It is known that the Basilica of Sant'Agostino in Campo Marzio, as you can read by clicking here, is a church in Rome full of extraordinary wonders, both pictorial and sculptural. Not to mention, then, how in the past it was considered the church of the courtesans, a particular meeting point in sixteenth-century Rome. But, as a local tour guide that I am, I cannot help but draw your attention to a very interesting sculpture, which deserves more than a look, both for its artistic and devotional value.

Once you have entered the entrance, turn towards the counter-façade. You will find yourself in front of this beautiful simulacrum, surrounded by votive offerings and pink and blue bows. The statue you have before you is the famous Madonna del Parto, certainly one of the most admired Marian effigies in all of Rome. Created by Jacopo Tatti, known as Sansovino, in 1516, this Madonna is especially sought after by women giving birth, as she is the protector of births and unborn children. In fact, the inscription on the simulacrum says "VIRGO GLORIA TUA PARTUS", that is, “O Virgin, childbirth is your glory”. Nice message for sure, although the sculptural work also has sinister pagan origins. In fact, it is said, at least according to tradition, that Sansovino sculpted this Madonna by starting from and restoring a pre-existing Roman statue from the 1st century AD, depicting Agrippina Minore holding her son, none other than the emperor Nero, in her arms. Certainly Agrippina was not a great maternal example, if it is true that she did not hesitate to have her close relatives killed just to see her son Nero ascend to the throne, still in adolescence. Enough for Agrippina to really have the reins of the empire, imposing her cumbersome presence even when her son reached the age of majority. Behavior like many other examples can be found in ancient Rome, when emperors or rulers were too young, if not children, to govern. And often mothers or other close relatives took their place, officially as regents of the kingdom. It's a shame that the presence of his mother Agrippina was very heavy and cumbersome, so much so that in the end her son Nero had her killed.

It is at least peculiar that an ancient sculpture depicting a woman with very few Christian virtues could have been reused to represent the Madonna. After all, however, if it were true the statue, in addition to its sacred value, would also have another meaning: a purification, if not actual replacement, of the ancient world, so corrupt and malevolent (from a Christian perspective). It would, after all, be another example of that cultural and artistic substitution imposed by the Christian community over the centuries, to erase the pagan past of the Eternal City. Nothing strange, after all, just as it would be nothing strange to have used a female model who was certainly not very virtuous to depict the Virgin Mary. Caravaggio also used prostitutes as models for his paintings, to impersonate the Madonna. An example of redemption, if you will. Apart from this, however, it is symptomatic to note how the ancient and the Renaissance are always in communication, and probably the Madonna del Parto is just another example of this...