Santi Quattro Coronati

Rome, Italy

Santi Quattro Coronati is an ancient basilica in Rome. The church dates back to the 4th (or 5th) century, and is devoted to four anonymous saints and martyrs. The complex of the basilica with its two courtyards, the fortified Cardinal Palace with the Saint Silvester Chapel, and the monastery with its cosmatesque cloister is built in a silent and green part of Rome, between the Colosseum and San Giovanni in Laterano.

Tradition holds the first church was begun by Pope Miltiades, in the 4th century on the north side of the Coelian Hill. One of the first churches of Rome, it bore the Titulus Aemilianae from the name of the foundress, who probably owned the elaborate Roman villa, whose structure is evident under the church. The church was completed the end of the 6th century, and because of its proximity to the medieval papal residence of the Lateran Palace, it became prominent in its day. The first renovations occurred under Pope Leo IV (847-855), who built the crypt under the nave, added to side aisles, enclosed the courtyard before the facade, and built the belltower and the chapels of Saints Barbara and Nicholas. The new remarkable basilica, Carolingian in style, was 95 m long and 50 m wide.

This church, however, was burned to the ground by Robert Guiscard's troops during the Norman Sack of Rome (1084). Instead of rebuilding the original basilica to scale, Pope Paschal II built a smaller basilica with a two courtyards. The two aisles were included in the Cardinal Palace and in the Benedictine monastery founded by Paschal himself. The original apse of the basilica, however, was preserved, and seems oversized for the new church, whose nave was divided into three parts by means of columns. The new church was consecrated inĀ 1116.

In the 13th century a Cosmatesque cloister was added. The Cardinal Palace was enlarged by cardinal Stefano Conti, a nephew of Pope Innocent III. Cardinal Conti also transformed the palace into a fortress, to shelter Popes in the Lateran during the conflict with the Hohenstaufen emperors. In 1247, the chapel of St Sylvester, on the ground floor of the fortress, was consecrated; it contains frescoes depicting the stories of Pope Silvester I and Emperor Constantine I, among which the un-historical baptism of the emperor, as well as a depiction of the Donation of Constantine.

When the Popes moved to Avignon (14th century), the Cardinal Palace fell into ruin. Thus, upon the return of the Popes to Rome with Pope Martin V, a restoration was necessary. However, when the Papal residence moved from the Lateran to the Vatican palace, this basilica lost importance. In 1564, Pope Pius IV entrusted the basilica and the surrounding buildings to the Augustinians, who still serve it.

The interest in the history of this complex renewed in 1913. Once the building became an orphanage, the Augustinian nuns put a revolving drum by its entrance which was used as a deposit 'box' for unwanted babies.

Interior decoration

The apse contains the frescoes (1630) by Giovanni da San Giovanni of the four patron martyr saints, Severo, Severiano, Carpoforo e Vittorino. The altarpiece on the left nave of S.Sebastiano curato da Lucina e Irene was painted by Giovanni Baglione. The second courtyard holds the entrance to the Oratorio di San Silvestro, with frescoes of medieval origin, as well as others by Raffaellino da Reggio.

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Details

Founded: 4th century AD
Category: Religious sites in Italy

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Jean Crescenzi (4 months ago)
Beautiful basilica! Jaw dropping art. A must place to see when in Rome.
HYPH4ZE (6 months ago)
This Basilica looks doesn't catch the eye from the outside and is not located on a busy street. We simply stumbled upon it. Once inside... the beauty of the art pieces is overwhelming. Worth seeing.
Brad (8 months ago)
The Basilica and Monastery of Santi Quattro Coronati is located around half way between the Colosseum and Basilica San Giovanni in Laterano and a couple minutes walk from Basilica di San Clemente. What you will find is a 4th or 5th-century complex with a fortified palace, courtyards and basilica with frescoed walls, decorative apse and nice artworks. Unfortunately, the notable Chapel of St. Silvester found near the first courtyard entrance was not open on the day we passed by. This was disappointing but the rest of the basilica and monastery made for a nice brief visit. I enjoyed a brief 15-20 minutes walk around. It is definitely a place worth passing by if sightseeing in the are and not in a rush.
Leonard Webster (13 months ago)
I bought a book about Secret Rome and as I read it I began to realize the hidden places that this wonderful city has. Rome seems very big. It is not. The problem is the waiting times! I was there for more than ten days and I always passed by the sides of the Colosseum. Always heading towards my undiscovered treasures. So I arrived at Santi Quattro Coronati and time stopped for me. It was raining and I was alone. I traveled alone and the Basilica received me alone. All of her for me. In a silence that I miss today, I observed its walls and paint until my eyes asked for rest. Then I just took photos. It was a quarter to 12, some nuns entered the area where I couldn't access but in my sight and hearing they began to sing like angels. I was ecstatic. They finished their songs or prayers, one approached me and told me that they would close the temple. I answered that she came to see certain secret signs that the monks engraved in the stones of the Cloister and she sweetly told me that it was only open on Fridays and Saturdays. So I left again in the rain but with joy in my soul and convinced to return. I came back on Friday and that is another wonderful story that I will share soon...
A.G. M. (13 months ago)
Amazing Medieval complex/fortress not far from S. Giovanni in Laterano including an Agostinian nuns monastery and a church built and rebuilt over the centuries over the remains of much earlier constructions going all the way back to the lV century. It is possible at certain times to visit a delightful cloister and also the famous S.Silvestro Chapel whose walls are decorated with XII century frescoes depicting the so called Constantine donation story. This was a story based on false traditions and a forged document concocted by the Church to establish its moral superiority over the Emperor (the Pope who would crown all Emperors) and to justify its temporal power over territories claimed to have been gifted.
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