Chiesa di Sant'Agostino

Lonely Planet review

Despite boasting one of the earliest Renaissance façades in Rome, this 15th-century church is more interesting inside than out. Inside the main door, on the right, you'll find Jacopo Sansovino's much-loved Madonna del Parto (1521), a sculpture of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, revered by soon-to-be mums and doting parents.

On the third column in the nave, Raphael's fresco of Isaiah shows the influence of Michelangelo (both artists were working in the Vatican at the time). But once again it's the Caravaggio that draws the biggest crowds. A classic example of the artist's brutal realism, the Madonna dei Pellegrini (Madonna of the Pilgrims) caused uproar when it was unveiled in 1604 - its portrayal of the Virgin Mary as barefoot and the pilgrims as filthy beggars was too much for the conservative tastes of the time.