Description
Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere
Welcome to Santa Maria in Trastevere, or Our Lady in Trastevere! This sanctuary has a long and interesting history! It is said that this is the first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Jesus mother, and this site has been a place of worship for almost 2000 years! In the early days of Christendom here in Rome, there was a shrine exactly on this very spot, in fact. This is one of the oldest churches in Rome. The oldest part of the structure of this church in dates back to the 400th century, while the newer part of it has been added 900 years ago. Look up at the typical 12th century campanile, as well as the mosaic of the Madonna and Child from the same era. The motif is very representative for the Middle ages and the Renaissance.The humble beginnings of this church began when the Roman Emperor gave some land to the Christians in an attempt to settle a dispute between the Christians and the bar owners. This used to be a place for retired soldiers, but when the church was built starts the religious history of this place. And throughout the years it just got more and more popular with worshippers coming from near and far, and the Pope making this one of his parish churches. Many are the famous popes buried underneath these grounds! Let’s go inside! The old mosaics are impressive and deserve a mentioning! They are the works of Cavallini! A curious detail is that of the nave. Take a closer look at the Ionic capitals, taken from old ruins of either the Temple of Isis or the Baths of Caracalla. The figures used to have faces, of course, but when they where discovered to be pagan gods during a restoration 150 years ago, they were brutally hammered off, leaving us with only our imagination to fill in the blanks of what they must have looked like. Take your time to stroll around inside the church to get a good look at the altar, the chapels and the paintings in the ceiling. Then time has come to step back out into the sunshine and enjoy what many would say is their favorite Italian invention ever! Photo Maria Trastevere Roma fc11 by Fczarnowski is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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