The Basilica of St. Stephen in the Round on the Caelian Hill (, ) 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 ...

and

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 ...

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. Commonly named Santo Stefano Rotondo, the church is

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

's "national church" in Rome, dedicated to both

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

, the first Christian martyr, and Stephen I, the canonized first

king of Hungary The King of Hungary () was the Monarchy, ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...

. The

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 ...

is also the rectory church of the Pontifical Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum. Since 1985, the

cardinal priest 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 ...

who holds the title of S. Stephano has been Friedrich Wetter.

History

The earliest church was consecrated by

Pope Simplicius Pope Simplicius (died 2 or 10 March 483) was the bishop of Rome from 468 to his death on 10 March 483. He combated the Eutychian heresy, ended the practice of consecrating bishops only in December, and sought to offset the effects of Germanic i ...

between 468 and 483. It was dedicated to the protomartyr

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

, whose body had been discovered a few decades before in the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

, and brought to Rome. The church was the first in Rome to have a circular plan. Its architecture is unique in the Late Roman world. Santo Stefano was probably financed by the wealthy Valerius family whose estates covered large parts of the

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 ...

. Their villa stood nearby, on the site of the present-day Hospital of San Giovanni Addolorata. Saint Melania the Elder, a member of the family, was a frequent pilgrim to Jerusalem and died there, so the family had connections to the Holy Land. The church was originally commissioned by

Pope Leo I Pope Leo I () ( 391 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great (; ), was Bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death on 10 November 461. He is the first of the three Popes listed in the ''Annuario Pontificio'' with the title "the ...

(440-461), with the date confirmed by ancient coins and by

dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of chronological dating, dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed in a tree. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, ...

, which places the wood used in the beams of the roof to around 455 AD, but was not consecrated until after his death. The original church had three concentric ambulatories flanked by 22 Ionic columns, surrounding the central circular space surmounted by a tambour that is high and 22 m wide). There were 22 windows in the tambour but most of them were walled up in the 15th-century restoration. The central ambulatory had a diameter of , and the outer one a diameter of . Four side chapels extended from the middle ambulatory to the outer ambulatory, forming a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

."The Church of Santo Stefano Rotondo al Celio", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
/ref> The church was embellished by

Pope John I Pope John I (; died 18 May 526) was the bishop of Rome from 13 August 523 to his death on 18 May 526. He was a native of Siena (or the "Castello di Serena", near Chiusdino), in Italy. He was sent on a diplomatic mission to Constantinople by the ...

and Pope Felix IV in the 6th century with mosaics and colored marble. It was restored in 1139–1143 by

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II (; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as Pope was controversial, and the first eight years o ...

, who abandoned the outer ambulatory and three of the four side chapels. He also had three transverse arches added to support the dome, enclosed the columns of the central ambulatory with brick to form the new outer wall, and walled up 14 of the windows in the drum. In the Middle Ages, Santo Stefano Rotondo was in the charge of the Canons Regular of the Lateran, but as time went on it fell into disrepair. In the middle of the 15th century,

Flavio Biondo Flavio Biondo (Latin Flavius Blondus) (1392 – June 4, 1463) was an Italian Renaissance humanist historian. He was one of the first historians to use a three-period division of history (Ancient, Medieval, Modern) and is known as one of the ...

(Flavius Blondus) praised the marble columns, marble-covered walls, and

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 ...

works-of-art of the church, but he added that unfortunately "nowadays Santo Stefano Rotondo has no roof". Blondus claimed that the church was built on the remains of an ancient Temple of

Faunus In Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion and Roman mythology, myth, Faunus was the rustic god of the forest, plains and fields; when he made cattle fertile, he was called Inuus. He came to be equated in literature with the Greek god ...

. Excavations in 1969 to 1975 revealed that the building was not converted from a pagan temple but was always a church, erected under

Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

in the first half of the 4th century. In 1454,

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V (; ; 15 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene IV made him a Cardinal (Catholic Chu ...

entrusted the ruined church to the Pauline Fathers, the only Catholic Order founded by

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

. This is the reason why Santo Stefano Rotondo later became the unofficial church of the Hungarians in Rome. The church was restored in the 1450s by

Bernardo Rossellino Bernardo di Matteo del Borra Gamberelli (1409–1464), better known as Bernardo Rossellino, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect, the elder brother of the sculptor Antonio Rossellino. As a member of the second generation of Renaiss ...

, probably under the guidance of

Leon Battista Alberti Leon Battista Alberti (; 14 February 1404 – 25 April 1472) was an Italian Renaissance humanist author, artist, architect, poet, Catholic priest, priest, linguistics, linguist, philosopher, and cryptography, cryptographer; he epitomised the natu ...

. In 1579, the Hungarian

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 ...

joined the Pauline Fathers. The ''Collegium Hungaricum'', established by

István Arator István () is a Hungarian language equivalent of the name Stephen or Stefan. It may refer to: People with the given name Nobles, palatines and judges royal * Stephen I of Hungary (c. 975–1038), last grand prince of the Hungarians and first k ...

in 1579, was merged with the ''Collegium Germanicum'' in 1580, and became the Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum, because very few Hungarian students were able to travel to Rome from the Turkish-occupied,

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. On a visit to Rome in 1819

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...

made sketches of both the exterior and interior. The

Cardinal Priest 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 ...

of the ''Titulus S. Stephani in Coelio Monte'' has been Friedrich Wetter since 1985. His predecessor, József Mindszenty, was famous as the persecuted Catholic leader of Hungary under the Communist dictatorship.

Exterior

Although the inside is circular, the exterior is on a cruciform plan. The entrance has a portico with five arches on tall ancient granite columns with Corinthian capitals, added in the 12th century, by

Interior

The walls of the church are decorated with numerous frescoes, including those of Niccolò Circignani (Niccolò Pomarancio) and

Antonio Tempesta Antonio Tempesta, also called il Tempestino (1555 – 5 August 1630), was an Italian painter and engraver, whose art acted as a point of connection between Roman Baroque, Baroque Rome and the culture of Antwerp. Much of his work depicts major ba ...

portraying 34 scenes of martyrdom,Moorby, Nicola. "J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours", Tate, May 2008
/ref> commissioned by

Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...

in the 16th century. Each painting has a ''titulus'' or inscription explaining the scene and giving the name of the emperor who ordered the execution, as well as a quotation from the Bible.

Works of art

The altar was made by the Florentine artist

in the 15th century. The painting in the apse shows Christ between two martyrs. An ancient chair of

Pope Gregory the Great 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 Rom ...

from around 580 AD is preserved here. The ''Chapel of Ss. Primo e Feliciano'' has mosaics from the 7th century. One of them shows the martyrs

Primus and Felician Saints Primus and Felician (Felicianus) () were brothers who suffered martyrdom about the year 304 during the Diocletian persecution. The ''Martyrologium Hieronymianum'' gives under June 9 the names of ''Primus and Felician'' who were buried at the ...

flanking a (jewelled cross). In 648 the chapel was built by

Pope Theodore I Pope Theodore I (; died 14 May 649) was the bishop of Rome from 24 November 642 to his death on 14 May 649. His pontificate was dominated by the struggle with Monothelitism. Early career According to the ''Liber Pontificalis'', Theodore was a ...

who brought here the relics of the martyrs and buried them (together with the remains of his father).

Hungarian Chapel

Unlike nationals of other European nations, Hungarians lacked a national church in Rome after the old Santo Stefano degli Ungheresi in the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

was pulled down to make way for the sacristy of

St Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian Renaissance architecture, Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the cit ...

in 1778. As a compensation for the loss of the ancient church,

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

built a Hungarian chapel in Santo Stefano Rotondo according to the plans of Pietro Camporesi. The 'Hungarian chapel' is dedicated to

Stephen I of Hungary Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( ; ; ; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last grand prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first king of Hungary from 1000 or 1001 until his death in 1038. The year of his bi ...

, ''Szent István'', the canonized first king of the

Magyars Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common culture, language and history. They also have a notable presence in former parts of the Kingdom of Hungary. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...

. The feast of St Stephen is celebrated on 20 August. Hungarian pilgrims frequently visit the chapel. Hungarian experts took part in the ongoing restoration and archeological exploration of the church during the 20th century together with German and Italian colleagues. Notable Hungarian visitors were

Vilmos Fraknói Vilmos Fraknói (27 February 1843 – 20 November 1924) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian historian. He was an expert in Hungarian ecclesiastical history. Life Vilmos Fraknói (originally ''Vilmos Frankl'') came from a Jewish family of Ürmén ...

, Frigyes Riedl, and László Cs. Szabó, who all wrote about the history and importance of Santo Stefano. Recent archeological explorations revealed the late-antique floor of the church in the chapel. The floor is composed of coloured marble slabs and was restored in 2006 by an international team led by Zsuzsanna Wierdl. The frescoes of the chapel were painted in 1776 but older strata of paintings were recently discovered under them.

Burials

Archdeacon János Lászai, canon of

Gyulafehérvár Alba Iulia (; or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; ; ) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the river Mureș in the historical region of Transylvania, it has a population of ...

, was buried in the Santo Stefano Rotondo in 1523. Lászai left Hungary and moved to Rome where he became a papal confessor. His burial monument is an interesting example of Renaissance funeral sculpture. The inscription says: "" (Rome is everybody's fatherland). There is a tablet recording the burial here of the Irish king Donnchad mac Brian, son of

Brian Bóruma Brian Boru (; modern ; 23 April 1014) was the High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. He ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill, and is likely responsible for ending Viking invasions of Ireland. Brian Boru is me ...

and

King of Munster The kings of Munster () ruled the Kingdom of Munster in Ireland from its establishment during the Irish Iron Age until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasions'', the earli ...

, who died in Rome in 1064.*

Mithraeum

Under the church there is a 2nd-century

mithraeum A Mithraeum , sometimes spelled Mithreum and Mithraion (), is a Roman temple, temple erected in classical antiquity by the Mithraism, worshippers of Mithras. Most Mithraea can be dated between 100 BC and 300 AD, mostly in the Roman ...

, related to the presence of the barracks of Roman soldiers in the neighbourhood. The cult of

Mithras Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman Empire, Roman mystery religion focused on the god Mithras. Although inspired by Iranian peoples, Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian divinity (''yazata'') Mit ...

was especially popular among soldiers. The remains of Castra Peregrinorum, the barracks of the ''peregrini'', officials detached from provincial armies for special service to the capital, were found under Santo Stefano Rotondo. The mithraeum belonged to Castra Peregrinorum but it was probably also attended by the soldiers of Cohors V Vigilum, whose barracks stood nearby on the other side of Via della Navicella. The mithraeum is being excavated. The remains of the Roman military barracks (from the Severan Age) and the mithraeum under the church remain closed to the public. The coloured marble bas-relief "Mithras slaying the bull" from the 3rd century is today in the

Museo Nazionale Romano The National Roman Museum (Italian: ''Museo Nazionale Romano'') is a museum, with several branches in separate buildings throughout the city of Rome, Italy. It shows exhibits from the pre- and early history of Rome, with a focus on archaeological ...

List of cardinal priests of the church

The titulus ''S. Stephani in Coelio Monte'' was cited for the first time in the Roman synod of 499. * Marcello (499) * Benedetto (993) * Crescenzio (1015) * Sasso de Anagni (1116–1131) * Martino Cybo (1132–1142) * Raniero (1143–1144) * Villano Gaetani (1144–1146) * Gerardo (1151–1158) * Gero (1172), pseudocardinal of the Antipope Calixtus III * Vibiano (1175–1184) * Giovanni di Salerno (1190–1208) * Robert of Courçon (''or'' de Corzon, ''or'' Cursonus) (1212–1219) * Michel Du Bec-Crespin (1312–1318) * Pierre Le Tessier (1320–1325) * Pierre de Montemart (1327–1335) * Guillaume d'Aure, O.S.B. (1339–1353) * Élie de Saint-Irier (''or'' Saint Yrieux) (1356–1363) * Guillaume d'Aigrefeuille le Jeune (1367–1401) * Gugilemo d'Altavilla (1384–1389) * Angelo Cino (''or'' Ghini Malpighi) (1408–1412) * Pierre Ravat (''or'' Rabat) (1408–1417), pseudocardinal of the

Antipope Benedict XIII Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor (25 November 1328 – 23 May 1423), known as () or Pope Luna, was an Aragonese nobleman who was antipope with the regnal name Benedict XIII during the Western Schism. Early life Pedro Martínez de Lu ...

* Pierre of Foix, (1417–1431) * Jean Carrier (1423-c. 1429), pseudocardinal of the

* ''Vacant'' (1431–1440) * Renault de Chartres (''or'' Renaud) (1440–1444) * Jean d'Arces (1444–1449), pseudocardinal of the

Antipope Felix V Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1391 to 1416 and Duke of Savoy from 1416 to 1440. He was a claimant to the papacy from 1439 to 1449 as Felix VWhen numbering of the popes began ...

* Jean Rolin (1448–1483) * Giovanni Giacomo Sclafenati (1483–1484); ''in commendam'' (1484–1497) * ''Vacant'' (1497–1503) * Jaime Casanova (1503–1504) * Antonio Pallavicini Gentili (''or'' Antoniotto), ''in commendam'' (1504–1505) * Antonio Trivulzio, senior (1505–1507) * Melchior von Meckau (1507–1509) * François Guillaume de Castelnau-Clermont-Ludève (1509–1523) *

Bernardo Clesio Bernardo Clesio (; 1 March 1484 – 30 July 1539) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), Cardinal, bishop, diplomat, humanist and botanist. Born in Cles, in the Prince-Bishopric of Trent, today Trentino, he graduated from the University of Bo ...

(1530–1539) *

David Beaton David Beaton (also Beton or Bethune; 29 May 1546) was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish cardinal prior to the Reformation. Life David Beaton was said to be the fifth son of fourteen children born to John Beaton (Bethune) of Balf ...

(1539–1546) * Giovanni Morone (1549–1553) *

Giovanni Angelo Medici Pope Pius IV (; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a b ...

(1553–1557) later

Pope Pius IV Pope Pius IV (; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a b ...

* Fulvio Giulio della Corgna (1557–1562) * Girolamo da Correggio (1562–1568) * Diego Espinosa (1568–1572) * Zaccaria Delfino (1578–1579) * Matteo Contarelli (1584–1585) * Federico Cornaro (1586–1590) * Antonio Maria Sauli (1591–1603) * Giacomo Sannesio (1604–1621) * Lucio Sanseverino (1621–1623) * Bernardino Spada (1627–1642) * John de Lugo (1644) * Giovanni Giacomo Panciroli (1644–1651) * Marcello Santacroce Publicola (1652–1674) * Bernardino Rocci (1675–1680) * Raimondo Capizucchi (1681–1687) * Francesco Bonvisi (1689–1700) * Giovanni Battista Tolomei (1712–1726) * Giovanni Battista Salerno (1726–1729) *

Camillo Cybo Camillo Cybo Malaspina (April 25, 1681 in Province of Massa and Carrara, Massa Carrara – January 12, 1743 in Rome) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal of the Catholic Church. Early life Born into the aristocratic Cybo Malaspina fam ...

(1729–1731) * Antonio Saverio Gentili (1731–1747) * Filippo Maria Monti (1747–1754) * Fabrizio Serbelloni (1754–1763) * Pietro Paolo Conti (1763–1770) * Ludovico Calini (1771–1782) * ''Vacant'' (1782–1786) * Niccolò Colonna di Stigliano (1786–1796) * Étienne-Hubert de Cambacérès (1805–1818) * ''Vacant'' (1818–1834) * Francesco Tiberi (1834–1839) * ''Vacant'' (1839–1845) * Fabio Maria Asquini (1845–1877) * Manuel García Gil (1877–1881) * Paul Melchers (1885–1895) * Sylvester Sembratovych (1896–1898) * Jakob Missia (1899–1902) * Lev Skrbenský z Hříště (1902–1938) * ''Vacant'' (1938–1946) * József Mindszenty (1946–1975) * ''Vacant'' (1975–1985) * Friedrich Wetter (1985-incumbent)

References

External links

Photos of the discovered Roman floor
with Hungarian text only
Official Homepage of the Church

Interactive Nolli Map
{{Authority control Stefano Rotondo Stefano Rotondo

Stefano Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...

Mithraea Rotundas in Europe 5th-century churches Palaeo-Christian architecture in Italy Pauline Order Stefano Rome Stefano Rotondo