A landmark sight on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, this imposing church is known to everyone as Chiesa Nuova (New Church), even if its official name is Chiesa di Santa Maria in Vallicella. Dating to the late 16th century, it sports a distinguished two-tier facade and a cavernous baroque interior, harbouring superb ceiling frescoes by Pietro da Cortona and a trio of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens.
Built in 1575 as part of a complex to house Filippo Neri’s Oratorian order, it was originally a large plain church in accordance with Neri's wishes. But when Neri died in 1595 the artists moved in – Rubens painted over the high altar and Pietro da Cortona decorated the dome, tribune and nave. Neri was canonised in 1622 and is buried in a chapel to the left of the altar.
Next to the church is Borromini’s Oratorio dei Filippini, and behind it the Torre dell’Orologio, a clock tower built to decorate the adjacent convent.