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San Saba is an ancient
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
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, ...
, Italy. It lies on the so-called '' Piccolo Aventino'', which is an area close to the ancient
Aurelian Walls The Aurelian Walls () are a line of city walls built between 271 AD and 275 AD in Rome, Italy, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Aurelian. They superseded the earlier Servian Wall built during the 4th century BC. The walls enclosed all the ...
next to the
Aventine Hill The Aventine Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the southernmost of Rome's seven hills. I ...
and
Caelian Hill The Caelian Hill ( ; ; ) is one of the famous seven hills of Rome. Geography The Caelian Hill is a moderately long promontory about long, to wide, and tall in the park near the Temple of Claudius. The hill overlooks a plateau from wh ...
. The current
Cardinal Deacon A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. C ...
of the ''Titulus S. Sabae'' is Arthur Roche, succeeding Jorge Medina. Both served as prefects of the Dicastery of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments at the time of their elevation. The church was made parochial in 1931 and entrusted to the care of the
Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...
. It was established as a titulus in 1959.


History

According to legend, St. Silvia, mother of
Pope Gregory I Pope Gregory I (; ; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great (; ), was the 64th Bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 until his death on 12 March 604. He is known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Ro ...
, had an estate at the site. After her death, so legend reads, her estate was transformed into an affiliate monastery of St. Andreas, the monastery which Gregory I founded at the site of today's San Gregorio al Celio. This legend, however, can be traced back only to the 12th century, when in the context of ''Renovatio Romae'' and Church Reform, the monastery of San Saba was meant to be provided with a long and impressive local tradition. An alternate theory suggests a connection with a hospice for pilgrims founded by Gregory on land that belonged to his family.Osborne, John. ''Rome in the Eighth Century: A History in Art'', Cambridge University Press, 2020, p. 74
The historic origin of the religious site goes back to around 645. In this year, fugitive monks from the monastery of St. Sabas (
Mar Saba The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas, known in Arabic and Syriac as Mar Saba (; ; ; ) and historically as the Great Laura of Saint Sabas, is a Greek Orthodox monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley in the Bethlehem Governorate of Palestine, in th ...
,
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
), who had fled their home country after the Islamic invasion, came to Rome to attend the Lateran Council. After the council, these Sabaite monks settled down in an old ''
domus In ancient Rome, the ''domus'' (: ''domūs'', genitive: ''domūs'' or ''domī'') was the type of town house occupied by the upper classes and some wealthy freedmen during the Republican and Imperial eras. It was found in almost all the ma ...
'' (=noble estate) on the "Piccolo Aventino" (the smaller crest of the Aventine hill,"Basilica of Saint Saba", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
/ref> which at this time was deserted due to the big decrease in Rome's population. Here, they founded an eremitic cell. The Sabaites introduced the cult of St. Sabas to Rome. In ancient sources, their monastery however goes by the name ''cellas novas'' or ''cellaenovae'', which refers to the ''cellae'' (=cells) of their mother abbey, Mar Saba. The Sabaite monastery prospered quickly and for a long time. In the 8th and 9th centuries, San Saba was one of the most prestigious of Rome and among the leading "Greek" monasteries. It received rich papal donations. Since 680, its abbots held important diplomatic roles in the relationships between Rome and
Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...
, and represented the Roman Church and Pope at several church councils in Constantinople. In 768, Antipope Constantine II was held prisoner in this monastery, before being killed by the
Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...
. The Benedictine monks of
Monte Cassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic Church, Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient ...
received the church after it was rebuilt in the 10th century. Anselm, the nephew of St Anselm, was one of its abbots before departing to
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
as a
papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...
. After many years of decay, the basilica was completely renovated in the 13th century, after being ceded to
Cluniac Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul. The abbey was constructed ...
monks in 1144. In 1463,
Pope Pius II Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...
granted his nephew, Cardinal Francesco Todeschini the monastery of San Saba ''in commendam''. The cardinal, who adopted his uncle's family name "Piccolomini", immediately began extensive restoration, construction, and decoration works on the ancient buildings. He added the loggia to the facade, and a fresco depicting the ''Annunciation''.Richardson, Carol M., ''Reclaiming Rome: Cardinals in the Fifteenth Century'', BRILL, 2009, p. 294
In 1503 the
Cistercians The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
were entrusted with the church, which in 1573 was conveyed to the
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
(and their German seminary Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum).


Description

The church, preceded by a small porch from the 13th century, has a nave with two aisles. These end with three apses. The interior is characterized by numerous interventions from different ages. The columns are from ancient buildings, and the floor is an example of
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 ...
marble art from the beginning of the 13th century. The main artpieces are the notable frescoes that were discovered on the lower church which is close to the public. Fragments of those frescoes, most of which are very small, were detached and are now exhibited on the walls of the coridors leading to the church. On the left side of the lower church were depicted scenes from the life of Christ; on the right, scenes from the life of Mary. They represent the first instance of this Marian subject matter in any church in western Europe. The wall paintings were dated to the first half of the eighth century. Egyptian blue and lapis lazuli have been detected mixed together within the same pictorial layer. These are the oldest western paintings where lapis lazuli has been used as a blue pigment. The crypt, built on the house of St. Silvia, holds the
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 ...
s of St. Sabas. The
sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...
houses a fragment of fresco from the first church (8th century).


Cardinal-deacons

In 1959, San Saba was made a
titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...
, to be held by a
cardinal-deacon A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...
. *
Augustin Bea Augustin Bea (28 May 1881 – 16 November 1968) was a German Jesuit priest, cardinal, and scholar at the Pontifical Gregorian University, specialising in biblical studies and biblical archaeology. He also served as the personal confessor of Pop ...
(1959–1968) * Jean Daniélou (1969–1974) * Joseph Schröffer (1976–1983) * Jean Jérôme Hamer (1985–1996) * Jorge Medina (1998–2021) * Arthur Roche (2022–present)


References


Bibliography

* G. Bordi
''Gli affreschi di San Saba sul piccolo Aventino: Dove e come erano''
(Milan, 2008). * M. E. Cannizzaro, "L'antica chiesa di S. Saba sull'Aventino", i
''Atti del II Congresso Internazionale di Archeologia Cristiana, tenuto in Roma nell'aprile 1900''
(Rome, 1902), pp. 241–248. * M. E. Cannizzaro, "L'oratorio primitivo di S. Saba", i
''Atti del Congresso Internazionale di Scienze Storiche (Roma, 1–9 aprile 1903), vol. VII: Atti della sezione IV: Storia dell'Arte''
(Rome, 1905), pp. 177–192. * Daniela Gallavotti Cavallero, ''S. Saba'' (Rome; Ist. Nazionale di Studi Romani, 1988). * Richard Krautheimer, ''Corpus Basilicarum Christianarum Romae: The Early Christian Basilicas of Rome (IV-IX Cent.)'' Part IV (Rome: Pontificio istituto di archeologia cristiana, 1937), pp. 51 ff.


External links


"Beggar's Rome"
- A self-directed virtual tour of S. Saba and other Roman churches

Nyborg. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saba Basilica churches in Rome Titular churches 10th-century churches in Italy Churches of Rome (rione San Saba)