Basilicas in Italy—Rome—2

Basilica of St. Chrysogonus in Trastevere, Rome

Church of a cardinal and a Station church

This church was originally built in the 4th Century to honor a 4th Century martyr.  It was rebuilt in a Romanesque style in the 12th Century and in a Baroque style in the 17th Century.  At one time, the pope was guarded by Corsicans (prior to the Swiss Guards) and some are buried in the church.  There are also frescoes from the 8th and 11th centuries.  The church has been the church of a cardinal since at least 499 (at least two later became pope) and is now administered by the Order of the Most Holy Trinity.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, Rome

Church of a cardinal and a Station church

The church was built in the early 4th Century to house relics of the Passion of Our Lord that were brought to Rome by St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine I.  The floor has soil from Jerusalem, hence the name.  The church was renovated in a Baroque style in the 18th Century.  It has been the church of a cardinal since 523.  Among the relics are three pieces of the True Cross of Christ, one of the four nails used to crucify Jesus, and two thorns from the Crown of Thorns.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome

Church of a cardinal and a Station church

The church was originally built in the 6th Century to house the relics of two Apostles—Philip and James the Less.  It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1348 and abandoned for a century.  It has been renovated several times and was rebuilt in the 18th Century in a Baroque style.  It is the mother church of the Conventual Franciscan Order whose world headquarters is next door.  It has been the church of a cardinal since at least 1059, one of whom became Pope Clement XIV, who is buried here in a tomb by Antonio Canova.  There is also a cardinal’s tomb, possibly attributed to Michelangelo who was briefly buried here himself.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Eustace, Rome

Church of a cardinal and a Station church

A church was built here in the 8th Century to honor a 2nd Century Christian martyr.  It is likely that the martyrdom happened at this location.  Then as now it has a special mission to help the poor and needy.  The church was restored in the 12th Century and often visited by St. Philip Neri in the 16th Century.  It was rebuilt in a Baroque style in the 18th Century although it retained the 12th Century Romanesque campanile.  The basilica has been the church of a cardinal since the 7th Century.  When he was a cardinal, Pope Benedict XV often preached here as his mother lived across the street.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Sts. John and Paul on Celian Hill, Rome

Church of a cardinal and a Station church

This church was built in 398 on the site of the martyrdom and burial of John and Paul, brothers and soldiers who were killed in 362.  The church was sacked by the Visigoths in 410 and the Normans in 1084.  It has been restored several times, notably in 1715 and 1951.  The church is the burial place of St. Paul of the Cross and is administered by the Passionists.  It has been the church of a cardinal since at least 1200 and three of the cardinals became pope, including Pope Pius XII.  Four of the cardinals were Archbishops of New York.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Lawrence in Damaso, Rome

Church of a cardinal and a Station church

There was probably a church here as early as the 4th Century, but the current Renaissance church was built between the 15th and 18th Centuries.  It is partially built from stones from old Roman buildings, including the Colosseum.  The design may have been by Donato Bramante, who designed St. Peter’s Basilica.  It was briefly deconsecrated under French rule in the early 19th Century but was restored in 1820.  Two popes are buried in the church.  It has been the church of a cardinal since at least 1044.

The top picture is from a local source and the others are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mark the Evangelist, Rome

Church of a cardinal and Station church

The church was built in 336 and rebuilt in 833, although changes have been made over the centuries.  The current interior is Baroque thanks to 17th and 18th Century renovations.  It has been the church of a cardinal since at least 1059.  Six of the cardinals went on to become pope, including Pope John Paul I.

The top picture is from a local source and the others are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Martyrs (the Pantheon), Rome

Church of a cardinal

The Pantheon was opened as a Roman temple to all the Roman gods in 126.  It was converted to a Catholic church in 609 and dedicated to Our Blessed Mother and all Christian martyrs.  The Pantheon has the largest dome constructed with concrete that is not reinforced, and its 16 columns were brought from Egypt.  It remains a prime example of ancient Roman architecture and has inspired western architecture for centuries.  It became the church of a cardinal in 1725 and contains the tombs of several notable Italians, including Victor Emmanuel II (the first king of Italy) and Raphael (the 16th Century painter).

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary of the People, Rome

Church of a cardinal

A church was built here in the 11th Century (there is a legend about its origin described in Wikipedia).  The current church was built in the 15th Century in a Renaissance style.  The church is administered by the Augustinians and has a painting of the Madonna attributed to St. Luke.  The church enjoyed the patronage of several popes and thus Bramante embellished the church in the 16th Century and Gian Bernini gave it a Baroque look in the 17th Century.  There are paintings by Raphael and Caravaggio.  This has been the church of a cardinal since 1587—one went on to become pope.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar in Heaven, Rome

Church of a cardinal

A Roman temple was once on this site and later a Byzantine monastery.  The foundation of the current church was laid in 574. The Franciscans added Romanesque and Gothic features in the 13th Century.  The church has relics of St. Helena and from the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.  One pope and Brother Juniper (one of the first Franciscans) are buried in the church.  It has been the church of a cardinal since 1517—one became pope.  It is thought that Edward Gibbon was inspired to write Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire while visiting this church in 1764.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilicas in Italy—Rome—1

This blog will not discuss the four major basilicas in Rome:  St. Peter’s in Vatican City, St. John Lateran in Rome, St. Mary Major in Rome, and St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.  I discussed St. John Lateran, the Pope’s cathedral as Bishop of Rome, on October 8, 2020.  Information on all of these are found in any guidebook to Rome and on the internet. 

This blog and the ones following will discuss the 60+ minor basilicas in Rome.  Unless otherwise noted, these have been considered basilicas for centuries.  Some are churches of cardinals (each cardinal has a church in Rome) and some are Station churches.  Since the 4th Century, pilgrims have come to Rome during Lent to visit various churches each night.  There are 40 of these Station churches, including the four major basilicas.  See George Weigel’s book, Roman Pilgrimage:  The Station Churches.

Papal Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, Rome

Station church

The Emperor Constantine I built a small chapel here to mark the burial place of St. Lawrence who was martyred in 258.  Other churches followed until the current 13th Century one was built, which is actually a combination of two earlier churches.  It was bombed by American forces during the Second World War but has been restored.  It is the burial place of St. Lawrence, St. Stephen (the first Christian martyr), five popes, and one Italian prime minister.

The first picture is from a local source and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Agnes Outside the Walls, Rome

Church of a cardinal

The church is dedicated to St. Agnes, martyred in 304.  Emperor Constantine built a church here in 342 which was replaced in the 7th Century.  The church has been restored and embellished several times since then.  St. Agnes (and her sister) are buried here.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Anastasia at Palatino, Rome

Church of a cardinal and a Station church

The church was originally built in the 4th Century on the slopes of the Palatine Hill but the current church was primarily constructed in a Baroque style in the 17th Century.  It is dedicated to St. Anastasia, a 4th Century martyr who is buried here.  St. Jerome is thought to have resided near the church.  It is the national church for the local Peruvian community and since 2020 has been a church for the Syro-Malabar Rite.  During World Youth Day in 2000, the church contained 700,000 hosts that were later received during the Mass.  The church has been assigned to a cardinal since the 12th Century.

The top picture is from Alamy and the others are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Balbina on the Aventine Hill, Rome

Church of a cardinal and a Station church

The origin of the building dates to the home of a 2nd Century wealthy Roman that was converted to a church in the 4th Century.  The church has been updated many times over the centuries.  Father Simpliciano of the Nativity founded the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts here in 1875 and today their convent, attached to the church, helps women escape from lives of prostitution.  It has been the church of a cardinal since at least the 11th Century.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, Rome

Church of a cardinal

The church was originally built in 980 on an island in the Tiber River to house the remains of St. Bartholomew, the Apostle.  Several renovations have been made, including a 17th Century renovation using Romanesque and Baroque styles.  Since 1999, it has housed relics of modern day martyrs.  It has been the church of a cardinal since 1517.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Boniface and St. Alexius, Rome

Church of a cardinal

This church on the Aventine Hill was originally built in the 3rd and 4th Centuries.  Dedicated to St. Boniface of Tarsus and St. Alexius of Rome, the church has been renovated several times.  Today it is Baroque and Romanesque. The church has a painting of the Madonna thought to have been painted by St. Luke and a fresco dating to 1100.  The church has been a titular church for a cardinal since 1587.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome

Church of a cardinal and Station church

St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music, was martyred around 220.  This church is thought to have been built at the location of her family home.  The church was built in the 5th Century but has been rebuilt and renovated several times since then.  It now has a Baroque style.  St. Cecilia (and her husband, St. Valerian) are buried here.  The church has many mosaics and frescoes and has been the church of a cardinal since 1059.  Four of these cardinals went on to become pope (and one became an anti-pope.)

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Sts. Celso and Giuliano, Rome

A church has been here since the early 11th Century but the current Baroque church was completed in 1735.  It was once the church of high-level Vatican officials.  Eugenio Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII, was baptized here in 1876.  It is now administered by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

The top picture is from Dreamstime and the rest are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Clement at the Lateran, Rome

Church of a cardinal and a Station church

Several ancient Roman buildings occupied this site until the first church was built in the 4th Century.  The current Romanesque church was built between 1108 and 1123 and renovated with some Baroque elements in the 17th Century.  It is dedicated to St. Clement, the fourth pope.  He is buried here as is St. Cyril.  It has been the titular church of a cardinal since at least 1049.  It has been administered by Irish Dominicans since 1667 and is the national church for the Irish community in Rome.  The basilica has a large collection of early medieval wall paintings.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, Rome

Church of a cardinal and a Station church

A Roman temple was built at this site in the early 4th Century and became a church in 537.  The church is dedicated to Cosmas and Damian, 3rd Century brothers, physicians, and martyrs in modern-day Turkey (and who are buried here).  The church has been restored over the years, most notably in the 17th Century.  It is adjacent to the Roman Forum and is the main church of the Franciscan Third Order Regular.  The church has several 6th and 7th Christian mosaics.  During the Middle Ages, the church offered help to the poor and to pilgrims.  It has been a titular church for a cardinal since at least 1106.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.