The Madonna of Vallicella adored by St. Gregory with St. Maurus, and St. Papianus; St. Domitilla, with St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, 1607

Rubens painted this complex devotional altarpiece for the Oratorian church of Santa Maria in Vallicella in Rome around 1606-1608, depicting the Madonna of Vallicella adored by Saints Gregory, Maurus, Papianus, Domitilla, Nereus, and Achilleus. The commission was among the most prestigious available to Rubens during his Italian period — the Oratory of Philip Neri was at the heart of Counter-Reformation devotional life — and he painted three versions before the congregation was satisfied. The final painting demonstrated his ability to organize an extraordinarily complex multi-figure composition within a unified devotional atmosphere, combining the Counter-Reformation's emphasis on emotional engagement with the Baroque's formal grandeur.

The composition arranges saints and angels around the central Madonna in a dynamic pyramidal arrangement. Rubens' warm palette and the dramatic contrast between heavenly and earthly zones demonstrate his synthesis of Italian influences.

This altarpiece from 1606-07 remains in its original location in the Chiesa Nuova, Rome. The in-situ installation has exposed it to centuries of candle soot and environmental fluctuations. Multiple restoration campaigns have addressed surface accretions while maintaining the relationship between painting and architecture.