Description

Do not miss this uncrowded and unusual church just a few blocks from the Colosseum.

This ancient church was transformed from a private home and site of clandestine Christian worship in the first century to a grand public basilica by the 6th century, reflecting the emerging Roman Catholic Church's growing legitimacy and power.

You will probably never have another chance to see layers of history including a pagan altar. This site has been a place of worship for more than 2,000 years, first as a pagan temple. The 12th-century basilica is built on top of a well-preserved 4th-century church (with many frescoes), which was constructed next to a 3rd-century Mithraic Temple.

The Basilica of San Clemente is not simply just another church in Rome, it is unique! Its magnificent frescoes and its twelfth-century mosaic of the Cross as the Tree of Life will engage your mind and heart.

You can travel back in time and visit the fourth-century basilica before exploring what was once a pagan temple! Centuries of Christian faith, art and history wait to be discovered!