The Basilica of Saint Sylvester the First, also known as (, ), is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

and

titular Titular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Title character in a narrative work, the character referred to in its title Religion * Titular (Catholicism), a cardinal who holds a titulus, one of the main churches of Rome ** Titular bisho ...

church in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

dedicated to

Pope Sylvester I Pope Sylvester I (also Silvester, before 284 – 31 December 335) was the bishop of Rome from 31 January 314 until his death on 31 December 335. He filled the See of Rome at an important era in the history of the Western Church, though very lit ...

(d. AD 335). It is located on the Piazza San Silvestro, at the corner of Via del Gambero and the Via della Mercede, and stands adjacent to the central Post Office. Built in the 8th century as a shrine for the relics of the saints and martyrs from the

Catacombs Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etym ...

, the church is the national church of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. The

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

words "in capite" refers to the canonical title of Pope Sylvester the First, to which ''in capite'' means ''in First, in Chief, or in Head''. The basilica is also famous for a

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

, a fragment of a head purported to be that of

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

, kept in a chapel to the left of the entrance. A second Roman church dedicated to

is San Silvestro al Quirinale. The current Cardinal-Priest is Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, Apostolic Vicar of Vientiane.

History

The original church was built with an adjoining Basilian monastery, in the 8th century by the Popes Paul I and Stephen III, atop ruins of a pagan temple dedicated to

Sol Invictus Sol Invictus (, "Invincible Sun" or "Unconquered Sun") was the official Solar deity, sun god of the late Roman Empire and a later version of the god Sol (Roman mythology), Sol. The emperor Aurelian revived his cult in 274 AD and promoted Sol Inv ...

, to house venerated relics of early Christian saints who were buried in the

catacombs Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etym ...

. The church was rebuilt and the

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

with Romanesque arcades added in 1198 during the papacy of

Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

, who transferred the relic of the head of St. John the Baptist to it and the name was changed to St. John in Capitol. In the 13th century the church was donated to the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

. It was rebuilt by the architects Francesco Capriani da Volterra and

Carlo Maderno Carlo Maderno or Maderna (1556 – 31 January 1629) was an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino, Switzerland, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica, and Sant ...

during 1591–1601, and subsequently restored in 1681. The relics of

Pope Stephen I Pope Stephen I ( ) was the Bishop of Rome from 12 May 254 to his death on 2 August 257.Mann, Horace (1912). "Pope St. Stephen I" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company. He was later Canonization, canonized a ...

and

Pope Dionysius Pope Dionysius (Greek language, Greek: Διονύσιος) was the bishop of Rome from 22 July 259 AD to his death on 26 December 268. His task was to reorganise the Catholic Church, after the persecutions of Roman emperor, Emperor Valerian I, a ...

were exhumed and re-enshrined beneath the high altar when the new church was consecrated in 1601. The church also contains the relics of Tarcisius. The church of San Silvestro was granted to the English Catholics by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

in 1890, and is now served by Irish Pallottine Fathers. Mass is thus regularly celebrated in the English language. The church is the National Church in Rome of

, although the structures of the Catholic Church continue to be organized separately for England and Wales,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and Ireland. The Scottish national church in Rome,

Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi Sant' Andrea degli Scozzesi (English: St Andrew of the Scots) is a 17th century former Catholic church in Rome, near Piazza Barberini on Via delle Quattro Fontane. Once a haven for Scottish Catholics in Rome and chapel of the Pontifical Scots ...

, was deconsecrated in 1962.

Exterior

The church has an atrium and

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

, which isolates the church from the busy square outside. There are fragments of early Christian sculpture, many with inscriptions, embedded in the walls of the atrium. The facade was completed in 1703. It has an unusual giant order topped with four baroque statues: ''San Silvestro'' by Lorenzo Ouone, ''

Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

'' by Michelangelo Borgognone, '' Saint Clare'' by Giuseppe Mazzoni and '' Saint Francis'' by Vincenzo Felice.

Interior

It is believed that the high altar, which predates the present church, was influenced by the style of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

. The interior is rich in marble, gilding, and artistic decoration. The nave has an ''Assumption with Saints'' frescoed (1680) by Giacinto Brandi. The main altar carved ciborium or canopy (1667) by

Carlo Rainaldi Carlo Rainaldi (4 May 1611 – 8 February 1691) was an Italian architect of the Baroque period. Biography Born in Rome, Rainaldi was one of the leading architects of 17th-century Rome, known for a certain grandeur in his designs. He worked at f ...

. The cupola was frescoed (1605) by Cristoforo Roncalli. A ''Martyrdom of San Stephan I'' and a ''Messengers of Constantine call on San Silvestro'' (1610) were frescoed in the apse by Orazio Borgianni. In the baptistry apse, there is a ''Baptism of Constantine'' by Ludovico Gimignani. The transept has a ''History of San Silvestro'' (1690) also by Gimignani, and a ''Madonna with Child'' by

Baccio Ciarpi Baccio Ciarpi (1574–1654) was an Italian painter of the late-Mannerism and early-Baroque style. Born in Barga, Tuscany, Barga in Tuscany, he was active in Rome and Florence. He is best known for having mentored briefly Pietro da Cortona. He paint ...

. In the first chapel to the right is a ''Madonna with Child & Saint Anthony of Padua & Stephen I'' and other saints (1695) by Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari. In the second chapel is a ''Saint Francis receives stigmata'' (1610) by

Orazio Gentileschi Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (; 1563 – 7 February 1639) was an Italian painter. Born in Tuscany, he began his career in Rome, painting in a Mannerist style, much of his work consisting of painting the figures within the decorative schemes of other ...

accompanied by paintings of the life of the saint by

Luigi Garzi Luigi Garzi (1638–1721) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period whose style was strongly influenced by the work of the Bolognese painter Guido Reni. Biography He was born in Pistoia. He started learning from a poorly known landscape paint ...

. In the third, a ''Pentecost'' by Giuseppe Ghezzi. The left transept has a ''Madonna & Child'' by Terenzio Terenzi. In the third chapel on the left is a fresco of the ''Immaculate Conception'' by Gimignani. On the walls are an ''Adoration by the Magi'' and ''Visitation'' by the Milanese il Morrazzone. In the second chapel is a ''Pope San Marcello has a vision of the Sacred Family'' and a ''Transit and Glory of San Giuseppe'' by Gimignani. In the first chapel are canvases of the ''Passion'' (1695) by Francesco Trevisani.

Convent

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

, dedicated to

and

, was built adjacent to the church. The nuns remained in that convent until 1876 when they were dispossessed. The convent has recently been renovated and continues to serve as the main Post Office of Rome.

List of Cardinal-Priests since 1517

List of the cardinal titulars of the church Cardinal Title S. Silvestro in Capite
/ref> * Louis II de Bourbon de Vendôme (6 July 1517 – 11 June 1521) * Uberto Gàmbara (28 January 1540 – 23 March 1541) * Tommaso Badia (12 June 1542 – 6 September 1547) * Fabio Mignanelli (4 December 1551 – 12 June 1556) * Taddeo Gaddi (24 March 1557 – 22 December 1561) * Annibale Bozzuti (15 May 1565 – 6 October 1565) * Marcantonio Bobba (8 February 1566 – 2 June 1572) * François de Joyeuse (20 May 1585 – 11 December 1587) * Francisco de Ávila (21 April 1597 – 8 January 1599) * Pierre de Gondi (23 May 1588 – 17 February 1616) * Franz Seraph von Dietrichstein (17 March 1599 – 27 September 1623) *

Melchior Klesl Melchior Klesl (19 February 1552 – 18 September 1630) was an Austrian statesman and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church during the time of the Counter-Reformation. He was minister-favourite of King and Emperor Matthias (1609-1618) and a lead ...

(20 November 1623 – 1 July 1624) * Giovanni Battista Maria Pallotta (26 May 1631 – 23 September 1652) * Girolamo Colonna (23 September 1652 – 9 June 1653) * Domingo Pimentel Zúñiga, O.P. (23 June - 2 December 1653) * Carlo Rossetti (9 March 1654 – 14 November 1672) * Gasparo Carpegna (14 November 1672 – 19 October 1689) * Giovanni Francesco Albani (30 March 1700 – 23 November 1700) * Girolamo Casanate (7 November 1689 – 3 March 1700) * Johann Philipp von Lamberg (3 January 1701 – 21 October 1712) * Lodovico Pico della Mirandola (21 November 1712 – 24 April 1728) * Prospero Marefoschi (20 September 1728 – 24 February 1732) * Francesco Scipione Maria Borghese (31 March 1732 – 20 May 1743) * Vincenzo Bichi (20 May 1743 – 23 September 1743) * Antonio Maria Ruffo (23 September 1743 – 22 February 1753) * Federico Marcello Lante Montefeltro della Rovere (9 April 1753 – 13 July 1759) * Ferdinando Maria De Rossi (19 November 1759 – 14 December 1767) * François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis (26 June 1769 – 18 April 1774) * Innocenzo Conti (3 April 1775 – 15 December 1783) *

Giovanni Maria Riminaldi Giovanni Maria Riminaldi (4 October 1718 - 11 October 1789) was an Italians, Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal. Biography He was born in Ferrara to an aristocratic family. He studied at the Collegio di San Carlo in Modena ...

(29 January 1787 – 12 October 1789) * Francesco Carrara (11 April 1791 – 26 March 1793) * Carlo Livizzani Forni (21 February 1794 – 1 July 1802) *

Bartolomeo Pacca Bartolomeo Pacca (27 December 1756, Benevento – 19 April 1844, Rome) was an Italian cardinal, scholar, and statesman as Cardinal Secretary of State. Pacca served as apostolic nuncio to Cologne, and later to Lisbon. Biography Bartolomeo Pacca ...

(9 August 1802 – 2 October 1818) * Antonio Pallotta (16 May 1823 – 19 July 1834) * Luigi Bottiglia Savoulx (1 August 1834 – 14 September 1836) *

Costantino Patrizi Naro Costantino Patrizi Naro JUD (4 September 1798 – 17 December 1876) was a long-serving Italian Cardinal who became Dean of the College of Cardinals. Biography Born in Siena, Patrizi Naro was the son of Giovanni Patrizi Naro Montoro, 8th Marqui ...

(21 November 1836 – 20 April 1849) *

Jacques-Marie-Adrien-Césaire Mathieu Jacques-Marie-Adrien-Césaire Mathieu (1796–1875) was a French cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and archbishop of Besançon. Life Jacques-Marie-Adrien-Césaire Mathieu was born on 20 January 1796 in Paris, where his father was a commi ...

(18 March 1852 – 9 July 1875) * Louis-Marie Caverot (25 June 1877 – 24 March 1884) * Vicenzo Vannutelli (4 June 1891 – 19 April 1900) * Donato Sbarretti (6 December 1916 – 17 December 1928) *

Luigi Lavitrano Luigi Lavitrano (7 March 1874 – 2 August 1950) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Palermo from 1928 to 1944, and as prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Religious from 1945 until his death. Lavi ...

(19 December 1929 – 2 August 1950) * Valerio Valeri (15 January 1953 – 22 July 1963) * John Carmel Heenan (25 February 1965 – 7 November 1975) * George Hume (24 May 1976 – 17 June 1999) *

Desmond Connell Desmond Connell (24 March 1926 – 21 February 2017) was an Irish cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. He was an Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. Cardinal Connell was one of a number of senior clergy to have been heavily criticise ...

(21 February 2001 – 21 February 2017) *

Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, IVD (born 8 April 1944) is a Laotian prelate of the Catholic Church. A bishop since 2001, he was made a cardinal on 28 June 2017 and served as the Vicar Apostolic of Vientiane since December 2017 until December 2 ...

(28 June 2017 – present)

Notes

External links

Basilica of San Silvestro in Capite (church website)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silvestro In Capite Basilica churches in Rome Titular churches 8th-century churches in Italy Baroque architecture in Rome 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy National churches in Rome Pallottines Catholic Church in the United Kingdom Churches of Rome (rione Colonna)