Name: Church of San Benedetto in Piscinula
Location: Piazza in Piscinula, 40, Rome
Tel.: 06.5833.1609
Tel.: 06.5833.1609
In the heart of Trastevere, the most "Roman" neighbourhood of the Eternal City, can be found the church of San Benedetto in Piscinula. With more than a thousand years of history, it constitutes a remarkable treasure of the medieval art of Rome.
The origin of the Church of San Benedetto in Piscinula has been lost in the night of time. The ancient documents only make mention of it, and no medieval codex tells us anything about its history. It is situated on the place where the Domus Aniciorum once stood. This was the spectacular villa of the very important Anicia family, of which Saint Benedict was a member. It was at this villa, around the year 480, that the venerable Abbot came to study and resided during his stay in Rome.
His cell, a small enclosure chosen by the saint as his residence, has been conserved intact to this day. Between the silence of these walls, God gave him the first graces, which would later culminate in the foundation of the cultural and religious work which would forever mark the future of Europe and the West: the Benedictine Order.
At the entrance of the cell can be seen a fresco of Our Lady of Mercy in front of which he prayed, asking for the grace to be faithful to his promise. Tradition tells us that it is the first rendering of the Mother of God, the object of the devotion of Saint Benedict.
Built around the 10th century -- even though the chapel, where the cell of Saint Benedict can be seen, dates from the 8th century -- the church is very small and discreet. It resembles a Basilica in miniature. As a pilgrim once said, it is similar to the Infant Jesus, it became small so as to be more accessible to men.
In the beginning, the church was dedicated to the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Only afterwards did it receive the name of Saint Benedict, which was given to it by the devotees of the saint. The denomination "in piscinula", according to some historians, refers to the proximity of the pools, that is to say, ancient thermal baths.
One of its great artistic works is the floor made of beautiful marble mosaics in a cosmatesque style (cosmei, in Greek, means to decorate). It is a style characteristic of the medieval epoch, brought to the Eternal City by the Benedictines. It is the only original cosmatesque ornamental floor in the world. While others have undergone alterations, this one remains untouched after nearly a thousand years.
* * *
In this place impregnated with the supernatural and marked by history, the past and the future meet in a special way, for today, in the ancient house of Saint Benedict, live and work young Heralds of the Gospel. The church was entrusted to them a little more than a year ago by the diocese of Rome. They are at the disposition of pilgrims from around the world who go there to contemplate the supernatural riches and artistic marvels of this venerable temple. When you go to Rome, please visit San Benedetto in Piscinula, home of the Heralds of the Gospel in the Eternal City, and also home to you.
The origin of the Church of San Benedetto in Piscinula has been lost in the night of time. The ancient documents only make mention of it, and no medieval codex tells us anything about its history. It is situated on the place where the Domus Aniciorum once stood. This was the spectacular villa of the very important Anicia family, of which Saint Benedict was a member. It was at this villa, around the year 480, that the venerable Abbot came to study and resided during his stay in Rome.
His cell, a small enclosure chosen by the saint as his residence, has been conserved intact to this day. Between the silence of these walls, God gave him the first graces, which would later culminate in the foundation of the cultural and religious work which would forever mark the future of Europe and the West: the Benedictine Order.
At the entrance of the cell can be seen a fresco of Our Lady of Mercy in front of which he prayed, asking for the grace to be faithful to his promise. Tradition tells us that it is the first rendering of the Mother of God, the object of the devotion of Saint Benedict.
Built around the 10th century -- even though the chapel, where the cell of Saint Benedict can be seen, dates from the 8th century -- the church is very small and discreet. It resembles a Basilica in miniature. As a pilgrim once said, it is similar to the Infant Jesus, it became small so as to be more accessible to men.
In the beginning, the church was dedicated to the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Only afterwards did it receive the name of Saint Benedict, which was given to it by the devotees of the saint. The denomination "in piscinula", according to some historians, refers to the proximity of the pools, that is to say, ancient thermal baths.
One of its great artistic works is the floor made of beautiful marble mosaics in a cosmatesque style (cosmei, in Greek, means to decorate). It is a style characteristic of the medieval epoch, brought to the Eternal City by the Benedictines. It is the only original cosmatesque ornamental floor in the world. While others have undergone alterations, this one remains untouched after nearly a thousand years.
* * *
In this place impregnated with the supernatural and marked by history, the past and the future meet in a special way, for today, in the ancient house of Saint Benedict, live and work young Heralds of the Gospel. The church was entrusted to them a little more than a year ago by the diocese of Rome. They are at the disposition of pilgrims from around the world who go there to contemplate the supernatural riches and artistic marvels of this venerable temple. When you go to Rome, please visit San Benedetto in Piscinula, home of the Heralds of the Gospel in the Eternal City, and also home to you.
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