The church of Santa Maria degli Angeli was built inside the ruined frigidarium of the Roman Baths of Diocletian in the Piazza della Repubblica. Michelangelo Buonarroti worked from 1562 to 1564 to adapt a section of the remaining structure of the baths to enclose a church. The present opulent interior is the result of a major reworking by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century, which obscures Michelangelo's intentions.
