Order excursions Online. Basilica of Saint Clement - a multi-tiered ancient temple in Rome San Clemente

From an architectural and historical point of view, the Basilica of St. Clement, mentioned in chronicles since the end of the 4th century, is one of the most remarkable churches in Rome. The first basilica was almost buried under the ashes of a fire that broke out in Rome after the Norman raid in 1084. In the 12th century, at the insistence of Pope Pasquale II, another building was erected over the ruined old building. The new temple was built on the model of the ancient one, and inherited from it the simplicity of forms, as well as some architectural details that could be preserved. Thus, despite all subsequent reconstructions, the temple bears the typical features of the early Christian church. Due to the fact that it was impossible to repeat the dimensions of the first building of the basilica, because the foundation of its right nave was very badly destroyed, the new right nave was made already the left one. However, the asymmetry of the church does not detract from its artistic and historical value.

Firstly, in addition to the general architectural structure, frescoes of amazing freshness have been preserved from the first church, which are perhaps the first example of a visual transition from Latin to Italian. The protagonist of the frescoes is Saint Clement. The plot of one of the frescoes is dedicated to the salvation of the baby, the second - the arrival of the relics of the saint in Rome, in the central nave depicts the comic story of the Roman prefect, the pagan Sisinnius. According to legend, Saint Clement converted Theodora, the wife of Sisinnius, to Christianity by persuading her to take a vow of chastity. The dissatisfied Sisinnius, who suspects his wife of having a relationship with a preacher, makes a scandal in the church, for which he is expelled from the church - this is what the upper part of the fresco tells about. Below is a scene where Sisinnius orders the servants to throw the saint out of the house, the same in retaliation blinds the servants of the prefect, as a result of which they throw a fragment of the column out of the house. Not only does the whole fresco look very much like a comic book, as replicas fly out of the mouths of the characters, it also contains the first inscriptions that have survived to this day in Volgar - colloquial Italian. For example, Sisinius shouts to the servants: “Fili de le pute, traite!”, which means “Son of bitches, pull!”. Other vulgar expressions, with which the blinded servants swear under the weight of the column, are also depicted in the fresco.

In addition to comic frescoes, the interior of the Basilica of St. Clement is replete with other significant details. The mosaic floor of the church in the cosmatesco style and the magnificent sparkling mosaic of the Tree of Life of the 12th century, depicting birds of paradise and deer at a watering hole, are very interesting. Also noteworthy are the carved choirs of the 12th century, the wonderful Chapel of Santa Caterina, painted by Masolino, with scenes from the life of the learned beauty of St. Catherine of Alexandria. At the very end of the left nave is the tomb of St. Cyril, the creator of the Slavic alphabet.

Visitors to the Basilica of St. Clement today have the opportunity to go down - to the level of the III century, and inspect the ancient temple of Mithra, discovered not so long ago, which stood on this site in imperial times. At the back of the room is a white marble altar with a bas-relief depicting Mithra, the god of light, killing a bull. Here you can hear the sound of an underground river and see with your own eyes the full depth of the cultural layers that cover Rome.

The Basilica of San Clemente has been around since 384. The church was built on the site of the house that belonged to the holy martyr
Clement, Pope of Rome (91-100), shortly after the death of the saint, who followed in Chersonese Tauride, where he was exiled, by order of Trajan. She saw the difficult years of the city, the raids of Alaric and other barbarian troops, the fire during the capture of Rome by the Normans in 1084, and a lot of things in her lifetime. It stands between the Colosseum and San Laterano, since the middle of the 19th century, archaeological excavations have been carried out here, during which the very first basilica was found, and under it even more ancient buildings of the 1st century. What we see now is a 12th century building.
The basilica is named after Pope Clement, whose relics were brought from the Crimea by Cyril and Methodius, the famous enlighteners. In 1869 Cyril was also buried here.

Let us give the floor to Stendhal, who visited here on October 15, 1828.
"You will have to remember this church if you ever seriously want to study the great mechanism of civilization and the idea of ​​eternal bliss, which is called "Christianity". In this respect, the church of San Clemente is the most curious in Rome.
The porch, whose borders in 417 (Stendhal believed that the basilica was founded in 417) was not crossed by sinners unworthy to be with other believers, is now a small portico in front of San Clemente with four columns (work of the 9th century). Next comes the courtyard, surrounded by a portico, where Christians were located, whose conscience was not in the best condition.
The church in the proper sense of the word is divided into three naves by two rows of columns taken from different pagan buildings. in the middle
there is a white marble fence with the monogram of Pope John the 8th, who ruled in 872 ...
In San Clemente, the sanctuarium, located in the same way as in the churches of the Greek religion, is completely separated from the rest of the church. There are the chairs of the bishop who conducts the service, and the priests who helped him during the service. "

In the basilica, you can see Christian mosaics from the 12th century and paintings by Masaccio.
The huge mosaic in the apse was made in the 12th century, but researchers believe that it repeated an earlier, 5th century one.

The main motif of the mosaic is the Tree of Life, lost by people and regained, thanks to the coming of Jesus Christ. In the center is an image of the crucified Christ. The 12 doves sitting on the cross symbolized the 12 apostles.

The branches of the vine, growing from the cross, picturesquely stretch over the entire surface of the mosaic. In the branches you can see birds, flowers and people. Four human figures, dressed in white and black robes, are signed: these are the Latin Fathers of the Church, Blessed Augustine and Jerome, Saints Gregory the Great and Ambrose of Milan.

Below is the source of living water, which Revelation speaks of (“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb” (Rev. 22: 1).) Deer or fallow deer quench their thirst from the source - image test of Psalm 41: "As a doe desires to streams of water, so my soul desires to You, O God!"

The triumphal arch that precedes the apse was also made in the 12th century. In the center is an image of Christ Pantocrator, holding the Gospel with one hand and blessing the faithful with the other.

He is surrounded by four symbolic creatures from Revelation, traditionally depicting the four Evangelists: a calf (Matthew), a lion (Mark), an angel (Luke) and an eagle) John the Theologian. On one side of Christ and beings are Isaiah, calling to bless “the Lord who sits on a high and exalted throne” (Is. 6: 1), the apostle Paul and the great martyr Lawrence, who “learned from Paul to accept the Cross” (the inscriptions on the scrolls are quoted, held in the hands of the saints).

On the other hand, Jeremiah is depicted, asserting: “This is our God, and no one else can compare with Him” (Var.3.36), Clement and the apostle Peter, calling Clement “to look at Christ, whom I (that is, Peter) preached to you »

There are older frescoes in the basilica.

The Chapel of Saint Catherine was erected between 1411 and 1431, when its founder, Cardinal Branda di Catiglione, was Cardinal Priest of San Clemente. The chapel is painted by masters of thought: Masolino and Masaccio, there is still no clear division of authorship.
Stendhal highly appreciates Masaccio: "The virtues of this artist can only be understood by living two years in Italy. Masaccio died 42 years old, probably from poison (in 1443). This is one of the greatest losses that art has ever suffered. If Masaccio had been born a hundred years later, when painting had already created great examples, he would have become a rival to Raphael, possessing an equal genius with him.
The fresco is really very harmonious in color and composition.

The Basilica of Saint Clement (Basilica di San Clemente) is a church worth visiting for anyone who wants to feel that " The eternal City", not a figure of speech, but a reflection of reality.

In this small church, located east of (Colloseo), under the quite usual appearance of the Italian seicento, lies a real storehouse of Christian shrines, works of art and a layer of historical layers from Emperor Nero to the 18th century.

Do not be surprised, but it is the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome that is the place where you can bow even to Orthodox saints. Under its vaults, the relics of St. Clement, the fourth bishop of Rome, who was martyred in the Inkerman quarries, and Cyril, one of the Slavic enlighteners who gave us the ABC, are found.

Clement's tomb is in the lower church, as the basilica is a staircase to the past and is not a figure of speech. Going down deep into the temple, you can travel from today to the era.

History and description

For half a millennium of decoration, the Basilica of St. Clement has turned into a real jewelry box. Richer than her in Rome, only St. Peter's Cathedral (Basilica di San Pietro). But that's not all that is amazing about this church in Rome. Thanks to the curiosity of the prior of the church, Joseph Maury, archaeological excavations began in the middle of the 19th century, which made it possible to discover elements of an early Christian basilica under medieval buildings.

The Church of St. Clement is a unique sacred place. According to modern archaeologists, it became known that the structure of the building is a kind of pyramid containing three tiers of buildings:

• lower (I - III centuries AD);
• middle (4th century AD);
• upper (XII - our days).

Lower level

During the excavations of the early Christian basilica, archaeologists were waiting for more amazing finds dating back to the 1st-3rd centuries AD.

A temple of Mithras dating back to the 3rd century was excavated. From it remained a triclinium - a long grotto with a vaulted ceiling, stone benches for adepts and an altar depicting Mithra - an ancient deity personifying sunlight, harmony and friendship.

After diverting water from the foundation, it was possible to dig up the ruins of civil buildings burned by Nero in the year 64. It was possible to find out that one of the buildings belonged to the Roman consul Titus Flavius ​​Clement. He was a secret Christian and was executed during the reign of Emperor Domitian. It is possible that it was his name that was considered by the builders of the early Christian basilica as a kind of sacred sign to perpetuate the memory of St. Clement, the fourth Pope.

On the tomb of St. Clement, located in the lower church of this extraordinary religious building, an anchor is drawn. This is a symbol of the instrument of his execution - he was drowned by order of Emperor Troyan for preaching Christianity in hard labor, where he was sent from Rome for refusing to fulfill pagan requirements.

Average level

The middle tier of the basilica contains a badly damaged early Christian church, built around the 4th century AD, which was damaged during the Norman invasion.

It is noteworthy that the street adjacent to the Basilica of St. Clement is called Via dei Normanni. The ruined temple was filled up, and everything that was saved was transferred to a new building. During the excavations, superbly preserved frescoes were discovered. One of them tells about the misadventures of the Roman prefect Sisinius, whose wife took a vow of chastity at the prompting of St. Clement.

We can say that this fresco is a medieval comic book. Phrases belonging to the characters depicted are almost obscene. One of them, the most loyal, reads: "Trahite, fili de puta!" (“Drag, you sons of bitches”), - so Sisinius orders the servants to expel Clement from his house. These inscriptions have become a material confirmation of the existence of the early and are a linguistic monument.

In the 9th century, the Basilica of San Clemente finally became the repository of the relics of the saint who gave it its name. Orthodox saints Cyril and Methodius managed to find the remains on the territory of the Crimea and delivered them to the Italian capital. Pontiff Adrian II accepted the sacred gift and placed it in a sarcophagus kept in the middle tier of the basilica. In the winter of 869, Cyril died in Rome and, at the insistence of the Pope, was buried in San Clemente.

The tomb of Cyril Equal to the Apostles is located to the left of the altar (to the south). This place was turned into a "Slavic corner", where Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians, Russians, Ukrainians installed commemorative plaques in gratitude to their educator.

Top level

Entering through the door of the basilica, visitors enter the realm of the splendor of the early (seichento). Built according to the standard design - a long narrow nave with a vault on pillars, this church is decorated with all possible pomp. Magnificent bas-reliefs, paintings, frescoes, marble mosaic floor. In the apse of the basilica, a mosaic panel of the 12th century depicting the tree of life attracts attention: birds of paradise, deer at a watering hole, heavenly Jerusalem.

The floors of the temple are decorated with magnificent cosmatesco mosaics, and the ceilings are decorated with coffered tiles with drawings (XVIII century). The walls of San Clemente are decorated with a cycle of 10 frescoes dedicated to the deeds of the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius, as well as Ignatius the Theologian and St. Clement. The main decoration of the apse of the basilica is the fresco "Cross - Tree of Life". It depicts Jesus Christ on the crucifix, surrounded by birds, flowers, vines (XII century). The beauty of execution and the multifaceted symbolism of the paintings fascinate and make a deep impression.

How to get there, opening hours

Address: Via Labicana, 95, Roma

You can get on, go to Colosseo station, and then walk southeast, along Via di San Jiovanni in Laterano. Almost invisible on the cobblestone street, use Via dei Normanni as a guide. After another block, turn left onto Piazza di San Clemente. Just around the corner you will see a gate with a gable roof and a marble plaque above it.

• Temple opening hours: services are held from Monday to Saturday at 8:00 and 18:30 in Italian; on Saturdays at 9:30 - services in Latin (October-June);
• Mitrium opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 12:30 and from 15:00 to 18:00;
• Ticket price to Mitrium: full - 5 euros, for students under the age of 26 - 3.5 euros. From July 1, 2015 the price of tickets will be changed!
• Official site: www.basilicasanclemente.com

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) is one of the first Christian basilicas in the city. The church is dedicated to Pope Clement, who lived at the dawn of Christianity.

Church history

Inside, San Clemente is beautifully decorated, but it is better known due to the fact that it also contains the remains of the ancient temple of the 3rd century, on the site of which San Clemente was built. After visiting the church, you can also go down to the lower level of the building and explore the archaeological excavation area, which will take the visitor back to the times of Ancient Rome.

At the end of the first century AD, there was a Roman insula on the site of San Clemente, which eventually became a meeting place for the first Christians. This community of Christians was known under the name titulus Clementis, which, according to Roman tradition, most likely denoted the name of the owner of the building. Some believe that it was the Roman consul Titus Flavius ​​Clement.

At the end of the third century courtyard this insula was turned into a temple of Mithras, whose cult was very popular at that time. Some time later, a basilica was built over this courtyard of the inuslu. After the persecution of Christians ceased in Rome, the temple of Mithras was turned into a Christian basilica. The remains of this particular basilica can be seen today in the area of ​​archaeological excavations.

It was a very revered church at the dawn of Christianity. In the 5th century, two ecclesiastical councils were held in San Clemente. In the 6th, 8th and 9th centuries, they were rebuilt and restored. In 1084, the church was badly damaged during the Norman attack on. By this time the church level of the church was five meters below the level of Rome, and the San Clement building itself was unsafe. Thus, it was decided to build a new one on top of the old church, which was done in 1108.

Church architecture

This church has survived to this day almost unchanged. In the 18th century, San Clemente was restored, and in the 19th century, excavations began on the first Christian basilica. upper church is one of the most richly decorated churches in Rome. Visitors can view 12th-century mosaics, Renaissance frescoes, and richly decorated tombs.

In the lower level of the church of San Clemente, you can see the remains of the Roman insula, altar of the Temple of Mithras, and the remains of the first Christian basilica. Also in the church are the relics of the Enlightener Cyril.

Church of San Clemente on the map

When planning a trip to Rome, I wanted to see the Roman catacombs - old ruins that are underground. All the guidebooks said that getting there is extremely difficult. In one of them there was a mention of the Basilica of St. Clement.

Basilica of Saint Clement

The Basilica of St. Clement very clearly shows how long people have been living in. It is here that you realize that Rome is not just an ancient city. This is a city that has been the center of European civilization for almost three thousand years. It has had its ups and downs. But the best engineers and artists of different eras have filled this city with so many masterpieces that no other city in the world has.

I would not say that the Church of St. Clement is a masterpiece, but going down three floors, you can go through the history of Rome in one hour. It looks like an ordinary church, with a baroque facade. It is neither the largest nor the most beautiful in Rome, its façade dates from the 18th century.

Church of the IV century and the relics of St. Cyril

However, the church has its own secret. If you go down several floors underground, you can find yourself in an earlier church. Here was one of the early Christian churches, built in the 4th century and discovered during excavations in the 19th century. And here we find another surprise - the relics of St. Cyril. This saint is one of the authors of the modern Russian alphabet. Here in the middle of the dungeon there are inscriptions of gratitude from the Slavic peoples.

We can say that Cyril was the first Protestant, because it is to him that we owe the fact that the Orthodox Bible is in Slavonic, and not in Latin. It is believed that the brothers Cyril and Methodius compiled the Old Slavonic alphabet in 863. It was in Bulgaria that the main liturgical books were translated into this language. The time of the invention of the Slavic alphabet is evidenced by the legend of the Bulgarian monk Chernorizets the Brave, a contemporary of Tsar Simeon, “On Writings”

Temple of Mithra and the houses of the Romans.

But there is another underground level in the basilica, and here you can see the remains of more ancient city. Around the first century AD. At that time, this place was the temple of Mithra and the Mithraic school. Here you can visit a small room with benches on the sides and an altar in the middle. The buildings themselves are small and passage inside is prohibited. But you can see the altar with the image of Mithra killing the bull.

“The killing of the bull, symbolized by the knife, releases at the spring equinox the vital essences of the earth - the blood of the bull, which, of the Sun, fertilizes the seeds of living things. Dogs were sacred in the cult of Mithra as symbols of sincerity and devotion. the snake as the emblem of Ahriman, the Spirit of Evil, and water rats were dedicated to him. The bull esoterically signified the constellation Taurus; the snake, the Zodiac, is represented by the constellation Scorpio; the sun, Mithra, comes in from the side of the bull, kills the celestial being, and nourishes the universe.” http://carabaas.livejournal.com/1068617.html

Imagine that people have been praying in this place for two thousand years!

So, if there is a desire to walk underground, through the narrow streets ancient rome, then you are here. In addition, here, under your feet, you can hear another level - this is water flowing through the ancient Roman sewer ("cesspool of massima"). Here are the remains of the city, which died in a fire during the time of Nero.

Rome has not always been a rich and prosperous city. And when he was worried better times buildings collapsed. This happened with the ancient Basilica of St. Clement - her roof collapsed. But when the city revived again, the church was built on the same spot. So it turned out that the church is multi-level. And Rome is like that.