Rome: San Luigi dei Francesi Caravaggio Self-Guided Audio Tour

Explore San Luigi dei Francesi on an approx. 45-minute self-guided audio tour focused on Caravaggio's three masterpieces on your own phone.

Getting started

Use the instant delivery by email to access your English audio guide for San Luigi dei Francesi at your chosen time. Once inside the church, open the approx. 45-minute self-guided audio tour on your own phone and connect your headphones. Start the track for the first chapel and move forward at your own pace as you follow the route.

What to expect

San Luigi dei Francesi

This active church near the heart of Rome houses three original Caravaggio paintings in a single chapel. Across roughly 45 minutes, the audio guide leads you from canvas to canvas, building the story of Saint Matthew and Caravaggio's role in shaping his image.

Features

• Access to all 3 Caravaggio masterpieces in one place lets you compare how Caravaggio portrays the life of Saint Matthew across the series. You stand in front of the original paintings while the commentary directs your gaze to key details in each work.
• Stories and historical context in English explain the secret meaning behind "The Calling of St Matthew," pointing out gestures, light, and clothing that reveal who Matthew is and what decision he faces.
• While you look at "The Martyrdom of St Matthew," the audio helps you find Caravaggio's hidden self-portrait in the crowd, describing exactly where to look and why the artist inserted himself into the scene.
• "St Matthew and the Angel" is explored through the church's reaction to Caravaggio's first version, so you understand why it was rejected and how the final painting resolved those concerns.
• Listen on your own phone at your own pace so you can pause, rewind, or spend longer with a particular painting whenever you like as you stand inside the chapel.
• Lifetime access, listen offline anytime means you can download the tour, revisit the explanations after your visit, or listen again before another trip without needing a data connection.