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The church of San Tommaso in Formis is a small church in Rome, situated on the
The church is believed to date back to the 10th Century, although the first certain date of its existence is 1209, when 
The northeast façade of the complex has a Romanesque entrance with a 13th Century mosaic by Lorenzo Cosmati of ''Christ between two freed slaves''. The mosaic also depicts the Seal of the Trinitarian Order. The founding intention for the Order was the
Caelian Hill
The Caelian Hill (; la, Collis Caelius; it, Celio ) is one of the famous seven hills of Rome.
Geography
The Caelian Hill is a sort of long promontory about long, to wide, and tall in the park near the Temple of Claudius. The hill ove ...
.
History
Situated on the edge ofVilla Celimontana
The Villa Celimontana (previously known as Villa Mattei) is a villa on the Caelian Hill in Rome, best known for its gardens. Its grounds cover most of the valley between the Aventine Hill and the Caelian.
Location
The Villa Celimontana is situat ...
and next to the Arch of Dolabella (Porta Caelimontana
The Porta Caelimontana or Celimontana was a gate in the Servian Wall on the rise of the Caelian Hill (''Caelius Mons'').
Use
The Via Caelimontana ran from it; in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Roman tombs were discovered along its sou ...
), a gate in the original Servian Wall
The Servian Wall ( la, Murus Servii Tullii; it, Mura Serviane) was an ancient Roman defensive barrier constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was built of volcanic tuff and was up to in height in places, wide ...
, the church is dedicated to St. Thomas the Apostle. It is built into the side of the Claudian Aqueduct, from which comes ''in formis'' (''forma claudia'' is Latin for the Claudian Aqueduct).
The church is believed to date back to the 10th Century, although the first certain date of its existence is 1209, when Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...
gave ownership of the church with the attached monastery to the Trinitarian Order whose founder, Saint John of Matha
John of Matha (1160–1213) was a Christian saint of the 12th century and founder of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity, dedicated to ransoming Christians who had been captured by marauders from North Africa (cf. Barbary corsairs).
Background
Be ...
, lived there and made it the Order's headquarters.Breve notizia storica di San Tommaso in Formis. Available at the church. He adapted part of the monastery to become a hospital. Saint Francis of Assisi often stayed at the monastery.
Around 1380 the Order was forced to leave Rome. In time, under the control of the Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
, the complex became more or less abandoned. In 1532 the first steps towards restoration were undertaken and in 1571 Pope Pius V
Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is ...
returned the church, hospital and monastery to the Trinitarians. In 1590, following the death of Pius V, the church reverted once again to the Vatican and, in 1663, was completely reconstructed to its present form. It was not returned to the Trinitarian Order until 1898 on occasion of the 700th anniversary of the Order’s foundation. Use of the church and buildings was given in perpetuity on 27 March 1920. The hospital was demolished in 1925.
The northeast façade of the complex has a Romanesque entrance with a 13th Century mosaic by Lorenzo Cosmati of ''Christ between two freed slaves''. The mosaic also depicts the Seal of the Trinitarian Order. The founding intention for the Order was the ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice.
When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''re ...
of Christians held captive by non-Christians during the time of the Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...
.
See also
*Bill Thayer's Web Site (Gazetteer of RomReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tommaso, Rome Trinitarian Order Roman Catholic churches in Rome Tommaso Formis