| Santi Nereo ed Achilleo | |
|---|---|
 Façade of the basilica of Santi Nereo ed Achilleo | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| 41°52′49″N12°29′41″E / 41.8802°N 12.4948°E /41.8802; 12.4948 | |
| Location | 28 Via delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Religious institute | Oratorians |
| History | |
| Status | Titular church |
| Dedication | Saints Nereus and Achilleus |
Santi Nereo ed Achilleo is a fourth-centurybasilicachurch in Rome, Italy, located in via delle Terme di Caracalla in therioneCelio facing the main entrance to theBaths of Caracalla. It has been the titular church of CardinalCelestino Aós Braco since 28 November 2020. Unusually it is part of a detached portion of the parish ofChiesa Nuova rather than the local geographical parish ofSan Saba and is served byOratorians as a satellite of the Roman Oratory.
The underground basilica church at theCatacombs of Domitilla on theAppian Way, virtually lost in the early Middle Ages and rediscovered in the 1870s by the archaeologistGiovanni Battista de Rossi, carries the same dedication to Nereo and Achilleo.[1]
A 337 epitaph inscription[2] in theBasilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura celebrates the late Cinnamius Opas,lector of a church known asTitulus Fasciolae;[3] the name has traditionally been explained as the place whereSt. Peter lost the foot bandage (fasciola) that wrapped the wounds caused by his chains, on his way to escape theMamertine Prison.[4] In the acts of thesynod ofPope Symmachus, in 499, theTitulus Fasciolae is recorded as served by five priests. This same building is recorded astitulus Sanctorum Nerei et Achillei in 595; therefore the dedications toSaints Nereus and Achilleus, two soldiers and martyrs of the 4th century, must date to the sixth century.
In 814,Pope Leo III rebuilt the oldtitulus. In the 13th century the relics of the two martyrs were transferred from theCatacomb of Domitilla to the Sant'Adriano, whence they were transferred to this church by Cardinal Baronius.[5]
The church structure fell into near ruin over the centuries, and in 1320, according to the Catalogue of Turin, it was a presbyterial title with no priest serving. SoPope Sixtus IV restored the church in occasion of theJubilee of 1475, while the Jubilee of 1600 was the occasion for the last major restoration, funded by the scholarlyantiquarian CardinalCesare Baronio, who commissioned the frescoes.
Behind its unassuming facade the church is built according to the typicalbasilica plan, with a single nave and two side aisles. The original columns were replaced in the 15th century by octagonal pillars, and the nave is characterized by the large fresco decorations commissioned byCardinal Baronio.
The cardinal in his iconographic scheme timed for the 1600 Jubilee emphasized the role of the Roman martyrs during the early centuries of Christianity. The execution of the frescoes was entrusted to a minor painter, generally thought to beNiccolò Circignani, called "Pomarancio".[6] The bright frescoes often depict violent martyrdom scenes.
The medievalambo is set on a large, porphyry urn taken from the nearbyBaths of Caracalla. The low screen separating the choir is faced with 13th-centuryCosmatesque style inlays. A white marble candelabra has been brought here from San Paolo fuori le Mura.[7] Theciborium, dating to the 16th century, is raised on African marble columns.
The spandrels of the arch at the end of the nave retains some of the former mosaics of the time of Leo III, with a centralTransfiguration in amandorla. Thehigh altar, made of three Cosmatesque panels, houses the relics of Nereus, Achilleus, and ofSt Flavia Domitilla; all three of them were brought here from the Catacomb of Domitilla. Next to the altar there are two pagan stones depicting two winged spirits, taken from a nearby temple.
In theapse behind the altar is the episcopal throne assembled under the direction of the antiquary Cardinal Baronius, reusing lions, in the Cosmatesque style that is associated with theVassalletto school,[8] which support the armrests; on the backrest is inscribed the opening and closing words of the twenty-eighth homily ofSt. Gregory the Great, inscribed under the mistaken tradition that he preached them here, in front of the relics of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus on their feast day. When Cardinal Baronio ordered the inscription,[9] he did not know that the relics were originally buried in the underground basilica of theCatacomb of Domitilla, so thought that this was the place St Gregory preached.[10]
The arch of the apse has mosaics of the 9th century with theAnnunciation, theTransfiguration, and theTheotokos (Madonna and child).
41°52′48.8″N12°29′41.2″E / 41.880222°N 12.494778°E /41.880222; 12.494778
The following Cardinals were Cardinal Priests of Santi Nereo ed Achillei:
Media related toSanti Nereo e Achilleo (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by San Martino ai Monti | Landmarks of Rome Santi Nereo e Achilleo | Succeeded by San Nicola in Carcere |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
