Santi Nereo ed Achilleo is a fourth-century

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its nam ...

church in Rome, Italy, located in via delle Terme di Caracalla in the

rione A (; plural: ) is a neighbourhood in several Italian cities. A is a territorial subdivision. The larger administrative subdivisions in Rome are the , with the being used only in the historic centre. The word derives from the Latin , the 14 su ...

Celio facing the main entrance to the

Baths of Caracalla , alternate_name = it, Terme di Caracalla , image = File:Baths of Caracalla, facing Caldarium.jpg , caption = The baths as viewed from the south-west. The caldarium would have been in the front of the image , coordinates = ...

. It has been the titular church of Cardinal

Celestino Aós Braco Celestino Aós Braco O.F.M.Cap. (born 6 April 1945) is a Spanish-born prelate of the Catholic Church and the Archbishop of Santiago, in Chile. He was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Santiago by Pope Francis on 23 March 2019, then Archbis ...

since 28 November 2020. Note that the cemetery church of the catacomb of Saint Domatilla on the

Appian Way The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name ...

, virtually lost in the early Middle Ages and rediscovered in the 1870s by the archaeologist

Giovanni Battista de Rossi Giovanni Battista (Carlo) de Rossi (23 February 1822 – 20 September 1894) was an Italian archaeologist, famous even outside his field for rediscovering early Christian catacombs. Life and works Born in Rome, he was the son of Commendatore Ca ...

, carries the same dedication to Nereo and Achilleo.

History

A 337 epitaph inscription in the

Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura The Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls ( it, Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura), commonly known as Saint Paul's Outside the Walls, is one of Rome's four Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Major and papal basilicas, major papa ...

celebrates the late Cinnamius Opas, ''lector'' of a church known as ''Titulus Fasciolae''; the name has traditionally been explained as the place where

St. Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

lost the foot bandage (''fasciola'') that wrapped the wounds caused by his chains, on his way to escape the

Mamertine Prison The Mamertine Prison ( it, Carcere Mamertino), in antiquity the Tullianum, was a prison (''carcer'') with a dungeon ('' oubliette'') located in the Comitium in ancient Rome. It is said to have been built in the 7th century BC and was situated ...

. In the acts of the

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mean ...

Pope Symmachus Pope Symmachus (died 19 July 514) was the bishop of Rome from 22 November 498 to his death. His tenure was marked by a serious schism over who was elected pope by a majority of the Roman clergy. Early life He was born on the Mediterranean isla ...

, in 499, the ''Titulus Fasciolae'' is recorded as served by five priests. This same building is recorded as ''titulus Sanctorum Nerei et Achillei'' in 595; therefore the dedications to

Saints Nereus and Achilleus Nereus and Achilleus are two Roman martyr saints. In the present General Roman Calendar, revised in 1969, Nereus and Achilleus (together) are celebrated (optional memorials) on 12 May. The Tridentine Calendar had on 12 May a joint feast (semid ...

, two soldiers and martyrs of the 4th century, must date to the sixth century. In 814,

Pope Leo III Pope Leo III (died 12 June 816) was bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 26 December 795 to his death. Protected by Charlemagne from the supporters of his predecessor, Adrian I, Leo subsequently strengthened Charlemagne's position ...

rebuilt the old titulus. In the 13th century the relics of the two martyrs were transferred from the

Catacomb of Domitilla The Catacombs of Domitilla are an underground Christian cemetery named after the Domitilla family that had initially ordered them to be dug. They are located in Rome, Italy. They are situated over 16 metres underground, about 2 kilometers from ...

to the Sant'Adriano, whence they were transferred to this church by Cardinal Baronius. The church structure fell into near ruin over the centuries, and in 1320, according to the Catalogue of Turin, it was a presbyterial title with no priest serving. So

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 ...

restored the church in occasion of the

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

of 1475, while the Jubilee of 1600 was the occasion for the last major restoration, funded by the scholarly

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

Cardinal

Cesare Baronio Cesare Baronio (as an author also known as Caesar Baronius; 30 August 1538 – 30 June 1607) was an Italian cardinal and historian of the Catholic Church. His best-known works are his ''Annales Ecclesiastici'' ("Ecclesiastical Annals"), whi ...

, who commissioned the frescoes.

Interior

Behind its unassuming facade the church is built according to the typical basilica plan, with a single nave and two side aisles. The original columns were replaced in the 15th century by octagonal pillars, and the nave is characterized by the large fresco decorations commissioned by

Cardinal Baronio Cesare Baronio (as an author also known as Caesar Baronius; 30 August 1538 – 30 June 1607) was an Italian cardinal and historian of the Catholic Church. His best-known works are his ''Annales Ecclesiastici'' ("Ecclesiastical Annals"), whi ...

. The cardinal in his iconographic scheme timed for the 1600 Jubilee emphasized the role of the Roman martyrs during the early centuries of Christianity. The execution of the frescoes was entrusted to a minor painter, generally thought to be Niccolò Circignani, called "Pomarancio". The bright frescoes often depict violent martyrdom scenes. The medieval ambo is set on a large, porphyry urn taken from the nearby

. The low screen separating the choir is faced with 13th-century

Cosmatesque Cosmatesque, or Cosmati, is a style of geometric decorative inlay stonework typical of the architecture of Medieval Italy, and especially of Rome and its surroundings. It was used most extensively for the decoration of church floors, but was also u ...

style inlays. A white marble candelabra has been brought here from San Paolo fuori le Mura. The ciborium, dating to the 16th century, is raised on African marble columns. The spandrels of the arch at the end of the nave retains some of the former mosaics of the time of Leo III, with a central ''Transfiguration'' in a

mandorla A mandorla is an almond-shaped aureola, i.e. a frame that surrounds the totality of an iconographic figure. It is usually synonymous with '' vesica'', a lens shape. Mandorlas often surround the figures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in tr ...

. The

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...

, made of three Cosmatesque panels, houses the relics of Nereus, Achilleus, and of St Flavia Domitilla; all three of them were brought here from the Catacomb of Domitilla. Next to the altar there are two pagan stones depicting two winged spirits, taken from a nearby temple. Ss Nereo - trono episcopale leoni 5090069

Ss Nereo - trono episcopale leoni 5090069

In the

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''. ...

behind the altar is the episcopal throne assembled under the direction of the antiquary Cardinal Baronius, reusing lions, in the Cosmatesque style that is associated with the

Vassalletto Pietro Vassalletto (fl. 1154 – 1186) was an Italian sculptor from a family of artists active in Rome during the 12th-14th centuries. Among his work is the sculpture of the ''Easter Candlestick'' at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Wal ...

school, which support the armrests; on the backrest is inscribed the opening and closing words of the twenty-eighth homily of

St. Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregoria ...

, inscribed under the mistaken tradition that he preached them here, in front of the relics of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus on their feast day. When Cardinal Baronio ordered the inscription, he did not know that the relics were originally buried in the underground basilica of the

, so thought that this was the place St Gregory preached.Petersen 1976. The arch of the apse has mosaics of the 9th century with the ''Annunciation'', the ''Transfiguration'', and the ''Theotokos'' (Madonna and child).

References

Sources

* Forcella, Vincenzo (1877). ''Inscrizioni delle chiese e d'altri edifici di Roma.'' Volume XI. Roma: Ludovico Cecchini. Pp. 421-424. * ''Roma'', collection "L'Italia", Touring Editore, 2004, Milano.

External links

Basilica dei Santi Nereo ed Achilleo a Roma
nbsp;— official site (in Italian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rome, Santi Nereo e Achilleo

Santi Nereo e Achilleo Santi Nereo ed Achilleo is a fourth-century basilica church in Rome, Italy, located in via delle Terme di Caracalla in the rione Celio facing the main entrance to the Baths of Caracalla. It has been the titular church of Cardinal Celestino A� ...

4th-century churches

History

Interior

See also

References

Sources

External links