Sant'Antonio abate all’Esquilino ('' Saint Anthony Abbot on the

Esquiline The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' (Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...

'') is a church in Rome, located near the

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Major and papal basilicas, Major papal basilica as well ...

on via Carlo Alberto in the

Esquilino The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' ( Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...

district.

History

It was built in 1308 to serve an existing hospital, established in 1259 from a bequest of Cardinal

Pietro Capocci Pietro Capocci (c.1200, in Rome – 19/21 May 1259, in Rome) was a Roman Catholic cardinal, nominated by Pope Innocent IV in the consistory of 28 May 1244, with the cardinal-diaconate of San Giorgio in Velabro. Life Pietro Capocci was born about ...

for sufferers from saint Anthony's fire. The rector enjoyed the particular privilege that allowed him to attend the papal table and remove the leftovers for the benefit of the patients. It replaced a 5th-century church known as "

Sant'Andrea Catabarbara Sant'Andrea Catabarbara was a church in Rome, located on what is now the site of the Pontifical Oriental Institute on Via Napoleone III, in the Esquilino district. It was first called ''Catabarbara'' or ''Cata Barbara Patricia'' in the eighth centu ...

", which had been built inside the "Basilica of Giunio Basso", a large hall part of the private residence of the consul Basso.

Pope Nicholas IV Pope Nicholas IV ( la, Nicolaus IV; 30 September 1227 – 4 April 1292), born Girolamo Masci, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1288 to his death on 4 April 1292. He was the first Franciscan to be ele ...

transferred the administration of the hospital to the

Hospital Brothers of Saint Anthony The Hospital Brothers of Saint Anthony, Order of Saint Anthony or Canons Regular of Saint Anthony of Vienne (''Canonici Regulares Sancti Antonii'', or CRSAnt), also Antonines or Antonites, were a Roman Catholic congregation founded in c. 1095, wit ...

, who in 1308 built the larger church. The church and hospital complex was then dedicated to S. Antonio abate. The hospital had large gardens, which reached north to the current Via Principe Amedeo. The church was rebuilt under

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

in 1481. In 1583

Domenico Fontana Domenico Fontana (154328 June 1607) was an Italian architect of the late Renaissance, born in today's Ticino. He worked primarily in Italy, at Rome and Naples. Biography He was born at Melide, a village on the Lake Lugano, at that time joint p ...

built a chapel of Saint

Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila, OCD (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada; 28 March 15154 or 15 October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during th ...

(now rededicated to

saints Cyril and Methodius Cyril (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs". They are credited wit ...

). In 1585

Nicolò Circignani Nicolò () is an Italian male given name. Another variation is Niccolò, most common in Tuscany. It may refer to: * Nicolò Albertini, statesman * Nicolò Amati, luthier * Nicolò Barella, Italian footballer * Nicolò Barattieri, Italian enginee ...

painted frescoes on the interior of the dome."Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate all'Esquilino", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
/ref> From the middle of the 18th century the hospital was assigned to

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...

nuns, who kept it until it was confiscated by the government in 1871. The Camaldolese convent was then used as a military hospital. The church was abandoned shortly after the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century Political movement, political and social movement that resulted in the Merger (politics), consolidation of List of historic stat ...

and the large square in front (where animals had traditionally been blessed on 17 January, St Anthony's feast day) was removed and the level of via Carlo Alberto lowered to create a huge double-stairway, by which the church is now accessed. The annual blessing of the animals, a tradition that dates back to 1437, was transferred to

Sant'Eusebio Sant'Eusebio is a titular church in Rome, devoted to Saint Eusebius of Rome, a 4th-century martyr, and built in the Esquilino rione. One of the oldest churches in Rome, it is a titular church and the station church for the Friday after the fourth ...

in the early 20th century."Church of Sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
/ref> In 1928 the church and its surroundings were acquired by the Holy See, which assigned the church to Russian Catholics of the

Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, identifies the wide range of cultural, liturgical, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian Church of Constantinople. Th ...

and the surrounding buildings to the

Collegium Russicum The Collegium Russicum ( la, Pontificium Collegium Russicum Sanctae Theresiae A Iesu Infante; russian: Папская коллегия Ру́ссикум; '' en, Pontifical Russian College of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus'') is a Catholic col ...

, a centre for Russian and oriental studies. The church's facade is by and incorporates a Romanesque gateway, the only survival from the hospital, and an inscription above it recording the hospital's foundation by Cardinal Capocci. The interior is on a

Latin cross A Latin cross or ''crux immissa'' is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam, with the three upper arms either equally long or with the vertical topmost arm shorter than the two horizontal arms, and always with a mu ...

plan with three

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

s covered by a

cross-vault A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. Honour, H. and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: Lau ...

. Each nave terminates in an

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

- the main one contains a crucifix by

Giovanni Odazzi Giovanni Odazzi (1663 – 6 June 1731) was an Italian painter and etcher of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. Biography Rest on Flight to Egypt He was a pupil of Ciro Ferri, then worked under the guidance of Giovanni Battista Gaulli. He ...

and the two side ones contain Russian

iconostases In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed a ...

. The side chapels also hold iconostases and the side aisles contain remains of

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

s found during 20th century restoration work - these are from the ancient church on the site and date to between the 9th and 10th centuries.

References

Bibliography

Mariano Armellini Mariano Armellini (7 February 1852 – 24 February 1896) was an Italian archaeologist and historian. Born in Rome, he was one of the founders of the Pontifical Academy of Martyrs. He is the author of ''Gli antichi cimiteri cristiani di Roma e d'I ...

, ''Le chiese di Roma dal secolo IV al XIX'', Roma 1891
pp. 813-815
* Claudio Rendina, ''Le Chiese di Roma'', Newton & Compton Editori, Milano 2000, p. 36. * Claudia Cerchiai, ''Rione XV Esquilino'', in AA.VV, ''I rioni di Roma'', Newton & Compton Editori, Milano 2000, Vol. III, pp. 968-1014. {{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1308 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1481

Antonio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

Antonio Abate