Shrines of Italy: Saint Andrew of the Thickets

Saint Andrew of the Thickets is a 17th century Roman Basilica located midway between the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

The original church which occupied the site was a small chapel built in the early 16th century by a group of Franciscan friars devoted to St. Andrew. Over the years, the chapel was expanded and renovated into its current form, with the many significant changes occurring in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the early 19th century, the church underwent a major renovation, which was overseen by the Italian architect Virginio Vespignani. Virginio redesigned the church's interior into the Neoclassical design that we see today.

In 1842, the basilica gained international attention when a young Jewish man named Alfonso Ratisbonne had a vision of the Virgin Mary while visiting the church. Ratisbonne was a wealthy and prominent figure in the Jewish community, but his mystical encounter with Our Lady led to his immediate conversion. He subsequently became a priest and worked as a missionary in the Holy Land for many years.

In his own words, Alphonso once described the event thusly: “I had only been in the church a short while when, all of a sudden, I felt totally uneasy for no apparent reason. I raised my eyes and saw that the whole building had disappeared. Only one side chapel had, so to say, gathered all the light. In the midst of this splendor, the Virgin Mary appeared standing on the altar. She was grandiose, brilliant, full of majesty and sweetness, just as she is in the Miraculous Medal. An irresistible force attracted me to her. The Virgin made a gesture with her hand indicating I was to kneel and as if saying ‘very good!’ Although she did not say anything, I understood everything.”

The story of Alphonso’s conversion and his vision of Our Lady helped to popularize the basilica and drew many pilgrims to the church. It also resulted in the commissioning of the artwork depicting Our Lady as described in his vision.

Today, the basilica is most notable for this depiction as well as the many paintings and frescoes which illustrate the life of Saint Andrew. Often, it is the story rather than art which attracts people to a particular place, and that certainly seems to be the case with Saint Andrew’s Basilica today.