Interior view

Agostino Chigi's burial chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo is the most complete example of an interior built to Raphael's design. In plan, elevation and structure it might have been designed by Bramante, and indeed it follows his scheme for the dome of St Peter's, but the treatment of the detail, most notably the Corinthian capitals and the frieze connecting them, is both original and erudite. The same applies to Raphael's use of many varieties of coloured and patterned marbles for the cladding of the walls (as well as the paving, where it would have been expected). Such cladding, which was unprecedented in the Renaissance, was directly inspired by Raphael's study of ancient Roman practice; indeed the materials were all recycled from Roman ruins. His interest in colour - a marked contrast with the taste of Perugino and Bramante, his previous models - is also well illustrated by the architecture in Raphael's later paintings, especially that of the tapestry cartoons.

The use of coloured marbles in this way was to prove highly influential, not only in the later 16th century but even more so in the 17th century when continued interest in the Chigi Chapel was guaranteed by the respectful embellishments it received from Gianlorenzo Bernini.

The photo shows the interior of the chapel with Sebastiano del Piombo's altarpiece depicting the Birth of the Virgin which was begun in 1530 but left unfinished in 1534, and completed by Salviati in 1538. The altarpiece is flanked by Bernini's Daniel and the Lion (left), and Habakkuk and the Angel (right).

View the ground plan and the section of the chapel.