Main description (English)

The church of San Sebastiano in Zagarolo, near Rome, was the seat of the local cult against pestilence. Located just outside the city walls, the church was completely destroyed in the late 19th century. Likely originating as a roadside shrine, after several decades of neglect and discontinuous use, it was restored and newly decorated during the plague of 1656. The story of this church is an outstanding case study of cults against pestilence in the Roman “Campagna”, shedding light on their mutability, enrichments, temporary decreases, and progressive abandonment. In particular, the essay emphasizes the relationships between old and recent popular traditions (St. Sebastian and St. Roch, St. Rosalie) and seigniorial interventions. In fact, the Ludovisi family, dukes of Zagarolo, used the restoration of the church to promote the cult of saints canonized by Pope Gregory XV – Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Francis Xavier – as effective new patrons against the plague.