The church of St Alphonsus in Rome — home of the original icon
Where to see the original icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help — the Redemptorist church of St Alphonsus on the Via Merulana in Rome, its history and how to visit.
22 October 2026 · 2 min read
The original icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help hangs above the high altar of the church of St Alphonsus Liguori (Sant'Alfonso di Liguori) in Rome. For many pilgrims it is the high point of a visit to the city.
Where it is
The church stands at Via Merulana 26, on the Esquiline Hill, between the basilicas of St Mary Major and St John Lateran — a short walk from either. Next to it is the general house of the Redemptorists, the congregation founded by St Alphonsus Liguori in 1732.
A church built over the old St Matthew's
The Redemptorists built the church between 1855 and 1859 to designs by the Scottish architect George Wigley, in the Gothic Revival style that was then popular in Britain but rare in Rome. The land they built on included the site of the old church of St Matthew, where the icon had been venerated for three hundred years before 1798. When the Redemptorists discovered this, they asked Pope Pius IX for the icon — and in 1866 it came home to the place where it had first been honoured. You can read the full story in our history of the icon.
What you will see
The icon is enshrined high above the altar in a richly decorated frame, at the centre of the apse. Because it is small — about 54 by 42 centimetres — many visitors are surprised by how modest it is compared with the copies they know.
Visiting
- The church is usually open daily, with Masses and devotions to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Check opening times locally before you go, as they can change.
- Dress as for any church in Rome: shoulders and knees covered.
- Combine your visit with St Mary Major, which is only a few minutes' walk away.