Up until fairly recently I had a love-hate relationship with the church of San Clemente. It is easily one of the most fascinating churches in Rome, a twelfth century basilica built on top of a fourth century basilica that was itself constructed over Ancient Roman buildings dating back to the…
The Santa Costanza is a little gem. Located on the Via Nomentana, just a stone’s throw away from the Sant’Agnese fuori le Mura, it is not frequented much by tourists and I was in fact the only visitor when I visited the church in January 2017. The edifice used to…
There are two churches in Rome dedicated to Saint Agnes, a very popular early fourth century martyr. The best-known of the two, the Sant’Agnese in Agone, can be found on the Piazza Novana in the historical centre of Rome. This is the site of the ancient Stadium of Domitianus, where…
A few months ago, I saw the documentary St. Peter’s and the Papal Basilicas of Rome at the cinema. It was excellent, but I do have one bone to pick: the documentary suggests that there are four papal basilicas in Rome, while in fact there are five. We have Saint…
It is not difficult to rattle off pages about the Santa Maria in Aracoeli. The church has a long history and it is chock-full of beautiful art. Although there are a lot of Baroque ornaments, the Santa Maria in Aracoeli is an interesting mix of medieval and more modern elements.…
The San Lorenzo in Lucina is one of many churches in Rome dedicated to Saint Lawrence. Lawrence was a church deacon who was martyred in 258 during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Valerianus. He can very well be considered historical, much unlike the many legends that surround him. Tradition…
I stumbled upon this lovely little church by chance. It is located directly behind the Santa Maria dell’Anima, not far from the Piazza Navona. The most intriguing exterior feature of the church is its facade, and especially the round portico designed by Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) in the seventeenth century.…
The Santa Maria Antiqua is a little jewel on the edge of the Forum Romanum. It is a ruined sixth century church that is no longer used for religious services. The church can be visited on the ticket that gives access to the Forum, and at the moment it should…
The Santa Francesca Romana is located on the north-eastern edge of the Forum Romanum, close to the Colosseum. Confusingly, the official name of this church is actually Santa Maria Nova. The name means “New Saint Mary’s” and suggests that there is or was an “Old Saint Mary’s” as well. That…
There are two churches in Trastevere that anyone should visit: the Santa Maria in Trastevere and the Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. The San Crisogono, also in Trastevere, cannot hope to match those two in terms of art of history, but it is interesting in its own right. The church is…
It just wasn’t my day. I had wanted to see the Santa Balbina church on the Aventine first and then proceed to the Santi Nereo e Achilleo near the Baths of Caracalla. Both turned out to be closed at the advertised opening hours, which was rather frustrating. I continued my…
This is a lovely little temple-like church nested against the slope of the Palatine Hill. It is not far from the San Giorgio in Velabro. Like the San Giorgio, it is dedicated to a specifically eastern saint, Saint Theodorus (Theodore in English). As I have discussed previously, there were more…
The Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill is best admired from the Giardino degli Aranci (Orange Garden), a lovely park located just north of the church. The park has a terrace near the edge of the hill, which offers a panoramic view of the city, and especially of Trastevere on…
It is easy to confuse the church of San Saba with the Santa Sabina. The names are almost identical, and both are located on the Aventine Hill, at a distance of some 800 metres of one another. I myself mixed up the two when I wrote about the Sienese cardinal…
Many years ago, my better half and I were having lunch at a small restaurant in the Via dei Santi Quattro, just behind the Colosseum. I received a text message from a friend, who asked whether I was interested in going out for a drink that evening. That was a…
In January 2017, I returned to the San Paolo fuori le Mura, one of the five papal basilicas in Rome.[1] I had previously visited the basilica in 2011 and was eager to see it again. The San Paolo is the third most important church in the city, preceded only by…
Yes, Rome has her own church of San Vitale. It is nowhere near as famous nor as fascinating as its namesake in Ravenna, but if you happen to be in the vicinity, make sure you check it out. The church is located on the busy Via Nazionale and can hardly…
It is difficult to imagine that this imposing cylindrical drum on a large square platform was once the tomb of the Roman Emperor Hadrianus (117-138), also known as Hadrian. The original decorations are all gone and the structure was turned into a formidable fortress long ago. It has also served…
The San Francesco is small church in Trastevere, located near the western shore (ripa) of the river Tiber. It is of course dedicated to none other than Saint Franciscus of Assisi, one of the best-known and most important saints in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. His preaching was…
I have previously discussed three churches on the Caelian Hill: the Santi Giovanni e Paolo, the Santa Maria in Domnica and the Santo Stefano Rotondo. One church is still missing: the San Gregorio Magno. If you approach the Caelian Hill from the Circus Maximus, this is the first church you…