The Basilica of San Clemente is quite simply one of the most stunning sites in all of Rome, and one of the city’s best-kept secrets. This three-tiered complex just two blocks from the coliseum takes visitors on a colorful journey through time layer-by-layer reveals the secrets of Rome’s history.
The upper church was built around 1100 when the original church was burned during the Norman sack of the Rome in 1084 – it is adorned with a dazzling display of medieval mosaics and frescos.
San Clemente was already mentioned in the fourth-century writings of St Jerome, and was expanded shortly after as Christianity became Rome’s official religion. The lower basilica contains one of the largest collections of early Christian frescoes as well as some fascinating artifacts of the end of the Roman Empire. Long forgotten under the churches foundations, these treasures were only revealed the 19th century.
Another staircase down from the lower basilica reveals the breathtaking experience of standing in ancient Rome: before your eye lies the private home of the martyr Titus Flavius Clemens, where clandestine Christian worship was conducted in the first century AD. Next door, the remains of a small temple and school dedicated to the eastern cult of Mithras, a fascinating example of the diversity of cultures and religious practices in Rome’s ancient heyday.
The Irish Dominicans have been the caretakers of San Clemente since 1667 and commenced excavations in 1857. The site also contains several memorials to Saints Cyril and Methodius, who created the first Slavic alphabet, a precursor to modern Cyrillic, and Christianized the Slavic peoples. Check out the Basilica’s excellent English website basilicasanclemente.com