Chiesa di Sant'Ireneo, Roma

Sant’Ireneo is the parish church on Via dei Castani in Prenestino-Centocelle. The parish was created on July seventeenth, nineteen fifty-four, through a decree issued by Cardinal Vicar Clemente Micara. Beside the entrance, an octagonal immersion font makes baptism feel especially tangible.

Nearby, a painting by Mario Barberis, made in nineteen fifty-five, tells Saint Irenaeus’s story through images of martyrdom, ancient Roman remains, the papacy, and Saint Peter’s Basilica. It hangs above a wooden altar in Neo-Gothic style, meaning a revival of medieval pointed-arch design; Cardinal Pierre-Marie Gerlier of Lyon gave that altar to the church. Since February fourteenth, twenty fifteen, Sant’Ireneo has also carried a cardinal title, held by Cardinal Charles Maung Bo.