| Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere | |
|---|---|
Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere (Italian) | |
 Façade of Santa Maria in Trastevere at night | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| 41°53′22″N12°28′11″E / 41.88944°N 12.46972°E /41.88944; 12.46972 | |
| Location | Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere,Rome |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Tradition | Latin Church |
| Website | santamariaintrastevere |
| History | |
| Status | Minor basilica,titular church |
| Dedication | Mary, mother of God |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Carlo Fontana |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Groundbreaking | 4th century |
| Completed | 1143 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 56 metres (184 ft) |
| Width | 30 metres (98 ft) |
| Nave width | 16 metres (52 ft) |
| Clergy | |
| Cardinal protector | Carlos Osoro Sierra (2016) |
Santa Maria in Trastevere (Italian:Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere) is atitular church and minor basilica located inTrastevere,Rome. Traditionally considered one of the oldest churches in the city dedicated to theVirgin Mary, it has served as a cardinal titular church since the 3rd century. The present basilica, largely rebuilt underPope Innocent II in the 12th century, is renowned for its medieval mosaics,Baroque interior, and theMadonna delle Clemenza. Today, it remains a vibrant parish and a traditional site ofpilgrimage, especially duringMarian feasts such as theAssumption on 15 August.
The inscription on theepiscopal throne states that this is the first church in Rome dedicated toMary, mother of Jesus, although some claim that privilege belongs to theBasilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. It is certainly one of the oldest churches in the city.[1]
The predecessor of the present church was probably built in the early fourth century and that church was itself the successor to one of thetituli, early Christian basilicas ascribed to a patron and perhaps literally inscribed with his name. Although nothing remains to establish with certainty where any of the public Christian edifices of Rome before the time ofConstantine the Great were situated, the basilica on this site was known asTitulus Callisti, based on a legend in theLiber Pontificalis, which ascribed the earliest church here to a foundation byPope Callixtus I (died 222), whose remains, translated to the new structure, are preserved under the altar.[2]
Callixtus founded a house-church here about 220 on the site of theTaberna meritoria, a refuge for retired soldiers. The area was made available for Christian use by EmperorAlexander Severus when he settled a dispute between the Christians and tavern-keepers, saying, according to theLiber Pontificalis "I prefer that it should belong to those who honor God, whatever be their form of worship." In 340, it was rebuilt on a larger scale byPope Julius I.[3] The church underwent two restorations in the fifth and eighth centuries and in 1140-43 it was re-erected on its old foundations underPope Innocent II.
The inscriptions found in Santa Maria in Trastevere, a valuable resource illustrating the history of the Basilica, were collected and published by Vincenzo Forcella.[4]
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The Romanesque campanile is from the 12th century.[3] Near the top, a niche protects a mosaic from the 13th century of theMadonna and Child byPietro Cavallini. It depicts the Madonna enthroned and suckling the Child, flanked by 10 women holding lamps. This image on the façade showingMary nursing Jesus is an early example of a popular late-medieval andrenaissance type of image of the Virgin. The motif itself originated much earlier, with significant seventh-century Coptic examples atWadi Natrun in Egypt.
The façade of the church was restored in 1702 byCarlo Fontana. It is surmounted by a balustrade decorated with the statues of four popes. He replaced the ancient porch with a sloping tiled roof with the present classicizing one. The octagonalfountain in the piazza in front of the church (Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere), which already appears in a map of 1472, was restored by Fontana.[5]
The presentnave preserves its original (pre-12th century) basilica plan and stands on the earlier foundations. The 22 granite columns withIonic andCorinthian capitals that separate the nave from the aisles came from the ruins of theBaths of Caracalla, as did the lintel of the entrance door.[6] When scholarship during the 19th century identified the faces in the carved decoration of the capitals asIsis,Serapis andHarpocrates, a restoration underPius IX in 1870 hammered off the offending faces.[7]
Domenichino's octagonal ceiling painting,Assumption of the Virgin (1617) fits in the coffered ceiling that he designed.[3]
There are a number of 12th and late 13th-century mosaics in the basilica. The "Coronation of the Virgin" (1130–1143) sits atop an apse vault, and depicts Pope Innocent II holding a model of the church.[8] Below are mosaics on the subject of the "Life of the Virgin" byPietro Cavallini (1291).
In the Capella Altemps there is a unique icon of the enthroned Virgin and Child "TheMadonna della Clemenza", a panel painting inencaustic, dated between the 6th and 9th century CE, probably of Byzantine origins. The Madonna della Clemenza is one of the five oldest existing Marian Icons from the medieval period. Its proximity to the rise of Christianity is one of the reasons it was believed to be a divine image.[9]
The fifth chapel to the left is the Avila Chapel designed byAntonio Gherardi. This, and his Chapel of S. Cecilia inSan Carlo ai Catinari are two of the most architecturally inventive chapels of the late-17th century in Rome. The lower order of the chapel is fairly dark and employsBorromini-like forms. In the dome, there is an opening oroculus from which fourputti emerge to carry a centraltempietto, all of which frames a light-filled chamber above, illuminated by windows not visible from below. Complexively, four different types of direct and indirect lighting are placed into the borders of a small space of a "pre-built side-chapel facing south along the left side-aisle of the medieval church", producing a unique "instance of the scenic use of light in baroque architecture."[10]In the first chapel of the right nave there isSanta Francesca Romana byJacopo Zoboli.
The church keeps a relic ofSaint Apollonia, her head,[11] as well as a portion of theHoly Sponge. Among those buried in the church arePope Callixtus I,Pope Innocent II,Antipope Anacletus II, CardinalPhilippe of Alençon and CardinalLorenzo Campeggio.[citation needed]
The basilica has been atitular church since at least the 3rd century. Ancient sources maintain that thetitulus S. Mariae was established byPope Alexander I around 112. Later traditions give the names of the early patrons of thetituli and have retrospectively assigned them the title ofcardinal. Thus at that time, the cardinal-patron of this basilica, these traditions assert, would have beenCalepodius.Pope Callixtus I confirmed thetitulus in 221. To honor him it was changed intoSs. Callisti et Iuliani. It was renamedS. Mariae trans Tiberim by Innocent II.[citation needed]
Among pastcardinal priests holding the honorarytitulus of Santa Maria in Trastevere have been:
The incumbent titular holder isCarlos Osoro Sierra, Archbishop Emeritis of Madrid.
In 38BC a gush of oil from underground occurred, as mentioned by Dio Cassius and St. Jerome. This mysterious event was given the Latin name fons olei. It was interpreted by Jewish people who lived concentrated in Trastevere as the announcement of the Messiah. This legendary event is depicted in the Cavallini mosaic of Christ's birth.
In 1634, the icon of the Madonna di Strada Cupa which was then placed at the foot of theJaniculum Hill wascanonically crowned. It was the third image to receive a canonical coronation.
In 1659, the icon ofMadonna della Clemenza wascanonically crowned. It was the second image inside the church to be crowned.
On March 25, 1887, CardinalJames Gibbons took possession of this titular church and "delivered a powerful sermon defending the American constitutional model of church-state relations."[13]
In July 2014, the wedding ofPrince Amedeo of Belgium, Hereditary Archduke of Austria-Este, and Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein was held at the basilica.[14]
On March 11, 2018,Pope Francis celebrated mass at the basilica to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of theCommunity of Sant'Egidio.[15]
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Media related toSanta Maria in Trastevere at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Santa Maria sopra Minerva | Landmarks of Rome Santa Maria in Trastevere | Succeeded by Santa Maria in Via |
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