Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva

The only major Gothic church in Rome — built by the Dominicans in the late 13th century on the supposed site of an ancient temple to Minerva (hence 'over Minerva'). Behind a plain Renaissance facade lies a soaring blue ribbed-vault ceiling sprinkled with golden stars, in dramatic contrast to the Baroque churches that dominate the city. Holds Michelangelo's Christ the Redeemer (1521), the tomb and body of Saint Catherine of Siena (Italy's patron saint), Filippino Lippi's Carafa Chapel frescoes, the tombs of two Medici popes, and the burial of Fra Angelico. Outside on the piazza stands Bernini's Elephant and Obelisk.