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Interior of the Basilica of SS Cosma e Damiano
The elaborate and exquisite ancient Santi Cosma e Damiano, a minor basilica devoted to Cosmas and Damian, two brothers who were reportedly doctors, martyrs and saints. The history of this church is one of the most fascinating in Rome. It is located in a very prominent location, opposite the Roman Forum in the historic rione Monte. It is actually comprised of two ancient Roman structures, one originating in the forum. For an extended period they formed a single church until the late 19th century when they were again separated. The primary structure is now accessed from an area of what once comprised the Temple of Peace, located on the southeast part of the Imperial Fora, now along the Via dei Fori Imperiali. It was where the famous marble plan, the Forma Urbis Romae, was once displayed. The entrance to the church at one point was located via the circular temple identified as the Temple of Romulus, whose actual identity and purpose is disputed. During the medieval era, however, the Roman forum became a neighborhood resembling the densely packed Subura of ancient Rome, which, along with flooding and possible landslides led to a gradual filling in of the area, resulting in the ground level rising so much that it required another entrance. The medieval neighborhood was cleared from the area in the 16th century but until that time the main door and entrance remained below ground level. Several other important churches also occupied former Roman structures in the Middle Ages, including Mamertine Prison, which became San Giuseppe dei Alegnami, and Sant'Adriano, the former Senate House. The most famous of these is probably the Colosseum itself: it was eventually christened Santa Maria della Pieta al Colosseo.
This church was founded in 527 when Theodoric the Great, the king of the Ostrogoths (acting as agent of the Emperor Justinian I who was residing at that point in Constantinople) and his daughter Amalasuntha donated two buildings to the church during the reign of Pope Felix IV. It was reportedly the first Christian church in that particular area, as much of the elite of Rome was still hostile to Christianity. It was not a titular church, but it was intended to be part of the church's charitable activities because of the association with the identical twin brother doctors. The pope united the two buildings and donated the complex to the brothers Cosmas and Damian, but also possibly to serve as a contrast to the ancient cult of Castor and Pollux, worshipped on the other side of the forum. The association with the two doctors was also something of a juxtaposition (and incorporation) of the tradition of the Asclepeion, as it was believed in the Middle Ages that an infirm person who slept overnight in the church could experience a vision which would lead to a cure.
The artwork is simply stunning. The decoration spans many periods, but the apse of the new church featured a mosaic representing the parousia of Christ. The church was further embellished by Pope Sergius I in the late 7th century and Pope Adrian I in the 8th century. Some have observed that the apse appears somewhat odd and even disproportional, as it is quite large for the still-ample room, but there was actually a height reduction of the structure in the restorations of the 17th century. On the bright side: one should actually be standing more than 20 feet below it, so it now provides a much closer view of the exquisite mosaic than actually intended. It features Christ at the parousia, or Second Coming at the End Time, set against an orange sky at dawn adorned in golden robes. He is holding a rolled scroll of the Torah. The Saints making an appearance are Peter and Paul, who are shown introducing Cosmas and Damian, depicted with martyrs' crowns. Pope Felix, to the far left, holds a model of the church. This figure was restored in the 17th century, and was thus altered under Pope Gregory XIII, but it was later restored. The other figure featured is another martyr, St. Theodore. The figures all stand in front of the Jordan river flanked by date palms, the left one also depicting a phoenix, the symbol of resurrection. The sheep represent the Lamb of God, accompanied by twelve others representing the Apostles. The Lamb appears standing on a hill overlooking Jerusalem on the left and Bethlehem on the right, from which flow the Twelve Rivers of Paradise.
In terms of its other features, the choir stalls are set against the curved wall. The frescoes on the walls and ceiling date to the 17th century, and are mostly anonymous works. The ceiling is made of carved and gilded wood, and it is also adorned with the crest of the Barberini family (Pope Urban VIII) which features bees. The high altar is Baroque, created by Domenico Castelli in 1637. It features a 12th-century icon of Our Lady as the altarpiece. The ceiling fresco was executed by Marco Montagna, and there is a paschal candlestick consisting of a twisted marble column to the right of the altar. There are also seven side chapels. This church is one of the most magnificent in Rome, and as it is located to the most popular area in the heart of the city it is also highly accessible and well worth a visit.
Interior of the Basilica of SS Cosma e Damiano
The elaborate and exquisite ancient Santi Cosma e Damiano, a minor basilica devoted to Cosmas and Damian, two brothers who were reportedly doctors, martyrs and saints. The history of this church is one of the most fascinating in Rome. It is located in a very prominent location, opposite the Roman Forum in the historic rione Monte. It is actually comprised of two ancient Roman structures, one originating in the forum. For an extended period they formed a single church until the late 19th century when they were again separated. The primary structure is now accessed from an area of what once comprised the Temple of Peace, located on the southeast part of the Imperial Fora, now along the Via dei Fori Imperiali. It was where the famous marble plan, the Forma Urbis Romae, was once displayed. The entrance to the church at one point was located via the circular temple identified as the Temple of Romulus, whose actual identity and purpose is disputed. During the medieval era, however, the Roman forum became a neighborhood resembling the densely packed Subura of ancient Rome, which, along with flooding and possible landslides led to a gradual filling in of the area, resulting in the ground level rising so much that it required another entrance. The medieval neighborhood was cleared from the area in the 16th century but until that time the main door and entrance remained below ground level. Several other important churches also occupied former Roman structures in the Middle Ages, including Mamertine Prison, which became San Giuseppe dei Alegnami, and Sant'Adriano, the former Senate House. The most famous of these is probably the Colosseum itself: it was eventually christened Santa Maria della Pieta al Colosseo.
This church was founded in 527 when Theodoric the Great, the king of the Ostrogoths (acting as agent of the Emperor Justinian I who was residing at that point in Constantinople) and his daughter Amalasuntha donated two buildings to the church during the reign of Pope Felix IV. It was reportedly the first Christian church in that particular area, as much of the elite of Rome was still hostile to Christianity. It was not a titular church, but it was intended to be part of the church's charitable activities because of the association with the identical twin brother doctors. The pope united the two buildings and donated the complex to the brothers Cosmas and Damian, but also possibly to serve as a contrast to the ancient cult of Castor and Pollux, worshipped on the other side of the forum. The association with the two doctors was also something of a juxtaposition (and incorporation) of the tradition of the Asclepeion, as it was believed in the Middle Ages that an infirm person who slept overnight in the church could experience a vision which would lead to a cure.
The artwork is simply stunning. The decoration spans many periods, but the apse of the new church featured a mosaic representing the parousia of Christ. The church was further embellished by Pope Sergius I in the late 7th century and Pope Adrian I in the 8th century. Some have observed that the apse appears somewhat odd and even disproportional, as it is quite large for the still-ample room, but there was actually a height reduction of the structure in the restorations of the 17th century. On the bright side: one should actually be standing more than 20 feet below it, so it now provides a much closer view of the exquisite mosaic than actually intended. It features Christ at the parousia, or Second Coming at the End Time, set against an orange sky at dawn adorned in golden robes. He is holding a rolled scroll of the Torah. The Saints making an appearance are Peter and Paul, who are shown introducing Cosmas and Damian, depicted with martyrs' crowns. Pope Felix, to the far left, holds a model of the church. This figure was restored in the 17th century, and was thus altered under Pope Gregory XIII, but it was later restored. The other figure featured is another martyr, St. Theodore. The figures all stand in front of the Jordan river flanked by date palms, the left one also depicting a phoenix, the symbol of resurrection. The sheep represent the Lamb of God, accompanied by twelve others representing the Apostles. The Lamb appears standing on a hill overlooking Jerusalem on the left and Bethlehem on the right, from which flow the Twelve Rivers of Paradise.
In terms of its other features, the choir stalls are set against the curved wall. The frescoes on the walls and ceiling date to the 17th century, and are mostly anonymous works. The ceiling is made of carved and gilded wood, and it is also adorned with the crest of the Barberini family (Pope Urban VIII) which features bees. The high altar is Baroque, created by Domenico Castelli in 1637. It features a 12th-century icon of Our Lady as the altarpiece. The ceiling fresco was executed by Marco Montagna, and there is a paschal candlestick consisting of a twisted marble column to the right of the altar. There are also seven side chapels. This church is one of the most magnificent in Rome, and as it is located to the most popular area in the heart of the city it is also highly accessible and well worth a visit.