Rome, Italy, Jul 22, 2020 / 14:21 pm
There are many Catholic churches in Rome, but few can boast of having been built through the contributions of Catholics around the world as a gift to the pope.
San Gioacchino ai Prati di Castello is an exception.
Sitting less than a mile from St. Peter's Basilica, San Gioacchino (St. Joachim in English), was built as a gift to Pope Leo XIII for the celebration of his 50th anniversary of priesthood.
The pope, whose birth name was Gioacchino Pecci, had expressed the desire for a church in Rome dedicated to his patron, since none yet existed. He put the project under the direction of a French abbot, Antonio Brugidou.