| Santa Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian | |
|---|---|
Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano | |
 Baroque façade of Santa Susanna byCarlo Maderno (1603). | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view. | |
| 41°54′15.3″N12°29′37.1″E / 41.904250°N 12.493639°E /41.904250; 12.493639 | |
| Location | 14 Via XX Settembre,Rome |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Tradition | Roman Rite |
| Religious order | Cistercians (nuns) |
| History | |
| Status | Titular church,parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Susanna |
| Consecrated | 330 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Carlo Maderno |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 4th century |
| Completed | 1603 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 45 metres (148 ft) |
| Width | 17 metres (56 ft) |
TheChurch of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian (Italian:Chiesa di Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano) is aCatholicparish andCistercianconventual church located on theQuirinal Hill inRome, Italy. There has been atitular church associated to its site as far back as AD 280. The current church was rebuilt between 1585 and 1603 for a community ofCistercian nuns founded on the site in 1587 and still based there.
The church served as thenational parish for residents of Rome from the United States from 1921 to 2017, during which period the pastoral work of the parish was assigned to thePaulist Fathers, a society of priests founded in the United States. The Paulist Fathers' ministry to United States Catholics subsequently moved toSan Patrizio (Saint Patrick).
About AD 280, an early Christian house of worship was established on this site, which, like many of the earliest Christian meeting places, was in a house (domus ecclesiae). According to the 6th-centuryacta of Susanna, thedomus belonged to two brothers named Caius andGabinus, prominent Christians. Caius has been identified both withPope Caius and withCaius the presbyter, who was aprefect and who is a source of information on early Christianity.[1][2] Gabinus or Gabinius is the name given to the father of the semi-legendarySusanna of Rome. Her earliest documented attestations identify her as the patron of the church, not as a martyr,[3] and previously the church was identified in the earliest, fourth-century documents by its title "of Gaius" by theBaths of Diocletian or as "ad duas domos" ("near the two houses"). It is mentioned in connection with a Roman synod of 499.
The Church of Santa Susanna is one of the oldest titles in the city of Rome. The early Christian church, built on the remains of three Roman villas still visible beneath the monastery, was situated immediately outside the wall of the Baths built by Diocletian and theServian Wall, the first walls built to defend the city. According to tradition, the church was erected on Susanna's house, where she was martyred. In the 4th century it was marked with the designationad duas domos (at the two houses). This first three-aisled basilica was almost certainly built under the pontificate ofPope Leo III (795–816).
According to tradition, the structure became a church around 330, under EmperorConstantine I, when thebasilicas of numerous house churches came to be adapted for liturgical use. The basilica was T-shaped with a central nave with twelve columns on each side, flanked by side aisles. All that is left of these two side aisles, after the late 16th-century rebuilding, are the two side chapels of the basilica church. In the Synod of 565, the church is first referred to by the title ofSusanna; the church has been dedicated to her veneration ever since. In theacta, Susanna is martyred with her family when the girl refuses to marry the son of EmperorDiocletian; the occasion of Susanna's martyrdom is a literarytrope that is familiar in other"passions" ofvirgins in theRoman Martyrology[4]
Pope Sergius I restored it at the end of the 7th century, butPope Leo III, the fourth pope who had been pastor of this church, rebuilt it from the ground in 796, adding the greatapse and conserving the relics of the saints in the crypt. A vast mosaic of Christ flanked by Leo and the EmperorCharlemagne, and Saints Susanna andFelicity on the other side, was so badly damaged in the 12th century by an earthquake that the interior was plastered over in the complete renovation that spanned the years 1585–1602, and frescoed by Cesare Nebbia.
A façade, in travertine, remained to be constructed. The present church of Santa Susanna on its ancient foundations was the first independent commission in Rome for Carlo Maderno, who had trained as an assistant to his uncleDomenico Fontana, the chief architect of Pope Sixtus V. In 1603, Maderno completed the façade, a highly influential early Baroque design. The dynamic rhythm of columns and pilasters, crowding centrally, and the protrusion and increased central decoration add further complexity to the structure. There is an interplay of relationships, none exactly symmetric on any one mirror side. The entrance and roof are surrounded by triangular pediments. The windows are replaced by niches. There is an incipient playfulness with the rules of classic design, still maintaining rigor. The statues of the higher level (Pope Caius andGenesius of Rome) are by Giovanni Antonio Paracea, those of the lower level (Susanna andFelicitas of Rome) are byStefano Maderno.
The church of Santa Susanna was accounted so successful that in 1605Pope Paul V named Maderno architect ofSaint Peter's Basilica, where he completed the nave and constructed the great façade.
Pope Sixtus IV (1475–1477) proceeded to rebuild the church, probably a single nave with two side chapels. In 1588 it became the last great rebuilding effort of CardinalGirolamo Rusticucci,Cardinal protector of theCistercian Order, with construction running from 1595 to 1603. One of the objectives pursued with greater commitment from Rusticucci as thevicar general ofPope Sixtus V was to renew the life of the religious orders. A reflection of that action can be seen in a figurative program decorating the walls of the church. The main themes are: defense of chastity against corruption of morals and the victory of the true faith over any temptation to idolatry and heresy. They were joined by the exaltation of the virginal choice of Susanna and her prayerful attitude. Rusticucci wanted to highlight and connect these themes to the inseparable bond that his church had with the Cistercian nuns whose monastery occupied the site.
Rusticucci, a lover of "tradition", chose from the best of that time, which came from the fruitful artistic outpouring from theCounter-Reformation. Consequently, he gave the assignment toCarlo Maderno (1556–1629) for architectural renovations made to the church. It was he who was the designer of itstravertine facade. The frescoes of the central hall (six scenes from the life of the chaste Susanna) are byBaldassare Croce ofBologna (1563–1638). ToCesare Nebbia, a native ofOrvieto (1536–1614), can be attributed the frescoes in the dome and apse curve in which are reproduced some scenes from the life of Susanna.
Thealtarpiece of thehigh altar, depicting the beheading of Susanna, is byTommaso Laureti ofPalermo (1530–1602). Camilla Peretti, sister of Pope Sixtus, was a great benefactor of the Cistercian nuns, and helped build their residential quarters, including the Chapel of St Lawrence whose frescoes are the work ofGiovan Battista Pozzo (1563–1591). The painting of the altar depicting the martyrdom of the holydeacon is also by Nebbia. Large statues of the major prophets and two ofPeter andPaul are attributed toGiovanni Antonio Paracea, called Valsoldo. Through the glass floor of thesacristy can be seen part of the early Christian Church and the remains of the Roman house, which is said to be the home of the father of Susanna. A Roman sarcophagus with fragments of painted plaster was discovered in modern times. The excavations also unearthed atympanum depicting theLamb of God on a blue background and flanked byJohn the Baptist andJohn the Evangelist; a Madonna and child betweenAgatha and Susanna; plus five beautiful busts of other saints.
Behind thechancel, separated by an iron grating, is located the splendid monastic choir, a large rectangular room. It was built in 1596 by Rusticucci, as attested by thecoat of arms in the center of the choir's rich, carved wooden-coffered floor. Thechoir stalls were donated by Pope Sixtus and are repeatedly mentioned in the old guides as one of the finest choirs existent in Roman monasteries. The walls are adorned with frescoes depicting saints and scenes from theOld Testament. The artist who created these paintings was Francesco Di (1676–1702). Also in the choir, in the four branches of the two niches that preserve thereliquaries, appearBenedict of Nurcia andScholastica (left) andBernard of Clairvaux and Susanna (on the right), all by theUmbrian painterAvanzino Nucci (1599). In 1719,Filippo Fregiotti painted the frescoes in a chapel inside the enclosure.
St. Susanna Church inDedham, Massachusetts was named by CardinalRichard Cushing for Santa Susanna.[6]
The church consists of a single nave, with a circular apse forming two side-chapels. The frescoes of the central nave byBaldassare Croce represent six scenes from the life of Susanna found in the Book of Daniel. The frescoes on the curved side of the apse show Susanna being threatened byMaximian, but defended by the angel of God, and to the right, Susanna refusing to worship the idolJupiter.Nebbia's frescoes on the dome of the apse depict Susanna flanked on either side by angels with musical instruments. Behind the high altar, the painting depicting the beheading of Susanna is byTommaso Laureti.
The chapel of our Lady of Graces (whose painting was formerly on the altar) has on its walls two recent frescoes of Benedict of Nursia and Bernard of Clairvaux.
Domenico Fontana constructed the second side-chapel to the left, dedicated toSaint Lawrence and commissioned byCamilla Peretti, sister ofPope Sixtus V. The paintings are by the Milanese artist Giovanni Battista Pozzo (1563–1591). The altar painting by Cesare Nebbia depicts the martyrdom of St. Lawrence. In this chapel are veneratedGenesius of Rome, patron of actors, in the act of receiving baptism, and the bishopPope Eleuterus.
Thepresbytery is decorated with two frescoes. To the left,Baldassare Croce depicts the martyrdom ofGabinus, while to the right,Paris Nogari shows the martyrdom ofFelicitas of Rome and her seven sons.
The valuable ceiling of the nave and of the presbytery is made in polychromed gilt wood, carved to the design of Carlo Maderno.
AfterWorld War I, thePaulist Fathers, founded inNew York City in 1858, had grown to such an extent that they felt the time had come to seek approval of theirreligious institute from theHoly See, in order to be able to work throughout the worldwide Catholic Church. They also wanted to establish aprocurator general there to coordinate their work with the Vatican. To this end, theSuperior General of the Society, Thomas Burke, went to Rome in January 1921 to meet withPope Benedict XV for this. During this trip, they first noticed Santa Susanna, as it was adjacent to the American Embassy to Italy at the time. Its location made it of interest to the Americans.[8]
The Paulists opened the office of the Procurator General in the city that following spring, headed by Thomas Lantry O'Neill. In the meantime, Burke's brother, also a member of the Society, had approached PresidentWarren Harding to make him aware of their interest in making use of the church to serve the growing American population of Rome. Harding made a request for this to theApostolic Delegate to the United States, ArchbishopGiovanni Bonzano, during the course of a meeting in June. Bonzano transmitted the request to theVatican Secretary of State, with the recommendation that it be granted as a gesture of good will to the United States.[8]
In December 1921,Pope Benedict XV authorized thePaulist Fathers to administer Santa Susanna as thenational church in Rome for the American residents of Rome and visitors from theUnited States of America. Theabbess of the monastery gave the keys to the church to the new pastor on 1 January 1922. CardinalWilliam Henry O'Connell ofBoston presided at the first publicMass for the American community of the city on 26 February 1922.[8]
The cardinal who held the title to the church had died during the summer of 1921, leaving the church with no legal owner under Italian law. At the same time, electrical lights were installed in the church, to which Americans were accustomed but Roman people found shocking. The Ambassador of Romania also claimed the church as a national church for the people of his country. The ownership issue settled at the end of 1924, when Bonzano, the former Apostolic Nuncio and by then a cardinal himself, requested a transfer of his title to this church. Once that was accomplished, he appointed O'Neill as therector of the parish.[8]
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From 1958 to 1985, the cardinal assigned to Santa Susanna as his titular church has been theArchbishop of Boston.Bernard Francis Law remained the titular cardinal until his December 2017 death, though he resigned as archbishop in 2002 in the wake of thesexual abuse scandal in his archdiocese.
Since August 2017, following a campaign by the Cistercian nuns who had maintained a presence at Santa Susanna since 1587, the American expatriate community relocated its national church toSan Patrizio.[9]
List of the cardinal titulars of the church[10][11][12]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
