street shrines that, as their name suggests, predominantly contain images of the Virgin Mary, though they could also include Christ, saints, or other religious figures and patrons. They appear on houses, palaces, street corners, above doorways and windows, not to mention more conventional places such as church facades and they are unmissable because they are often framed in lavish, eye-catching niches, topped by canopies, or surrounded by extravagant, radiating whiteen beams and sculpted angels. As a form of street art, the Madonnelle are witness to the power of imagery on the lives of the people that encounter them.
Like the broader category of street art, the democratic nature of the Madonnelle requires no curation or control, and invites no exclusivity. Indeed, they are available to all who live in the neighborhood, or merely pass through, and they have provided comfort, wonder, and joy for centuries. Their enduring power is evident in the shrines that are still cared for and offered gifts of thanks, and by the appearance of new interpretations and iconographies in twenty first-century instances. This became apparent in recent years, as Madonnelle tend to proliferate in troubled times when plague, war, and impending disaster cause anxiety. At once, they offer connection to and comfort from the Divine.
Today, within the Aurelian Walls, there are more than 800 Madonnelle. As the subject of local devotion, they are included in annual festivals and pilgrimages, said to perform miracles, and, thus, fully integrated into the life of the city; and even for the non-religious, they attract attention for their beauty, variety, and history. All told, Madonnelle reflect important spiritual, political, and artistic facets of the Eternal City.
Our Madonnelle di Roma project began in 2008 as an effort by Charlotte Bialek to photograph, map, and record in a database as many Madonnelle as possible. In 2023, Nicola Camerlenghi and students at Dartmouth College joined the project. We began to use Charlotte’s map, data, and images as a basis for research into the Madonnelle and are now expanding our understanding of their history. For example, the team is plotting and recording the 1,421 Madonnelle published by Alessandro Rufini in 1853, which appear in yellow on our map and database. Soon, we foresee offering an annotated transcription alongside an English translation of Rufini’s work. To enrich the website, students and scholars curated “Perspectives” (found at top right) that consider urban pathways in relation to the Madonnelle as well as specific Marian iconographies. Our aim is to continue enlisting individuals in the United States and elsewhere to expand our research.
Although shrines have marked Rome’s streets since antiquity, academic interest in the Madonnelle as they exist now is in the early stages. Those that have miracles attributed to them, or whose images are iconic or have inspired cults, are known and periodically written about. Our selected “Bibliography” (also top right) includes the important studies of Carocci (1729), Rufini (1853), Parsi (1939), Cardilli (2000), Gittarelli (2008), Sala (2010), and Martini (2010-ongoing). For the 2000 Jubilee Year, the City of Rome conducted a census of the Madonnelle and published a couple of books about them, including one in English. This project is an opportunity to ask new and pressing questions of this longstanding tradition. What do Madonnelle suggest about the history of faith, art, and urban life in Rome? What is their meaning in the digital age, and will this be of significance in the future? What revelations arise by visualizing them as a mapped, two-dimensional spiritual and cultural network, as opposed to the real-world accretions to the urban fabric in which they exist? These and other questions will be more readily addressed with better access to information about them, information we intend to make available to anyone with access to the internet. Despite being an artistic, historic, and popular part of the cultural heritage of Rome, Madonnelle are still being lost through accidental and intentional damage, neglect, and the demolition of the buildings that support them. Rome is a repository for history, art, and religion enjoyed by the world and we believe the world is needed to help secure these treasures for future generations. To serve this end, it is critical to develop partnerships with the institutions of Rome as well as internationally focusing on the study of the Madonnelle. Our photo collection and associated data serve as a resource for study and contemplation by both scholars and lay people. With this project, we hope to inspire people to see the Madonnelle, to study and understand them, and to support their preservation and restoration.
is an artist and photographer living in New York City. She has visited Rome many times, beginning with a four month stay in the spring of 2008. At that time, she became enamored of the beauty and variety of the Madonnelle and began to take photographs of them and their broader context on the street. Since then she has developed a database of nearly 900 Madonnelle with detailed information about their characteristics and has mapped them on Google MyMaps. She hopes to continue photographing those labeled NP (Need Photos) on her next visits to this great city. With Chiara Calpini, she published information about some of the Madonnelle on Instagram
is Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Art at Dartmouth College where he specializes in the study of Early Christian and medieval architecture, with particular interest in the city of Rome and the area of the Mediterranean. His first book, Paul’s Outside the Walls: A Roman Basilica from Antiquity to the Modern Era , was published in 2018. A volume he co-edited, entitled Practices and Heuristics of Digital Models in Art History was published in 2024. He is lead researcher of the "Mapping Rome” research group, whose cartographic and visual assets have proven useful for this project.
holds a BA and a Professional Doctorate in Classical Archaeology from the University of Rome, ‘La Sapienza’, and an MS in Geography and a Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science from Oregon State University. He worked as a professional archaeologist between 2001 and 2015, specializing in the application of GIS and photogrammetry to archaeological fieldwork. Since 2015 he worked as a Digital Humanities specialist on projects with the University of Oregon, Stanford University, Dartmouth College and Oregon State University.
is a member of Dartmouth College's class of 2026 with a double major in Economics and Italian. In 2024, she studied economics at Università Bocconi in Milan as part of an exchange program, which deepened her interest in the country’s language, culture, and urban history. On campus, Grace is an Italian drill instructor and a Dartmouth Economics Research Scholar, where she researches U.S. tariff exclusion policy. She is also Vice President of Operations for the Dartmouth Political Union, a business staff member at The Dartmouth, and a member of the Club Triathlon Team.
is a member of Dartmouth College’s class of 2025 with a major in History modified with Economics, and a minor in Italian. His academic and extracurricular work reflect a strong interest in the intersection of these three disciplines; he has participated in a language and culture study abroad in Rome, and interned at a research institute in Northern Italy focused on local development. Tim looks forward to further exploring Rome’s architectural history and understanding how the city’s built environment has evolved over the years.
is a member of Dartmouth College's class of 2026. She is a History major and Art History minor and has participated in Dartmouth's Art History Foreign Study Program in Rome. Her time abroad instilled in her a passion for Roman architecture and a deeper love for the Madonnelles found all throughout the city.
is a member of Dartmouth College’s class of 2025. An Art History major modified with Philosophy and a Digital Arts minor, Emil studied in Rome on Dartmouth’s Art History Foreign Study Program in 2024. Emil has also worked on the Augmendo team, combining art history with cutting edge technology to help develop this augmented reality museum mobile application
is a member of Dartmouth College’s class of 2024. An Art History major and a French minor, Sophie studied in Rome on Dartmouth’s Art History Foreign Study Program in 2022. The curriculum inspired her interest in the architecture and urbanism of Rome and spurred her to join the Mapping Rome team. Sophie has also participated in Dartmouth's programs in Toulouse and Paris, where she further studied the architectural history of European cities.
is a member of Dartmouth College’s class of 2024 and a double major in Computer Science and Art History. He is interested in all types of art but especially the classics and Japanese sacred imagery. Brian helps out with mapping the Madonnelle of Rome, which reflects his interests between art and religion. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys reading Percy Jackson, researching Japanese culture, and learning finance. You might also find him playing video games.
is a member of Dartmouth College’s class of 2024 with a B.A. in Art History. Her research centered on the Assumption Procession pathway in the Monti rione of Rome. Milanne attended the 2022 Rome Art History FSP, which led to her interest in the madonnelle shrines that decorate the city's streets. Her work on the madonnelle website was influenced by her larger goals to help make art history knowledge more accessible to the public. She now works at the Institute of Contemporary Art, in Miami, and hopes to continue her independent research on queer and feminist contemporary art in the future.
is a member of Dartmouth College’s class of 2025. He is studying Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies, and passionate about documentary filmmaking and visual storytelling that shares lived experiences of communities around the world. He used his love for visual storytelling to craft online story maps showcasing the Madonnelle of Rome that attract attention for their sanctity, beauty, variety, and history.
is a member of Dartmouth College’s class of 2024 and a major in History and Italian studies. Following a study abroad program in Rome, he embarked on this project.
is a Rome-based journalist and social media specialist with over 30 years of experience in editorial leadership and publishing projects. Her career includes founding and directing national magazines like a women’s monthly (1998–2010) and online platforms such as Face Magazine (2013–2015). She has collaborated on institutional initiatives, including research consultancy and press office management for political entities, while her reporting focuses on music, cinema, street art, and societal trends. A vocal advocate for Rome’s cultural heritage, she emphasizes digital innovation to preserve the city’s identity. As an ambassador and press officer for the Madonnelle project she has engaged with institutions like the Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali and managed the bilingual social media initiatives.